I finally succumbed to the pressure of the Instant Pot. I’d been curious about them for awhile but between my slow and steady Crock Pot (See Taking Things Slow With Your Crock Pot) with reliable lockdown handle ideal for chili, dip and soup transportation and a wide array of colorful Le Creuset, I felt really well-stocked for a braise, a saute, a roast, a steam or a stew. And then I got a month into a two-month-long kitchen renovation and just couldn’t take another frozen pizza or round of tacos or pint of ice cream or even dinner out. I wanted to COOK! I wanted to cook, but I didn’t have a sink or a dishwasher or much of a counter to work on.
Cue the Instant Pot and an attempt to make one of my favorite meals, Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic along with a side of Garlic Cream New Potatoes in about 20 minutes using one pot. Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic is an “old-school” French Provincial (or possibly Catalonian) dish dating back to the Middle Ages. I first ran across it in Ina Garten’s “Barefoot In Paris” and used her fabulous recipe Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic for years. The Chopping Block has a fantastic recipe as well and I have adapted it for the Instant Pot to create a comforting and perfectly chic dinner in about 20 minutes!
Insta-Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic & New Potatoes
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
8 small new potatoes, quartered
1-2 large whole heads of garlic (about 20 cloves unpeeled-keeping the peel on adds lovely flavor)
20 garlic cloves, peeled (I buy pre-peeled garlic and keep it in the freezer at the ready)
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence (this classic French herb mix usually consists of Thyme, Marjoram, Savory, Rosemary, Oregano and Lavender. I love to buy it or make it in bulk and mix it into my salt to make Sel de Provence)
4 sprigs of Thyme
½ cup dry white wine
1 ½ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Grapeseed or vegetable oil
Turn Instant Pot to Saute, High. Add a little oil to coat bottom. Season chicken pieces heavily with salt and pepper and saute chicken in batches until brown on both sides.
Remove chicken pieces and deglaze pot with ½ cup wine. Separate heads of garlic, keeping peels on.
Add 1 ½ cup chicken stock, 20 cloves of peeled garlic and 20 cloves of unpeeled garlic, Herbs de Provence and thyme. Add potatoes, chicken legs and thighs and finally lay breasts and wings on top. Close lid and set to Manual, High Pressure, 12 minutes. Walk away!
When the pressure cycle finishes, release steam via the quick release valve. Remove chicken and check for doneness. I also like to pick out any garlic husks that have floated to the top along with thyme stems. Whisk cream and dijon into sauce and return chicken pieces to pot. Stir to coat with sauce.
To plate, pile potatoes and chicken in a big bowl or platter and top with sauce. Serve with crusty bread to scoop up all that garlicky goodness.
Check out our French Sauce Workshop (one of my favorite classes) tonight at the Merchandise Mart or Midnight in Paris on Thursday, March 29th at Lincoln Square.
For more tastes of the French countryside, and the rest of France for that matter, join us for our full-venue event April In Paris Friday, April 13th at the Merchandise Mart. Featuring an incredible array of hors d’oeuvres, entrees and desserts, this gourmet spectacular is not to be missed!
