Recipe: Andre Balog's Chicken with Fresh Herbs and 40 Cloves of Garlic (NYT Passover Cookbook)

ANDRE BALOG'S CHICKEN
WITH FRESH HERBS AND 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC

"Andre Balog, who taught kosher cooking in New York City, adds a mixture of fresh green herbs this traditional French recipe. He considers this a symbolic Passover dish, since the Jews wandered for forty years in the desert before reaching the Promised Land."



"The garlic flavor is mild because the cloves are cooked whole. Be careful not to slice or otherwise damage the cloves; that releases an enzyme that produces the intense garlic flavor."

4 heads garlic, yielding 40 cloves
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup olive oil, divided use
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (1 pound) chicken
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
1/2 bay leaf

Separate but do not peel the cloves of garlic.

Combine the 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar. Roll the garlic cloves in this mixture and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil in a Dutch oven, reserving a little to sprinkle over the chicken. Place the chicken in the Dutch oven, then sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper over the top. Place the garlic around the chicken.

Mix the parsley, chives, basil, thyme, cilantro, chervil and bay leaf Sprinkle over the chicken.

Cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Makes: 6 servings
Source: The New York Times Passover Cookbook