40 Cloves of Garlic Roast Chicken

In this 40-clove garlic roasted chicken, garlic becomes soft and sweet roasted alongside this whole chicken, imparting a mellowed garlic flavor for everyone’s favorite chicken dinner.

40 Cloves? Yes, Really!

The stinking rose. Dracula’s repellant. A bad blind date’s breath mint. This is the beauty of garlic.

I don’t recall where I first read about a recipe calling for 40 cloves of garlic, but I do remember being somewhat shocked by the fact it was actually a recipe and not a misprint. It was when I first really started exercising my cooking chops and exploring things in the kitchen other than my mom’s spaghetti or our favorite Parmesan noodles.

40 cloves of garlic sounded so contrary, there must be a secret! I mean, I’m a real garlic lover, but 40 cloves of garlic loving? That might be stretching things a bit.

But after making this garlic roasted chicken over and over through the years, there’s really no mystery to it. Except for the fact that roasted garlic becomes soft, buttery, and surprisingly sweet, making it a perfect roast chicken dinner everyone will wonder why you don’t make more often.

• Whole chicken — You’ll need a 4(ish) pound whole bird for this recipe.
• Garlic — You can purchase already peeled garlic for the convenience. I used both pre-peeled and unpeeled garlic in my version, along with a whole garlic head cut in half to make for a pretty presentation. You’ll find that the garlic roasted in the peel becomes softer and more buttery than the peeled version.
• Aromatics — The secret to keeping the chicken moist and flavorful is to loosely stuff it with your favorite aromatics. I used roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery.
• White wine — Gets poured into the roasting pan and infuses the vegetables and bird with aromatic flavor.
• Butter — Once softened to room temp, the butter mixes easily with the dried tarragon for a simple slather that helps keep the chicken moist and crisp up the skin.
• Dried spices — A little dried tarragon, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper are all you need.

Heidi’s Tip: If you prefer not to cook with wine, you can sub chicken broth instead. Just keep in mind that the alcohol cooks out and is just a flavoring agent.

How to Roast a Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

1. Season and stuff the chicken. Remember that you’re seasoning a full 4 pounds of meat, so don’t be shy with the kosher salt and black pepper. Then, stuff the cavity (remove those giblets!) with the aromatics and truss it with kitchen twine to keep everything inside.
2. Slather with tarragon butter. Use your fingers to coat every nook and cranny with butter, and try to get under the skin too.
3. Roast, basting often. Once the bird’s been properly flavored and rubbed every which way with butter, it goes into the oven for a little over an hour. The garlic cloves are scattered around the pan and a little wine or sherry is added for moisture and flavor.

Heidi’s Tip: I turn over the whole chicken halfway through and continually baste it in its own juices to keep it moist and add flavor.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.

4.77 from 21 votes

40 Cloves of Garlic Roasted Chicken Recipe

In this 40-clove garlic chicken, garlic becomes soft and sweet roasted alongside this whole chicken, imparting a mellowed garlic flavor for everyone's favorite chicken dinner.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 229kcal

Ingredients 

½x1x2x3x

• 4 pound whole chicken*
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , divided
• 3 heads garlic (or 40 cloves peeled)
• ½ onion , quartered
• ½ rib celery ,cut into 3-inch pieces
• ½ carrot , cut into 3-inch pieces
• ½ cup white wine or sherry
• 4 tablespoons butter , softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the neck and giblets from the whole chicken, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a roasting pan and season the inside of the chicken with ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of the freshly ground black pepper. Stuff the chicken with the onion, celery, carrot and 6 garlic cloves. Truss legs with cooking twine and tuck wings under bird.
• In a small bowl, mix the butter, the remaining kosher salt and black pepper and the tarragon until blended. Gently work your fingers under the skin of the chicken breasts and rub half of the butter mixture under the skin, then rub the rest of the butter over the top of the chicken skin.
• Scatter the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken and pour the wine or sherry into the pan.
• Roast the chicken for 30 minutes or until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down, baste with juices and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned.
• Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-side-up and baste again. Add a ½ cup of water if the pan is looking dry. Roast for about 20 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 160° to 165° and juices are running clear.
• Transfer the bird to a cutting board and tent with foil. Carve the chicken and serve with the roasted garlic.

Notes

*If you use a bird weighing more than 4 pounds, add about 10 to 15 minutes cooking time per pound and use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness at 160-165ºF (the chicken will continue to cook as it rests) and when juices run clear.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 726mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1721IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

What to Serve with Your Roast Chicken

• Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
• BBQ Baked Beans
• Classic Wedge Salad
• Panzanella Bread Salad
• Ranch Potato Salad
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

More Whole Chicken Recipes You’ll Gobble Up

• Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon Rosemary Butter 
• Cast Iron Skillet Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
• Simplest Roast Chicken

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