40-clove Garlic Chicken in the Crockpot!

Again, another recipe from my Crepes of Wrath friend:

This sounds like you'd be breathing, and sweating and oozing garlic for 40 days, but it really just gives the chicken a nice mellow garlic flavor, and leaves some yummy soft garlic to use in mashed potatoes, if you choose. Yum!

Crock Pot Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

3 1/2-4 pound fryer chicken (chicken cut into serving pieces) -- *I used 4-6 chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
40 cloves of garlic, peeled but still whole (about 3 bulbs of garlic)
3/4 cup white wine (optional, but highly recommended)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter

1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with non-stick spray. Rub the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot.

2. Heat your olive oil in a small skillet and add the peeled, whole garlic. Cook for 5-8 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is golden, then add the white wine and stir until the liquid has mostly evaporated, another 3-5 minutes over medium heat.

3. Pour the garlic and white wine over the chicken in the crock pot, and sprinkle the thyme and rosemary over everything. Add in the bay leaf. Turn the crock pot to low and cook for 3-4 hours. When ready, remove the chicken and place on a separate platter, then cover with foil to retain its heat. Set aside.

4. (This step is optional) Pour the juices from the pot through a mesh sieve into a pot, then press the garlic through the sieve to form a paste. Cook the gravy with a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Serve over the chicken with potatoes, vegetables, or crusty bread and enjoy! Serves 3-4. (We had mashed potatoes - and attempted this last step, but don't have a good sieve. So we settled for mashing a few of those cooked cloves up with the potatoes - yum!)