This 30 Cloves Garlic Chicken is a flavorful, French-inspired dish cooked right in a cast-iron skillet. The chicken turns out tender and juicy with perfectly crispy skin, all simmered in a rich garlic-infused sauce that my husband couldn’t stop raving about.
Chicken with 30 Cloves of Garlic
If 30 cloves of garlic sound like a lot, don’t worry—the garlic mellows as it cooks, turning buttery and sweet rather than sharp. This classic French-inspired meal tastes like something you’d order at a bistro, yet it’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Everything comes together in one pan for minimal cleanup, and it’s great served with roasted green beans, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread to soak up that incredible sauce. My husband Tommy loved this one!
Why You’ll Love This Garlic Chicken
Chicken thighs are my favorite: affordable, versatile, and juicy. I loved them in this 30 clove garlic chicken recipe which is simple enough for weeknights but impressive enough to serve to guests.
- Rich and comforting: The garlic mellows as it cooks, creating a buttery, sweet sauce that’s irresistible.
- Crispy skin and juicy chicken: Searing in a cast-iron skillet locks in flavor and texture.
- Simple ingredients: You probably already have everything you need in your kitchen.
- Weeknight easy: One pan, minimal prep, and restaurant-quality results.
- Tested and approved: My husband Tommy loved this dish! I added a little Dijon, but it honestly didn’t need it.
For more ways to cook my favorite protein, check out all my chicken thigh recipes here.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are all the ingredients for this 30 clove garlic chicken. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Bone-in Chicken Thighs are juicier, more flavorful, and cheaper than boneless thighs. Keep the skin on. We’ll salt it and let it sit before cooking, which helps make the skin crispy.
- Kosher Salt tenderizes the chicken and enhances its flavor.
- Garlic: If you prefer not to peel 30 cloves of garlic, look for pre-peeled garlic at your supermarket.
- Cooking Liquid: Use low-sodium chicken broth and a dry white wine. My favorite is Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc, which has fewer calories because of its lower alcohol content.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme and dry bay leaves
- Dijon Mustard: The sauce is wonderful as is, but if you like a bit of tang, add Dijon.
How to Make Chicken with 30 Cloves of Garlic
Brown the chicken, add the garlic, and braise to create a delicious and healthy chicken dinner. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Season the chicken with salt. Depending on how much time you have, you can either leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate it uncovered overnight. The longer it rests, the crispier the skin will become.
- Brown the chicken, skin side down, in a cast-iron skillet coated with olive oil. Once the skin is browned, flip the thighs and turn off the heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients: garlic cloves, broth, and wine. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need less broth. Make sure it stays below the skin; if it gets wet, the skin won’t get crispy. Finally, add the thyme and bay leaves.
- Bake the chicken at 375°F for 35 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Take the thighs out of the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and place the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and bring the liquid to a boil. Then, lower the heat to a simmer and reduce the sauce (AKA cook until the sauce thickens).
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Don’t drink wine? The alcohol cooks out of the wine, but you can use more broth if you prefer not to cook with wine.
- What’s the best way to peel garlic quickly? Smash each clove with the flat side of a large knife. It’ll loosen the papery skin, making it easier to peel.
- 40 Clove Garlic Chicken: The traditional French version calls for 40 cloves, but I found 30 gave me plenty of rich, mellow garlic flavor for this amount if chicken. Add more if you want a stronger punch.
- Herb Options: Swap thyme with fresh rosemary sprigs.
What to Serve with Garlic Chicken
Vegetable Side Dishes
Serve this garlic chicken with a glass of the same Sauvignon Blanc you used in the sauce, along with one of these simple vegetable recipes.
Starchy Sides
Try it with pearl couscous or any of the options listed below.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Refrigerate the chicken and sauce for up to 4 days.
- Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat
- The fastest way is to microwave the thighs in the sauce until they’re heated through.
- For crispier skin, air fry the thighs at 350°F for about 5 minutes, and reheat the sauce on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave.
- You could also warm the chicken and sauce in a covered skillet.
More Easy Chicken Dinners You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas, check out these five delicious chicken recipes to inspire your next meal!
- Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Shawarma Sheet Pan Dinner
- Whole Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary
- Chicken Piccata
- Spatchcock Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
30 Cloves Garlic Chicken
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet or oven safe skillet
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 30 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup light dry white wine, I like Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc (see notes)
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Season the chicken with salt and let it sit at least 30 minutes while it reaches room temperature. The longer it sits, the crispier the skin will get (you can also salt overnight and keep in fridge uncovered for extra crispy skin).
- Spray a large 12-inch oven safe skillet (I prefer a cast iron skillet or enamel skillet) with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin down and cook until skin is crisp and browned; moving the pieces around as needed for even browning, about 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the chicken and turn off heat.
- Scatter garlic cloves in the open areas of the pan. Add broth (if your skillet is smaller, you may need a little less broth. You want it to come up to just below the skin of the chicken, so the skin stays crispy in the oven) and wine. Add thyme and bay leaves in one section of the pan.
- Add to the oven and bake, 35 minutes. Raise the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
- Allow chicken to rest in the broth for at least 10 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and put back on the stovetop at medium high. Add mustard, if using and bring to a boil.
- Simmer the sauce, allowing it to come together and reduce, for at least 2 to 3 minutes, until it reduces slightly. Return the chicken back to the sauce and serve.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- The alcohol in the wine cooks out but adds great flavor. If you don’t drink wine, just use more broth.
- I would suggest having this with mashed potatoes, cauliflower mash, roasted potatoes or roasted green vegetables.
Literal perfection. Wow. I’m a huge skinnytaste girl this one is unbelievable… I used riced broccoli make this right now
Absolutely delicious….my kids enjoyed it also
♥
Yum! This recipe worked prefect for dinner. Amazing crisp chicken and the sauce was a great topping to the chicken.
Gina, Gina, Gina, as another reviewer said, this is probably the best recipe I’ve had from Skinnytaste. Simply À-MAZING! We just had it for dinner and my husband hasn’t stopped talking about it. And the garlic was SO silky smooth and had incredible flavor. I used chicken bone broth so that may have had something to do with the flavor too. We had it with roasted baby potatoes made with homemade ranch dressing (powder dressing, not liquid) and it complimented the dish very well. Thanks again Gina!!
Thanks Teena!
I love Skinnytaste and have so many recipes, but this one is the best I have made! It does take time so not a weekday recipe if you work, but you will lick your plate.
Excellent flavor and super easy/simple
Amazing! Cooked this for my family over Christmas. So easy and delicious with mashed potatoes
I’ve dismissed this dish for years thinking it would be just so, so. I was wrong. It was amazing. Made it for thighs and added about 1.5 cups liquid to get the broth to the depth recommended butter reduced sauce by half prior to serving. Absolutely delicious!
Fabulous! The chicken was juicy, the skin was crispy, and the garlic and sauce were amazing, especially on a baguette. We had this with Gina’s scalloped potatoes au gratin and asparagus. My husband said this was the best chicken he has ever had!
Thanks Megan!
Worth the effort! So delicious.
delish, i made this exactly. came out delish.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this last night and couldn’t wait to get to the leftovers tonight. Absolutely delicious. Was wondering if I could sub the thighs for bone in skin on breasts and what the timing might be.
So glad you loved it! Yes, you can sub bone-in, skin-on breasts. They’re larger and leaner, so they’ll take a bit longer to cook. Sear them as directed, then simmer/bake until they reach 165°F in the thickest part. You may need a few extra minutes, but everything else stays the same.
Loved this recipe! It was delicious
I was intrigued by this recipe because I have made the traditional 40 cloves of garlic chicken and it takes hours and it didn’t have crispy skin. This was delicious and I thought my skin wasn’t going to come out correctly because it didn’t get golden brown before baking. However, the instructions were spot on and my finished dish looked exactly like the photo! My son loved this and he’s not normally a fan of bone in thighs. This elegant enough for company and simple enough for our Sunday night dinner. I served it with French green beans and bread (I used Cuban bread because it’s softer on my son’s braces). Thank you for your recipes that continue to expand my picky child’s palate!
I made this recipe tonight and we loved it! This is so good – the garlic just melts in the wonderful sauce!!! Thanks Gina for another great recipe!
Thanks Carol!
Delicious! Cooked as directed, minus the mustard, husband thought it was the best chicken dinner!
Can you use grocery store white cooking wine instead? Like Holland House?
Yes, you can use grocery store white cooking wine like Holland House! Just keep in mind it’s a bit saltier than regular wine, so you may want to reduce the added salt slightly and adjust to taste. It still works great in this recipe.
Do you cover the chicken in the oven?
No.
Could I have the recipe for the Green Bean Casserole you have? Thank you.
https://www.skinnytaste.com/lightened-up-green-bean-casserole-with/
Can this be made with minced garlic?
Can you make this recipe with skinless chicken thighs or breasts?
Yes, skinless thighs or breasts both work — they’ll just cook a little faster since there’s no skin. Reduce the simmering time so they don’t overcook.