Recipe: 40 garlic roast chicken

Yes you read that right, 40 cloves! This may sound like an overpowering amount but roasting it slowly caramelises the garlic and mellows the flavour. I made this for dinner tonight and enjoyed it so much I felt compelled to share it a recipe with you right now!! Scott’s Mum has cooked this for us a few times and it’s my absolute favourite way to eat chicken. She recited the method over the phone and I’ve used that to create my own version of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (approx 1.5kg)
• 1 handful of fresh thyme
• 1 handful of fresh lemon thyme
• 40 garlic cloves + 1 for luck
• 200ml olive oil
• 2 lemons chopped into quarters
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Roasting tin with lid

40 garlic roast chicken recipe

1. Preheat oven to 160c (fan assisted)

2. Prepare the garlic, lemon and herbs

Break the garlic bulbs into cloves and remove the papery outer layer. Completely peel 5 cloves for the chicken cavity.

Add the garlic cloves (except the 5 peeled ones), thyme and lemons to a roasting pan.

3. Stuff and season the chicken

Stuff the chicken with half a lemon, the peeled garlic cloves and a handful of herbs — don’t overpack the cavity. Pour the oil over the chicken and rub it into the skin, then season with salt and pepper.

4. Cover and cook

Put a lid on the roasting plan and cook the chicken in a preheated oven for a total of 2.5 hours. Baste with juices from the pan every 45 minutes and cook uncovered for the last 15 minutes to crisp the skin. After 2.5 hours, check the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Say hello to tender, juicy, garlicy, herby chicken! Meat falls away from the bone and isn’t at all greasy despite being cooked in 200ml of oil.

We usually serve ours with boiled potatoes and garlic, oil and juice drizzled over the top. The best part of this dish is the velvety flesh inside the garlic cloves. If you have any left over, squeeze the flesh out and spread it on bread or toast.

Enjoy!