I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this but Mr NQN comes from an alternative family. One in which taking pills would cause cause real and not mock horror and where some family members refuse to drink Coke or coffee. Mr NQN broke free from this eating style when he was in his mid-late teens and did it by way of a hamburger, I suppose the best way for someone raised vegetarian and alternative to rebel – not only would there be meat but it was also one of those burger chains!
His charming hippy upbringing is a sweet tale that I often feel should be made into a book. It would be the alternative version of the Royal Tenenbaums. The eccentric father who was lost at sea and necessitated a National rescue effort, the well meaning mother who would wear pendants to ward off radiation and the siblings who escaped near death experiences and fought like cats and dogs and one whose dearest wish was to have a television in the lounge room, even if it didn’t work, so that they could just be like everyone else.
His mum’s solution for any remedy is a natural one and I do agree with her on some points and I do usually take pills with some hesitation. One of the items that Mr NQN and I frequently use especially in Winter is garlic. It is one of those things that when eaten or taken in capsule form, seems to ward off colds. It doesn’t seem to help much once you have the flu for us but if we’re feeling under the weather we take it. Of course his family wouldn’t eat this particular dish, after all this is meat.
Eagle eyed NQN readers spotted the “kissing” intertwined carrots! See comments below
I was feeling poorly this week, I think a result of a cold snap which always means that I catch a cold and the chicken and garlic couldn’t have come at a better time. Ever better still the leftovers were perfect for the next night – Chinese penicillin aka chicken congee. The way that it’s baked is almost like steaming a chicken in the wonderful garlic laden sauce and one of my favourite parts was the delicious garlic sauce which I thickened slightly and poured over the potatoes.
So tell me Dear Reader, how did you rebel while growing up?
Roast Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves
Serves 4
- 1 large free range chicken (1.5 kilos/3 pounds)
- 1 lemon or lime
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 40 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
Honey roasted carrots and quick roast potatoes
- 1 bunch Dutch carrots
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 750grams/1.5 pounds potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Remove excess fat from around the entranceway to the chicken. In a stovetop-proof and oven-proof dish (I used cast iron) heat the oil until hot and then brown the breast side of the chicken lifting it out with tongs. Stuff the chicken with halved lemon or lime and insert sprig of rosemary and six or so cloves of the garlic. Tie up the legs and place back into the baking dish the white wine, chicken stock and the rest of the garlic cloves. Cover with lid and bake for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile cut potatoes in half and boil in salted water until tender but not mushy. Meanwhile peel and trim the Dutch carrots and poach them in salted boiling water for 3 minutes (keeping the similarly thick ones together as they need a bit more time and the thin ones will only need 1-2 minutes). Refresh in a bowl of ice water and drain.
3. Line a large baking tray with parchment. Heat the honey and butter in a saucepan on medium heat and cook the carrots briefly in the sweet honeyed butter and then transfer to the baking dish. Place the potatoes cut side down in the honeyed butter and then move these to the baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes in oven.
4. When the chicken has been cooking for an hour remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes. Serve with the gravy which is delicious and can be thickened with a little flour if you like it a thicker consistency. Serve chicken with garlic cloves which you can pop out of the skin as they will be beautifully mellow and sweet.
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85 Comments | Add your own
Fantastic! I am addicted to garlic!
Cheers,
Rosa
Goodness, it doesn’t get any better than that chicken… and you did a perfect job with it… it would make an invalid jump out of bed!!! You go girl… hope you feel better!
I’m going to make this when my Husband comes home. I keep reading about it, and I think it’s time to try it.
I wasn’t much of a rebel, as there wasn’t much to rebel against. We had hardly any rules, relaxed curfews and no real expectations.
It was very relaxed. I guess not having a tidy room irked my Dad a whole heap. So perhaps that. x
fantastic. looks delicious. i ve heard that garlic id good for you. i must make this dish
This one’s a winner. One of my all time faves!
I rebelled by leaving the church! I was a happy clappy pentecostal type and broke free in a huge break with family beliefs. Big stuff but worth it.
This looks beautiful Nigella- perfect for an Autumn pick-me-up. Funnily enough I rebelled by putting meat into my vegetarian friends lunches. Cruel I know, but she was always getting ill as she didn’t substitute the meat for any lentils, mushrooms etc- she just removed it from her diet. There was more rebellion but probably not suitable for the comment section of NQN!
By reading under the covers with a torch after ‘lights out’. Yep, I was a real terror
But how did *you* rebel??
“The entranceway to the chicken”?? LOL…I can just see you pondering the wording for that one. Hehehe…I guess “remove excess fat from the chicken’s arse” wouldn’t work.
Love this recipe, thank you, I’ve been looking for a chicken + 40 cloves garlic recipe for a while now. Did you end up stinking of garlic the next day? Or does it really mellow out and become quite mild?
I have a friend who was brought up in a similar way to Mr NQN, and when she was 13, she begged her mother to let her go to school in shoes that weren’t homemade..
ooooh I have seen that recipe before and it looks so so good!!!!
Oh yums. I love roast garlic. I love Garlic !
Chicken, it really is the penicillin for everything.
It is getting to be roast weather in Sydney, isn’t it?
Mr SSG was in charge of dinner last night – so he ordered takeaway. We had hainanese chicken rice – so I am sharing in your post chicken meal bliss.
SSG xxx
Wow.. that chook looks good! I was never the rebelling type growing up, but my partner was. To this day, parents still live like they were in the 60s, and my partner was brought up vegan until he was about 13.. when he discovered KFC.
only 40 cloves? i’m sure you can do better than that next time hehe. must have been a knock out on taste
Roast chicken with lemon and seasoned with salt and pepper and lots and lots of garlic is my utmost favourite way of roasting chicken!!!! It preserves the moist and tender taste while enhancing the flavour with the subtle savoury-ness of the garlic. I love love love it!
that looks amazingly yummy.
i’m also a fan of the lover-carrots intertwined
A big time winner. Love garlic and esp the roasted way. What better way to have chicken? those carrots look heavenly.
ooh this loks so good – a juicy roast chicken!
I wasnt much of a rebel growing up… and my parents let me go to parties and drink. I think the biggest thing was to do an “impractical” uni course – writing, because that would never get me a job. I proved them wrong though!
This is my dream dish.
I’m obsessed by garlic. I put it in everything and I totally agree it keeps you healthy.
40 cloves may not even be enough to satisfy my garlic appetite!
Great little tale of Mr NQN! I couldn’t really rebel with food when I was young as my parents thought it was a-OK to bring back a bucket of KFC for dinner
BUT! What I wanted to say was – have you been to The Stinking Rose (in both LA and SF)? They do the 40 glove garlic chicken and in fact EVERYTHING is cooked with garlic… we even had garlic ice cream! Guess if you ate there every day you’d never get sick. but be very very smelly.
I have to make this again! garlicky goodnes…yum
Gorgeous! I’m slowly making my way through a 5 kilo box of organic garlic and need to pick up the tempo! This is a good solution
This is the perfect meal to ease into with the cold weather .
After the lent(40 days for easter,its something we do -greek orthodox) is over this is the first thing I am going to make.
Love roast chicken- would love the recipe for the chicken congee too.
40 cloves of garlic! (: I bet the gravy is awesome! hehe thanks for sharing this. Garlic is LOVED in my house! The chicken looks awesome!
Delish! I think we may be having roast chicken for dinner tonight now
What a beautiful meal. I love that you served the garlic sauce on the potatoes. xoxo Mum
Garlic is my best friend! Though I probably don’t eat near enough to ward away those winter blues.
Looking at those pictures made think of the beauty of food – a damn good chook and some vegetables with a splash of gravy – the answer to the world’s woes – I’m cooking it on the weekend. And now sending it to my facebook page for all to enjoy. You clucky goddess, you!
Beautiful chicken, and I love garlic! I was a weird kid. I rebelled by not drinking soda and not eating candy.
That’s one purty chicken…
Oh Lorraine, this is lovely beyond measure! I haven’t had roasted garlic in entirely too long! This is gorgeous.
How about those two entwined carrots? Adorable. Looks delicious. Beautifully cooked chicken.
Sorry to hear you’ve been unwell. Hope you are better now.
I wonder what food would be like if garlic was never discovered…
During a class period in high school the teachers asked us to clean up an area of the playground. I decided to tell her “if I wanted to be a garbage man, my parents wouldn’t have sent me to school!” – She wasn’t very pleased with my comment.
**Growing up I have heard a few times “if you dont study hard you will become a rubblish collecter” – designed to scare children into studying (personally I think theres nothing wrong with the garbage occupation).
I love the amourous carrots – how cute!
Quite a few friends of mine get IV shots of a garlic solution (seriously) as a way to boost their immune systems at busy or stressful times! I hate needles, I’d rather eat your dish (and I’m a vegetarian)! xxx
This is a definite for next week (I’ve already planned this week!). I was a sport rebel – there was mutual dislike between me and any sport teacher. Comes from having no eye ball coordination at all!
I love garlic and have always looked at the 40 garlic clove roast chicken recipes with interest. Is the garlic totally mellowed by the roasting or is it still quite ‘garlicky’?
I think I am obsessed with your blog Lorraine! I had a dream last night where you opened a store, in an old fashioned church/fire house(!). There was every imaginable kitchen gadget for sale, and small counters sprinkled throughout the store selling cupcakes and other droolworthy morsels. The funniest part of the dream though, was the curtained off section on a dark corner of the shop with a sign saying “Food Porn” above it,…hehehe,…..very “Dirty video store-ish”. I think I need to get out more!
Oh that looks good! I hated that cold snap as it got me as well! What the heck is going on with this stupid weather?
I like the picture of the carrots where they are intertwined with one another
Congee is the best remedy!
Oh wow NQN this looks so incredibly delicious and comforting!
My parents are agnostic so I rebelled by going through a very religious stage in my teens, they were very supportive but rather shocked I think…
well I am lucky I say, both my parents love to eat, cook and entertaine, my father was a great cook, he loved French Food, and every Saturday we will have a Mezza Night. My mother is a farmer’s daughter she loves to do everything from scratch, and give excuses for anything store bought…I didn’t taste hotdogs until I moved to Orlando 11 years ago.
Your Chicken and garlic looks delicious, and I can smell them all the way to North Bay and I have the right bread which I can dip in your plate and enjoy a tasty flavour…We love this dish and I always come back to it…
I noticed the intertwined carrots too!
Wonder why it’s always 40 cloves of garlic and not, say 35 or 45…?
I’ve made this chicken with 40 garlic cloves a while ago but then my hubby said, that’s too much garlic for him
Meanwhile, I enjoyed every bit of it.
Your chicken meal looks absolutely lovely.
Gosh! That looks delicious – I’m almost tempted to lick the computer screen LOL
Rebellion? Ahhh, I was just about the ultimate good girl. Except for the smoking from 14 and dying my hair any number of different colours. I finally quit smoking at 28 and while the hair-dying continues it has toned down a lot. LOL
Beautifully done! Hope you are feeling better, Lorraine.
Definitely on the list of “to be eaten soon” recipes that are clogging up my computer! But then what better use of a computer is there than to find new foods.. This reminds me of (my version of) Ken Hom’s braised garlic chicken thighs – delicious! and so easy – brown chicken then saute LOTS of garlic and cook in oven in sauce comprising 1 part rice wine, 2 parts light soy and 3 parts chicken stock. Bake til chicken cooked, garlic soft and sauce reduced a bit.. YUM! Serve w plain rice and veges.. TOPS!
LOL – I didn’t really rebel growing up – it is only since I have been an adult that I “rebelled”, and I am still terrified every time I do because of the familial consequences – strange but true.
Beautiful looking chicken – when am I coming to dinner?
Lovely chicken.
And garlic is a cure-all! I have memories of stomachaches and my Dad giving me tonnes of crushed garlic to rub on my tummy. Boy was I popular
I rebelled by staying out way too late way too often! Drove my parents up the wall!
it looks great! ive heard of this roast with many many garlic cloves…i must be brave n try one day! bravo to you:)
Oh my goodness, this look so good. What time can I come fore dinner daaahling???
.
I was very straight growing up, its now that I’m older that rebellion is at its peak
*kisses* HH
Love garlic, love roast chicken. I try not to limit myself to this fabulous dish only when I’m sick. My husband, a real congee fan, loves that it’s also called Chinese Penicillin!
Hi,
I love this recipe. I posted it on my food blog only 2 days ago … ha ha we must all be building up our immune systems with lots of garlic!!! Here’s my post … http://allthingscookingangel.blogspot.com/2010/03/chicken-with-40-garlic-cloves.html
The more garlic, the better, I say. Oh yeah.. I LOVE garlic.. not so much the breath afterward but goodness gracious, does this look mighty fine.
I made this in my chicken brick once, it was fantastic. My teenage rebellion was limited to wearing my Sisters of Mercy t-shirt in church!
Can you please invite me over for dinner next time you make this?
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well-written introduction NQN!
no meat? no COFFEE? i shudder to think.
i’ve seen this type of recipe many times but haven’t attempted it myself. if ever i have carrots intertwined like that, i’ll take it as a sign that it’s time to try the recipe.
I love roast chicken. It always makes me feel great. Would the world end if I used 41 garlic cloves?
What a wonderful chook, perfectly cooked and accompanied by the best vegetables. This dish would definitely bring everyone running to the dinner table!
Now tell me Lorraine, where do I buy some decent garlic? I have been so disappointed by what is in the stores lately , be it supermarkets or greengrocers. I’m dreaming of lovely plump heads of garlic.
I was an ‘amiable’ rebel at school, never anything serious but always getting into to trouble for talking too much,Lol
Yum! I think it would taste great and have a lovely roast garlic flavour.
Oh I’m so glad you removed the ton of butter that usually goes with this recipe! My attitude is that you can never have too much garlic, one recipe I will be trying when it gets colder is an almond and garlic soup that calls for about 4-5 bulbs of garlic! I rebelled by shutting up, never talking or responding or arguing, yep passive aggression on a grand scale!
your roast chicken looks perfect… I love garlic.. I, too believe in the healing properties of food
I normally just bung a couple of lemons in a chicken and have done, but this sounds (and looks) gorgeous, and extra garlic’s always welcome (wards of the colds in winter and the bitey things in summer).
G.Morning Lorraine,
I have to tell you, yesterday I couldnt resist your chicken,it really made me drill, I wished I can grab a piece . So today our dinner will be the same chicken. I have a nice bread to accompany it, some veggies, and a chilled white wine from South Africa. Cheers!!!
Thanks for the inspiration my friend
Arlette (Joumana is my friend)
Hello Lorraine!!
What a festive & luscious dish this is!!
MMMMMMMMMM,…the whole meal looks grand, Lorraine!
I’ve heard so much about this chicken..and I love love love garlic! Must try this once I get the time to sort through 40 cloves of garlic. I love your blog, and those baby watermelon jellies you wrote about a while back are beyond adorable!
YUM! Nothing is better than a good roast chicken! What do you do with your leftovers? I love a good chicken soup recipe!
This is a glorious dish and simply must be good for you!!
Lorraine your chicken looks amazing and I can only guess that it tastes divine with all that wonderful garlic. On my list for our next roast chicken !!! Love the kissing carrots too
My version of rebellion was the opposite – my family are very big meat-eaters and I became vegetarian at 15 y.o. and am now vegan.
I’m a bit under the weather right now too and your post reminded me that congee (with fresh shallots and pickled radish) sounds perfect!
That’s a very sexy photo of carrots.
I love the way roasted garlic is sweet and soft – squished out of their skins and eaten alone mmm.
holy moly! I love garlic <3
Gotta try this.
That looks awesome. I love roast chicken and its versatility. I love how you presented your roast chicken and lots of garlic are always welcome.
I’ve always wanted to make this, Lorraine, so thanks for the inspiration! Lol, as a teenager I actually rebelled by being vegetarian for a while, as my whole family ate meat! Lasted about 6 months if remember right…and I think I broke out with a hamburger too!
Sorry to hear you weren’t feeling too well – hope you’re all better now! That chicken looks yum. I’ve been meaning to make a 40-clove recipe in awhile
Beautiful recipe!! I love garlic as well, so I’ll need to cook that chicken ASAP
How impressive this looks. I love carrots like that and the light sprinkling of some rock salt. Winter is approaching where I live and this recipe looks like a really good idea for a sunday night.
I have always wanted to make this dish but never have. It looks so delicious! And I have to say that my brother always ate raw garlic during the winter months to ward off colds. Apparently it worked! But I would rather have chicken roasted with 40 cloves
I was no rebel when I was a kid but at 25 I put all my belongings out on the sidewalk (I was living in NYC then), packed 2 suitcases and ran away to Paris. And married a Frenchman.
Thanks for the travel as far as Bodalla and Narooma. Looking forward to the next stops
How did I miss this one. I adore the recipe, but I want to hear more about Mr. NQN’s family. I love eccentrics.
This is the second time in a week that I have noticed someone using 40 garlic cloves! its a trend!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve always been daunted with roasting a whole chicken with vegetables, but this recipe looks so easy.
Why am I always drawn to your blog around dinner time??
hello, love that chicken, finger licking good! I love roast meals and this recipe looks fantastic, winter is almost coming…will cook this soon=)
Just wanted to let you know that I tried your recipe today and it turned out perfectly! Both hubby and I enjoyed it immensely and it was so easy to make, from your easy to follow instructions.
This will definitely be a family favourite for Winter!
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