Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic and Butter Beans

• 8bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1.6 kg including bones
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 40garlic cloves, about 4 heads, unpeeled
• 4shallots, halved
• 200mldry white wine
• 300mlchicken stock
• 6fresh thyme sprigs
• 2bay leaves
• 2 x 400gtins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 30 mllemon juice
• 20gparsley, chopped
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 8slices crusty bread, about 50 g each
• 300ggreen beans, steamed

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan. Pat the chicken dry and season. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. Brown in two batches, skin-side down for 6–8 minutes then 2 minutes on the other side. Lift out.
2. 2Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat. Add the garlic cloves and shallots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they take on some colour.
3. 3Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom. Add the stock, thyme and bay, return the chicken skin-side up so the skin stays above the liquid, cover and cook in the oven for 40 minutes.
4. 4Add the butter beans to the pot around the chicken, put the lid back on and cook for 15 minutes more until the chicken is tender at the bone and the garlic cloves are completely soft and the thickest part of the chicken reaches 75°C for 30 seconds, without touching bone with the probe.
5. 5Lift the chicken out and remove the thyme stems and bay leaves. Squeeze a dozen of the garlic cloves out of their skins into the sauce and crush them with a spoon so the sauce thickens and turns sweet and garlicky. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, taste and season.
6. 6While the chicken finishes, steam the green beans for 4–5 minutes until just tender and toast the bread. Serve the chicken over the butter beans and sauce, with the green beans and remaining garlic cloves for squeezing onto the toast. Discard the garlic skins as you eat.

Per serving

kcal

1105

protein

74g

fibre

14g

carbs

96.6g

fat

46.7g