6piecesskin-on/bone-in chicken thighs, or any skin-on chicken, such as breasts or drumsticks, about 2 lbs.
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
20clovesgarlic, separated and peeled (2 full heads) or start with pre-peeled garlic cloves
2Tablespoonsall-purpose flour
3/4cupdry white wine, any kind, or alternately replace by using more chicken broth instead
1cupchicken broth
1 1/4teaspoonsfresh thyme leaves, or about 3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1Tablespoonbutter
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. (not fan-assisted)
Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Dry the chicken pieces well by patting them with a paper towel. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the chicken thighs to the hot skillet, skin side down and cook until well browned underneath. Flip the chicken over and cook on the other side for a couple of minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. *Chicken thighs can be fatty! If you have a lot of fat in the pan, you can remove and discard some of it, but do leave a bit in the pan to cook the garlic in the next step.
Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring regularly, until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir until combined. Return the chicken to the pan, COVER, and bake for about 15-20 minutes in the pre-heated 400°F oven (*If your pan or skillet doesn't have a lid, you can tightly cover the top with tin foil instead.) Be sure to cook until the chicken is cooked to 165F internal temperature. *Bone-in chicken breasts will take longer.
Remove the pan from the oven and put it on a burner. *Be careful not to touch the hot pan handle! It's hot! Remove the chicken pieces from the pan to a clean plate. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, whisk in the wine and simmer for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol. Whisk in the broth, thyme and a bit more salt and pepper, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until the gravy thickens. Turn the heat off and stir in the butter. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Add the chicken back to the pot to re-warm with the sauce. Serve spooned over mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
Notes
Take your time browning the chicken and garlic to get some nice browning, for the best flavour and presentation.
If you'd like to make this with boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts, simply adjust the oven time accordingly, cooking the chicken until it is cooked through and reaches 165F internal temperature.
You can eat the cooked garlic or not, as you like :) If you don't want to eat it, you can mash some of it and add it to mashed potatoes for garlic mashed potatoes.
If you'd like a thicker gravy, you can use a Beurre Manié, which is a fancy name for butter combined with flour, which is used as a thickener at the end of cooking. So instead of just adding 1 Tablespoon of butter at the end, you can rub 1 Tablespoon of flour into the butter instead, then add it a bit at a time to the pan, until the desired thickening is achieved. The additional flour will thicken the gravy more, without worry of lumps.
Be sure to read the notes above the recipe card for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe! You'll also find step-by-step photos and a recipe video, that you might find helpful.