This is a great one-pot recipe and the garlic gets so soft, sweet and squishy, you can spread it over the chicken
SERVES 6
6 whole chicken legs
2 tsp kosher salt
40 cloves garlic (you’ll need about 3 bulbs), peeled
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground nutmeg
4 sprigs Italian parsley
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/3 cup (homemade or low sodium) chicken stock
Crusty bread or toast for serving
Heat the oven to 375F.
Season the chicken legs all over with the salt.
Arrange them, skin side up, in a single layer in an ovenproof baking dish with a tight-fitting lid.
Scatter the garlic and celery into the gaps between the chicken pieces, and then drizzle everything with the olive oil.
Grind some black pepper and a bit of nutmeg over the chicken and vegetables and arrange the parsley on top.
Pour in the vermouth and the chicken stock.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and put on the lid.
Bake the chicken for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, without removing the lid until the hour mark. When the chicken is really tender, and the garlic is soft enough to spread, remove the dish from the oven.
Serve the chicken in shallow bowls with plenty of the fragrant sauce; spread the softened garlic on the bread and then dunk it into the sauce as you eat your chicken.