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Roast Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Slow roasting mellows garlic to a sweet nuttiness. Serve with lots of crusty bread for spreading the extra garlic. Prep: 75 minutes Roast: 7 hour

1 chicken (3 ½ pounds)

6 thyme sprigs

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

40 garlic cloves (2 heads), loose papery skin discarded but not peeled

1 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Remove giblets and neck from chicken; reserve for another use. Rinse chicken inside and out with cold running water; drain. Pat dry with paper towels.

2. With fingertips, gently separate skin from meat on chicken breast. Place 2 thyme sprigs under skin of each breast half. Place remaining 2 sprigs inside cavity of chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper on outside of chicken.

3. With chicken breast side up, lift wings up toward neck, then fold wing tips under back of chicken so wings stay in place. Tie legs together with string. Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in small roasting pan (13" by 9").

4. Roast chicken 30 minutes. Add garlic cloves to pan; roast about 30 minutes longer. Chicken is done when temperature on meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh, next to body, reaches 175° to 180°F and juices run clear when thigh is pierced with tip of knife. Transfer chicken to warm platter; let stand 10 minutes to set juices for easier carving.

5. Meanwhile, remove rack from roasting pan. With slotted spoon, transfer garlic cloves to small bowl. Skim and discard fat from drippings in pan. Remove and discard skin from 6 garlic cloves; return peeled garlic to roasting pan and add broth. Heat broth mixture to boiling over medium heat, stir-ring to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan and mashing garlic with back of spoon until well blended. Serve chicken with pan juices and remaining garlic cloves. Remove skin from chicken before eating, if desired. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Each serving with skin: About 501 calories, 50g protein, 11g carbohydrate, 28g total fat (8g saturated), 157mg cholesterol, 688 mg sodium.

Each serving without skin: About 352 calories, 44g protein, 10g carbohydrate, 14g total fat (4g saturated), 129mg cholesterol, 667 mg sodium.

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