Chicken and 40 Cloves

1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Heat an oven safe pot (Dutch oven or roasting pan does just fine) over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to the pot and brown the chicken, skin side down only, for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat. (You may need to brown the chicken in batches.)

3) While chicken is browning, peel 40 cloves (or 2 heads) of garlic. Do not smash or chop, leave the cloves whole.

4) Place chicken, skin side up, back in the pot. Add all 40 cloves of garlic, half the package of thyme (some on the vine, some stripped), and drizzle a bit more olive oil.

5) Cover the pot and bake it at 350F for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I serve this with a vegetable side dish and a large loaf of bread. The garlic will be soft enough to spread like butter on the bread. Yum!