Garlic-Braised Chicken

By Eric Kim

Published Oct. 28, 2021

Garlic-Braised Chicken
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(2,080)
Comments
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“It’s the only place where you can find a giant vat of peeled garlic, because it’s the only place that truly understands how much garlic you’ll need for the kind of food your people eat,” Michelle Zauner writes about the supermarket H Mart in her memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” Thankfully, many other grocery stores now sell containers of peeled garlic cloves. If you don’t already buy those, then this recipe is a great reason to start. Chicken thighs, white pepper, chardonnay and 20 garlic cloves are all you need for this zinger of a one-pot meal, which braises in an hour. In that time, chicken fat, wine and water turn into a luscious sauce packed with garlicky redolence. The white pepper, musky and full of earthiness, is a key taste here, so don’t skip it.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • Olive oil
  • 2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4)
  • Salt
  • 20peeled garlic cloves
  • ¾teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1cup dry chardonnay
  • Steamed white rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

664 calories; 42 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 39 grams protein; 798 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Season the chicken with salt on both sides, then add to the pot skin side down. Cook until the skin turns golden and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. If the skin browns too quickly, lower the heat. Flip, and sear the other side briefly, about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Add the garlic to the schmaltzy oil over medium-high, and stir until fragrant and very lightly golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the white pepper, then immediately add the wine and 1 cup water. Scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pot while bringing the liquid to a simmer. Nestle the chicken in the pot skin side up, cover and cook in the oven until the chicken and garlic are meltingly tender, and the wine has reduced, about 1 hour. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Serve with rice.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,080 user ratings
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Comments

Suri

As an Italian, I can appreciate the H-Mart pre-peeled garlic is convenient, but pre-peeled garlic is so poor in flavor compared to freshly-peeled. Yes, it's a bit of extra work, but isn't food is worth it? And the tip to pop the cloves into a stainless steel bowl with a lid and shake can produce dozens of easily-peelable cloves in less than a minute.

jeff

Medium high with a coating of oil. Let it get hot enough so that when you put the chicken in it sizzles, then wait. WAIT. Don’t mess with the chicken until at least 7 minutes have passed. Then try to lift one. If it doesn’t lift easily, wait. I’ve always been impatient and that’s my downfall. Also used 1 tsp of white pepper. The 1 hour renders the fat, water and wine into a velvety sauce. But, I admit I added 1 tbs butter to 1/2 of it just to see. . . . I liked the addition. Your mileage may var

Susan Ford

They may be cooked after 25 minutes, but they become meltingly tender after an hour, and a lot of the fat renders into the sauce.

Mary F.

I've made this twice. The first time was incredible. Just sampled my second try. One hour was not nearly enough time for the garlic to get soft and smushy,although if I remember correctly, I waited at least 90 minutes the first time. I used real garlic, too,then. But in the interests of time ( and my back) today I used pre-peeled. Could that be the difference? I'm Italian and have never, ever used pre-peeled before. This may be only time! I'm hoping cooking longer, low and slow, will help.

Theodore

This was delicious, a simple and elegant dish that really shows the complexity of garlic which we smeared on toast points to great effect. This works well over greens as well as with rice. Big hit.

Brian

I made this recipe exactly ... fresh garlic, chicken, everything. I love garlic, and the dish was astoundingly bland.

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