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Forty-cloves-of-garlic brined chicken

by Tom Kerridge from Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes (Absolute Press)

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This is my version of a French classic – chicken roasted with forty cloves of garlic.Ìý With this recipe – and all my recipes – I’m trying to get as much flavour as possible out of every ingredient, which is why I use the lovely, garlicky oil used to cook the chicken to make the mayonnaise.

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Serves 4

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Prep time: Ìý40 mins + 8hrs briningÌý

Cooking time: 1½hrs

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Ingredients

1 large chicken, about 1.8kg

100ml chicken stock

100ml white wine

2 tbsp brandy

1 medium potato, peeled

4 bay leaves

250ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp flaky sea salt

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

40 garlic cloves, separated but not peeled

1 small bunch of thyme

Vegetable oil, for pan roasting

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For the brine

2L water

400g flaky sea salt

390g demerara sugar

2 tbsp black peppercorns

4 cloves

2 bay leaves

2 thyme sprigs

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For the mayonnaise

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

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Method

To make the brine, bring all of the ingredients to the boil in a large saucepan, stirring to make sure that the sugar & salt dissolve.Ìý Leave to cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge.Ìý When chilled, place the chicken in the brine, cover & leave in the fridge for 8 hrs.Ìý Remove the chicken & pat dry on kitchen paper.

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Preheat the oven to 210C/Gas Mark 7.

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Pour the chicken stock, white wine & brandy into a large casserole & bring to the boil over a medium-high heat.

Add the potato & bay leaves.Ìý Place the chicken in the casserole & pour in the olive oil.Ìý Season with the flaky sea salt & black pepper, then throw in the 40 garlic cloves & the thyme.Ìý Put a lid on the casserole & place in the oven for 45-60 mins, until the chicken is cooked.Ìý Test the thickest part of the thigh meat with an instant-read thermometer – it should have an internal temperature of 70C.

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Remove the chicken from the casserole & put it into a roasting tin.Ìý Turn the oven down to 60C/Gas Mark ¼ & place the chicken in the oven to rest.

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Place a fine sieve over a jug & drain the cooking liquor into it.Ìý Carefully lift the whole potato out, place it on a small plate & put it into the fridge to chill.Ìý Gently pour off the cooking oil from the jug – it will have separated & floated to the top.Ìý Keep this oil as you are going to make the mayonnaise with it.Ìý Place a frozen freezer block or a plastic bag filled with ice cubes into the oil to cool it down quickly.Ìý Also, reserve the cooking liquid beneath the oil.

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Pat the garlic cloves dry on some kitchen paper.Ìý Warm a large, non-stick frying pan on a medium heat & drizzle in a little vegetable oil. ÌýAdd the garlic cloves & roast them in the pan until they are browned & toasted – be careful not to burn them.Ìý They will already be soft inside.

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Pour the remaining cooking liquor that was underneath the cooking oil into a saucepan & simmer it to reduce it to a glaze.Ìý Remove the chicken from the oven & blowtorch it to get a dark, even colour.Ìý Pour over the reduced glaze.

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To make the mayonnaise, place the chilled potato, mustard, egg yolks & vinegar in a food processor & purée until smooth.Ìý With the motor running, slowly pour the chilled cooking oil through the feed tube, until it emulsifies into a thick mayonnaise.Ìý Add the lemon juice & season with salt & black pepper.

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To serve, carve the chicken into 10 pieces – breasts, wings, wing tips, drumsticks & thighs.Ìý Transfer to a serving platter & serve with the roasted garlic cloves & the mayonnaise.