1 whole chicken, broken down (legs and thighs boned, breasts/crown reserved; carcass and bones chopped for stock)
40 whole garlic cloves
Oil, for browning
Salt and black pepper
For the Enriched Stock
Reserved chopped chicken bones and carcass
1 stick celery, roughly chopped
Dark green top of 1 leek (reserve the tender white part for the sauce)
Outer layer of 1 onion
1 sprig thyme
A couple of bay leaves
Water, to cover
For the Sauce
1 white onion, medium dice
1 stick celery, medium dice (adds natural glutamate to boost flavour)
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
Reserved tender white of the leek
A knob of butter
A splash of white wine, to deglaze
The enriched chicken stock
A nice dollop of creme fraiche
Salt and black pepper
To Serve
Thick slices of crusty bread
Reserved roasted garlic cloves
A little parsley, chopped
Directions
Break down the chicken: remove the wishbone and wing tips, take off the legs and pop out the thigh bones, and remove the breasts. Chop the leftover carcass and bones into small pieces to use for the stock.
Make the enriched stock: heat a good hit of oil in a pot and brown the chopped chicken bones well. Add the vegetable trim (celery, dark leek top and onion skin), the thyme sprig and bay leaves, cover with water and bring up to a rolling boil, then simmer to make a rich stock.
Peel the garlic: put the 40 cloves in a bowl and pour over boiling (or very hot tap) water. After about 10 minutes the skins retract and the cloves pop straight out.
Simmer the peeled garlic in a pan of boiling water for about 15 minutes, until just tender, then lift onto a tray.
Season the chicken pieces all over. Heat a good amount of oil in a pan and lay the chicken in skin-side down. Keep the heat nice and even and colour it well (it will finish cooking in the sauce), then turn to brown all over and remove from the pan.
Add the tender garlic cloves to the chicken fat and roast over a high heat until golden, then tip onto a tray.
Build the sauce in the same pan over medium-high heat: soften the white onion and celery, add a knob of butter and a touch of salt, then add the mushrooms and keep caramelising. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce by about half.
Stir in half the roasted garlic, lay the browned chicken back on top and scatter over the last of the garlic. Pour over the enriched stock, bring up to a simmer, cover with a cartouche (parchment lid) and braise for about 16 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the cartouche. Lift out the chicken and a few whole garlic cloves (reserve these for presentation).
Finish the sauce: add a touch of black pepper and a nice dollop of creme fraiche, blend until smooth, then pass through a strainer.
Put the chicken under a hot grill to re-crisp the skin, then return it to the sauce to glaze.
To serve, fry or toast thick slices of crusty bread until crisp on the outside. Pile the glazed chicken on the bread, spoon over the sauce, add the reserved whole garlic cloves and a little chopped parsley, and crush the roasted garlic onto the bread as you eat.
Fallow's 40 Clove Chicken (Will Murray & Jack Croft) — a restaurant take on the French classic chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. Blanching, simmering and then roasting the garlic turns it sweet and mellow before it is blended into the creamy pan sauce. The reel does not give exact quantities, so season and adjust to taste; method transcribed from the video (https://instagram.com/reel/DfhtyK3o6PK).
