40-Clove Garlic Chicken

Heat oven to 450 F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Toss garlic in a microwave-safe bowl with half of the oil and the sugar. Microwave garlic until slightly softened, with light brown spotting, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring halfway through the cook time. Set aside when done.

Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl and set aside.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken in the skillet, skin side down. Cook until skin is well browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, skin side up.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, add shallots (if using) and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until evenly browned, about 1 minute.

Remove skillet from heat and add sherry. Return skillet to medium heat and bring sherry to simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until sherry coats garlic and pan is nearly dry, about 4 minutes. Stir in broth, cream, cornstarch mixture, thyme, rosemary, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and bay leaf and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices from the plate. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until chicken registers 175 F, roughly 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven.

Transfer chicken and half of the garlic to a serving dish. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Using a potato masher, mash remaining garlic into the sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour half of the sauce around the chicken. Serve with remaining sauce, separately.

Recipe slightly adapted from Cooks Illustrated.