Garlic Chicken - the Ina Garten way

To me the biography of Ina Garten, a well known American TV chef, always reads like a fairy tale. A passionate cook from an early age on, Mrs Garten initially chose to study Economics and went on to work for the US government in Washington D.C.. In 1978 she stumbled upon an add for a small deli in the West Hamptons ("Barefoot Contessa") and decided to turn her hobby into a career. The shop quickly expanded and by the mid-1980s she had opened a large store in the exclusive East Hamptons (her shop has even featured in a movie with Jack Nicholson). Eventuelly Ina Garten sold her shop, but went on to publish a series of cook books and even has her own TV show. In retrospect her initial decision to by that small deli in the Hamptons might seem entirely logical, but few people really have the courage to give up a safe job for such a risk. Chapeau!

The recipe below is one of hers (adapted very slightly) and is truly wonderful. The amount of garlic used might seen daunting to the uninitiated, but trust me on this one!

Ingredients (serves 3-4):


1 organic chicken (1,5kg)
350 ml white wine
3 tablespoons of cognac
3-4 twigs of thyme
2 large bulbs of garlic
2-3 tablespoons of creme fraiche
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of flour
butter, olive oil
salt, pepper


Preparation:


1. First you will need to cut your chicken into 10 pieces. You can have this done by your butcher, but it's pretty easy to do this at home once you know how. Start by cutting off the two wings, then separate the legs (cutting each into half along the middle joint), and, last but not least, remove the breast filets. These should ideally remain on the bone (each breast cut into half), but if you find this too difficult, you can also use them off the bone.

2. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat some butter and some olive oil in a heavy pan and fry the chicken in batches until it is golden brown. Take your time doing this, you want the chicken to brown evenly.

 3. In the meantime, separate the garlic cloves and blanch them in some boiling water (1 minute will do). Once they have cooled off slightly, peel them and, in case the cloves are particularly large, cut them in half.

4. Once the chicken is done, set aside and gentry saute the garlic (in the same pan) for about 10 minutes until it's taken on a fair bit of color. You might want to turn down the heat for this though, garlic takes on an unpleasant bitter taste when burned.  

5. Add the wine and the cognac to the pan and allow to boil briefly. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme and return the chicken to the pan. Close the lid and cook for 30 min over low heat (the liquid should be simmering, not boiling). 



6. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside briefly. In a small bowl, whisk a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid with the flour and whisk it back into the sauce. Add the creme fraiche and the sugar before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.







Serve with some greens and plenty of fresh baguette to mop up the sauce!