Fratelli Perata Winery

Roast Chicken with Garlic Gravy

This recipe is sure to delight garlic fans. With 20ish cloves of garlic, the end result gives you garlic gravy that is roasty and fatty and decadent to slather over a warm roasted chicken. What better to have on a cool Spring evening. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and of course Charbono.

1 whole chicken
salt and black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or about 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
2 heads of garlic, plus 2 large cloves
olive oil
1 large onion, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 .

Remove chicken giblets. Rinse chicken and dry. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Remove the 1/4 teaspoon of thyme from the bunch and place remaining inside the cavity of the chicken. Crush the two cloves of garlic with the side of your knife and put them in the chicken cavity also. Brush chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and place wing tips under the body.

Place onions in bottom of roasting pan and place chicken on top. Cut the ends off 2 heads of garlic to expose all of the cloves for roasting and drizzle with olive oil. Place in roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Baste the bird with pan juices and lower temperature to 3 5 . Continue roasting for about an hour or until the juices run clear. Remove chicken to platter and cover with foil for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile make your gravy.

Remove garlic heads and squeeze out the roasted garlic to a pan. Collect about 3/4 cup drippings to and pour into pan with garlic, cook at medium heat and sprinkle in flour. Stir until well combined. Whisk in the wine and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and 1 teaspoon of thyme with a bit more salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until sauce thickens. Turn the heat off and stir in the butter.

Carve chicken into desired pieces and ladle gravy on top. Enjoy with a healthy side dish & Charbono