Beer brined chicken marinated with whole garlic cloves and simple spices roasted for a super juicy chicken recipe with incredible flavor that’s seasoned from the inside out!
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Have you heard of recipe Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic? This recipe is a combination of that one and Drunken Chicken.
You marinate the chicken in a beer brine with an entire bulb of garlic and the result is super juicy chicken with incredible flavor that’s seasoned from the inside out!
Since I didn’t actually use 40 cloves of garlic (I used one whole bulb which yielded about 12-14 cloves) I’m using the Southern euphemism “40-leven” which is our universal term for “a whole lot” of something.
WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? BEER??
Don’t worry, the chicken doesn’t taste like beer. Well, not like what you’d think anyway. You don’t take a bite and think, Well hello, it's Miller time!!
What you get is a hint of sweetness with an almost nutty undertone from the beer. The salt infuses the flavors of the garlic and spices into the chicken and helps it retain moisture throughout the cooking process.
You could totally grill this but when you cook it like this, you cook the garlic too which yields these golden little gems of roasted garlic that you scan schmear on a nice hunk of crusty bread or do like I did and toss it with some roasted cauliflower.
About the photos... these aren’t the best. I let the chicken sit out too long before I photographed it (long story!) so this almost looks a little dry. Trust me, it’s not! Even after this sat out, got covered in foil, sat out some more while I roasted some cauliflower then got put back in the oven to reheat, it was still insanely moist and juicy and delicious and I already want more!
Of course, if I were like one of the new wave of food bloggers (who heard there was money to be made at this and jumped on the wagon), I would just buy random photos and pretend they go with my recipe. Or hire a professional food photographer.
I could have sprayed it with WD-40 or hairspray but we actually eat the food I share with you here. I’m just a regular mom with a regular job taking regular pictures of my regular supper right before we actually sit down and eat it.
If you want to have your mind blown about what goes into professional food styling and photography, check out these links:
Random Things You Can Use to Make Food Photos More Appealing
NOTES ABOUT COOKING DRUNKEN CHICKEN WITH 40'LEVEN CLOVES OF GARLIC
- Use any beer you like. I’d recommend a brown ale or lager and would probably steer away from IPAs or other super-hoppy beer.
- You can absolutely grill this! You’ll lose the roasted garlic (though I suppose you could wrap it up in foil and cook it on the grill too – if you try that, let me know how it turns out!).
- This recipe will not work with boneless, skinless chicken.
- I don’t recommend using chicken breasts. If you try it anyway, don’t yell at me if your chicken is dry.
Recipe for Drunken Chicken with 40’leven Cloves of Garlic
Drunken Chicken with 40’leven Cloves of Garlic
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or legs
- 1 12-oz beer
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Separate garlic cloves from bulb then slightly pop open each clove by laying your knife over the clove and gently pounding with the heel of your hand. Remove the papery skin. You just want to open each clove up a little to release the flavor.
- Combine beer, garlic cloves, onion pieces, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and red pepper in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or large dish then shake/stir until the salt is dissolved. Add chicken, seal or cover, then refrigerate overnight (or at least 12 hours).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Drain chicken well, reserving garlic cloves. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat (or any oven-safe skillet). Add just enough vegetable oil to skillet to coat the bottom. Once oil and pan are plenty hot, add chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cook chicken until nicely browned.
- Flip chicken (so skin-side is up) and place reserved garlic cloves around chicken. Place skillet in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- Remove skillet from oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Rest dish for 15 minutes then serve. Don’t throw out the garlic! You can eat it, spread on bread or mix with roasted vegetables.
- Alternate Preparation: If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or a frying pan big enough to fit all the chicken pieces, don’t worry! Just brown the chicken in batches in any sturdy skillet. Spoon the pan drippings into a 13x9 baking dish then transfer chicken and garlic to dish then bake per recipe.
Notes
- Use any beer you like. I’d recommend a brown ale or lager and would probably steer away from IPAs or other super-hoppy beer.
- You can absolutely grill this! You’ll lose the roasted garlic (though I suppose you could wrap it up in foil and cook it on the grill too – if you try that, let me know how it turns out!).
- Discard the onion from the marinade or cook it with the chicken - your choice!
- This recipe will not work with boneless, skinless chicken.
- I don’t recommend using chicken breasts. If you try it anyway, don’t yell at me if your chicken is dry.
