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Whole garlic confit roasted chicken on a white platter with golden skin and scattered confit cloves in pan sauce

Garlic Confit Roasted Chicken

Garlic confit roasted chicken with cloves pressed under the skin, roasted until the skin is crackled and the meat pulls clean from the bone.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 540
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Garlic Confit
  • 22 cloves garlic cloves, peeled about 2 full heads
  • 180 ml light olive oil or neutral oil enough to fully submerge cloves
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
Chicken
  • 1.9 kg whole chicken about 4.2 lb, patted dry
  • 40 g unsalted butter, softened 2.5 tbsp
  • 10 garlic confit cloves from above, mashed to paste
  • 2 tbsp garlic confit oil from above
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs for the cavity
  • 1 lemon, halved for the cavity
Pan Sauce
  • 180 ml low-sodium chicken stock 3/4 cup
  • 12 remaining garlic confit cloves from above
  • 15 g cold unsalted butter 1 tbsp, for finishing
  • 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped optional, for serving

Method
 

Make the Garlic Confit
  1. Place the peeled garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf in a small saucepan. Pour over the oil until cloves are fully submerged.
  2. Heat over the lowest possible flame to reach about 90 C / 195 F. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes until cloves are pale golden and crush without resistance. Do not let the oil bubble aggressively - that fries rather than confits.
  3. Remove from heat and cool completely. Transfer cloves and oil to a jar. Can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and refrigerated.
Prepare the Chicken
  1. Heat the oven to 220 C / 425 F. Pat the chicken completely dry inside and out with paper towels.
  2. Mash 10 confit cloves with a fork to a smooth paste. Mix with the softened butter, 1 tsp salt, and half the black pepper until combined.
  3. Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs by gently sliding your fingers underneath without tearing. Press the garlic butter evenly under the skin over both sides.
  4. Rub the outside of the chicken with the 2 tbsp confit oil. Season the skin and cavity with remaining salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with lemon halves and thyme sprigs.
  5. Place the chicken breast-side up on a rack inside a roasting pan. Scatter the remaining 12 garlic confit cloves around the base of the pan.
Roast the Chicken
  1. Roast at 220 C / 425 F for 15 minutes until the skin starts to brown and blister at the edges.
  2. Reduce the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Continue roasting for 50 to 55 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 74 C / 165 F and juices run clear.
  3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and rest uncovered for 10 minutes before carving.
Make the Pan Sauce
  1. While the chicken rests, place the roasting pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Pour in the chicken stock and scrape up all browned bits with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add the roasted confit cloves from the pan and press a few with the spoon to thicken the sauce slightly. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until reduced by about one-third.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the cold butter until melted and glossy. Taste and adjust salt. Strain or serve with the cloves intact, topped with parsley if using.

Notes

I salt the chicken the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge - the skin dries out further and crisps faster in the oven. Even two hours ahead makes a noticeable difference.