Garlic Chicken

Garlic Chicken is a classic of Spanish cuisine, a simple yet flavorful dish that perfectly combines the juiciness of chicken with the intense and aromatic presence of garlic. This recipe, quick and easy to prepare, will allow you to delight your guests or enjoy a comforting lunch at home.

Ingredients

You need 1.5 kg of cleaned and cut whole chicken for a generous portion that serves up to four people. Salt and ground black pepper are the basic seasonings that will give your dish the perfect touch. Olive oil is essential for browning the chicken and cooking the garlic, giving the dish its unique flavor. The thirty cloves of whole garlic, thinly sliced, provide the aromatic base characteristic of this dish. Additionally, a good amount of white wine will help reduce and create the sauce. Wheat flour is the key ingredient to thicken the sauce and give it a more complex flavor. Chicken broth is essential for steaming the chicken pieces, infusing them with its flavor while cooking.

Step-by-Step

To start, remove the skin from the chicken and generously season each piece with salt and pepper. Then, in a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry three whole garlic cloves until they are golden brown. Remove the fried garlic to decorate the dish later. With the same oil, fry the chicken in batches until it is golden on all sides.

Peel the remaining head of garlic and thinly slice the cloves. Add these sliced garlic pieces to the chicken and cook together for a few minutes so that everything integrates well. Next, pour white wine over the mixture and reduce completely.

In a small bowl, dissolve one tablespoon of flour in some cold chicken broth before adding it to the pot with the rest of the contents. Add 400 ml of chicken broth (or half if you prefer your dish to be less saucy) and mix well to combine all ingredients. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and cook for about 20 minutes over medium-low heat until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Finally, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately to enjoy a freshly made and flavorful dish.

Tips and Techniques

1. Use fresh garlic: The aroma of the garlic is fundamental in this recipe, so make sure to use fresh cloves.
2. Fry the chicken before steaming it: This technique will allow you to achieve a more complex flavor and a crunchy exterior with a juicy interior.
3. Reducing white wine: The process of reducing the wine is important for intensifying its flavor and creating a base for the sauce.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not frying the chicken pieces before steaming them: If they are not browned, the chicken will turn out soft and without texture.
2. Adding too much flour or broth: The precise amount is crucial for obtaining a perfect sauce.
3. Not reducing the wine enough: This step is fundamental to intensifying its flavor and creating a base for the sauce.

How to Know It’s Done

The garlic chicken will be ready when the pieces of chicken are tender and cooked through, with an attractive golden color. The sauce should be thick but not pasty, with a strong aroma of garlic and reduced white wine.

Enjoy this Spanish classic that combines flavor and ease in one recipe. Source: bonviveur.com