40-toe chicken

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 chicken, approx. 1.5 kg
• 40 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 3 stalk(s) Celery
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 2 stalks of flat-leaf parsley
• 2 stalks of thyme
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 jar white wine
• ¼ liter broth
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• Thyme

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 40 minutes

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle/rub inside and out with salt and pepper and tuck the herb sprigs into the abdominal cavity. Cut the celery into small strips. Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan and fry the celery with the garlic cloves. Push the vegetables to one side and fry the chicken breast-side down for about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over. Pour in the wine and stock, add the bay leaf and thyme, and braise the chicken, covered, in the oven at 170°C (350°F), for about 2 hours. Baste with the meat juices occasionally. Add a little more stock if necessary. Remove the lid and roast the chicken for a further 20 minutes until crispy. Serve with farmhouse bread or baguette. The garlic can be squeezed out of its skin and spread onto the bread.