Chicken and 40 Cloves of Garlic over a creamy Crimini Risotto

We licked our plates clean with this traditional recipe. I served it over a Crimini mushroom risotto, but had I done it over, I would have served it over mashed potatoes.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves, peeled (I peeled them by rolling the cloves into a silpat and rolling them on the counter until the skins peeled off....took me about 4 minutes...)
  
• 1 4-lb chicken, cut into eighths
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine, divided (optional)
  
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken starting skin side down, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate. Add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the red wine and all of the white wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 45 minutes, until all the chicken is done.
Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of red wine and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Crimini Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tbls
  
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons
• Glug of cream or half & half
  
• 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Glug of red wine
• dash of thyme
• About 1 cup of crimini mushrooms chopped

Directions
In a medium saucepan bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.
In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter, until rice is translucent. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, cream, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, mascarpone cheese, and the salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
In a saute pan, heat 1 tbls of butter. Add mushrooms, sauteeing for just a few minutes until mushrooms begin to darken. Splash the pan with a glug of red wine, salt and pepper and serve on top of the risotto.