Forty-clove garlic chicken is the recipe I ended up with after buying a 3 lb bag of peeled garlic at Sam’s Club, around $11.50 at the time, and looking for something to make with it. I made it, and it was a hit. I liked it enough that I wanted to document it here.

I made it as the recipe was written, with two differences. My package of chicken thighs had 10 in it, not the 6 to 8 the recipe calls for. I prefer to buy name brand chicken, and this time it was Perdue. The other difference is the pans. The recipe calls for an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven. I sear the chicken and cook the sauce in a round pan, then bake it in a square pan. That’s not what the recipe called for, but it’s the method that works best for me.

Recipe & Cook Overview

Main ingredients: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 40 peeled garlic cloves, dry white wine, chicken broth

Method: Sear on the stovetop, then finish in the oven (smoke-free)

Oven temperature: 375°F

Oven time: 30–40 minutes, per the recipe

Internal temperature: The recipe says at least 165°F. I pulled mine at 170°F.

Served with: Mashed potatoes, seared asparagus, Pillsbury Crescent rolls

What You’ll Need for Forty-Clove Garlic Chicken

• 6–8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or one chicken cut into pieces (I used 10 Perdue thighs)
• 40 peeled garlic cloves, roughly 1½–2 cups
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or several fresh thyme sprigs
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup chicken broth
• Optional: 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Optional: crusty bread for spreading the softened garlic (I used Pillsbury Crescent rolls)

Step 1: Heat the Oven and Season the Chicken

Heat the oven to 375°F. Dry the chicken thoroughly and season it with the salt and pepper.

Step 2: Sear the Chicken

Heat the olive oil and butter in your pan. I use a round pan for this step. Brown the chicken skin-side down for about 6–8 minutes, then flip it and cook another 2 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside while you cook the garlic.

Step 3: Cook the Garlic (2–3 Minutes)

Add all 40 garlic cloves to the same round pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until they pick up a little color, but don’t let them burn.

Step 4: Add the Wine, Broth and Thyme

Stay in the round pan, and leave the chicken out of it for now. Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the broth and thyme and let it simmer with the garlic and pan drippings.

Step 5: Transfer to the Square Pan and Bake Uncovered (30–40 Minutes)

Transfer the finished sauce and garlic from the round pan to a square baking pan. Place the chicken skin-side up over the sauce, then put the square pan in the oven and bake uncovered for approximately 30–40 minutes, until the thighs reach at least 165°F. I pulled mine at 170°F, and they were fine.

Step 6: Make the Sauce

Take the square pan out of the oven and remove the chicken from the pan.

What’s left in the square pan is the sauce, with the softened garlic cloves still whole.

Then crush most of the softened garlic cloves into the sauce to finish it, as the recipe directs. There’s no simmering or additional cooking of the sauce.

What We Served With It

We served the chicken with mashed potatoes, seared asparagus, and Pillsbury Crescent rolls.

The recipe’s tip to smash the soft garlic cloves onto bread and drag it through the pan juices was spot on. Pillsbury Crescent rolls baked per the package instructions come out with a crusty outside and a soft inside, so they do the job of the crusty bread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called forty-clove garlic chicken? Because the recipe uses 40 peeled garlic cloves.

Do I need a smoker for this? No. This one is smoke-free. It’s a stovetop sear followed by the oven.

What internal temperature should the chicken reach? The recipe calls for at least 165°F. I pulled mine at 170°F, and they were fine.

Can I use a whole cut-up chicken instead of thighs? The recipe says you can use one chicken cut into pieces. I made it with bone-in, skin-on thighs.

Do I need an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven? The recipe calls for one because the dish goes from the stovetop to the oven. I sear the chicken and cook the sauce in a round pan, then transfer the sauce and garlic to a square baking pan, place the chicken on top skin-side up, and bake it there. The round pan stays on the stovetop, and the square pan only goes in the oven.

Do I need all 40 cloves of garlic? That’s what the recipe calls for, and I used all 40 from my bag of peeled garlic.

Looking for smoked chicken? See my Complete Guide to Smoked Chicken.