Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Even Nate, who generally stays away from garlic, loves this. Since the garlic is roasted in the pan then cooks in the sauce for 30 minutes, it comes out very mellow. To save my sanity, I buy the garlic that's already peeled.

3 whole heads of garlic, about 40 cloves

3 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, skin on (cut in half if large)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 TB unsalted buter

2 TB olive oil

3 TB Cognac, divided

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 TB fresh thyme leaves

2 TB all purpose flour

2 TB heavy cream

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3-5 minutes per side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat starts to burn, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches.

Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5-10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 TB of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boill, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste; it should be very flavorful because the chicken can tend to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Recipe Source: Ina Garten (http://www.foodtv.com/)