RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Baked Whole Chicken with a Blast of Garlic

By TAKU Anyone who knows me personally, knows that as far as I am concerned you can never have too much garlic. It’s been a while since I posted any recipes so today I present my baked Garlic Chicken.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400. Remove the neck and giblets from chicken then wash and dry thoroughly. Peel the garlic and chop in to small, sharp slivers. Using a sharp knife, poke holes about 1-2″ deep through the skin and into the meat of the chicken. Stuff the slivers of garlic deep into the holes you have created in the chicken.

Take your time and make as many holes as possible. Do your best to use up all the garlic. Take the onions and stuff them inside the body of the chicken. Fill it as full as possible. Mix the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Spread the oil and spice mixture all over the skin of the chicken. Bake in oven until cooked through usually about 45-55 minutes. Remove and let stand about ten minutes before serving.

For a bonus, make some baked garlic bulbs why you are at it. All you need to do is get a few large garlic bulbs, slice off the tops and baste them in olive oil. Pop them in the oven with the chicken, during the last 10-15 minutes of baking. Roasted garlic is milder than raw garlic. In fact, raw garlic is two to four times stronger in flavor. Garlic becomes very mellow and easy to spread after cooking. Roasted garlic makes a delicious appetizer. Squeeze the pulp out of the cloves and spread on the bread of your liking or serve with bruschetta and/or tapenade. Roasted garlic is also excellent used in your baking.

Enjoy the wonderful flavors…