Gwen's Nest

Recipes, remedies, and reflections from my neck of the woods.

Garlic Chicken Recipe

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garlic chicken
Of all the garlic chicken recipes out there, this is my favorite. But you should know three things. First, I confess that I have never, ever have used anywhere close to 40 cloves in this dish, and it always turns out fantastic.

Second, this is awesome…if you have never tasted roasted garlic, then you’re majorly missing out.  Just like fresh onions are a totally different experience than caramelized onions…garlic also goes through a major flavor transformation in the oven.  It mellows into a  rich, sweet flavor when it’s roasted.  It’s milder than garlic bread, and with none of the caustic burn that you find in fresh diced garlic that you’d come across in salsa.

Third, and most important: this is totally easy to make.  We all love it.

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I usually make this for a main dish with veggies on the side (like you see above), but I make enough leftovers to slice up and serve over a salad the next day.  Or you can serve it over rice, over pasta with white sauce, on sandwich rolls…and if you love the flavor of roasted garlic, the extras are fantastic spread on garlic bread or in blended into homemade salad dressing.

It’s a very versatile player on the ‘planned over’ menu.

If you’re feeling more south of the border, this is another one of our favorite garlic chicken dishes: Lime Chicken Soft Taco Recipe (or Taco Salad if you’re so inclined.)

Here’s what you’ll need:

chicken breasts, salt, olive oil, pepper, fresh or dry parsley, and a bunch of garlic cloves. 

I think it’s only fair to tell you that I buy a giant 5 lb. container of pre-peeled garlic at my local Korean market, and keep it in my freezer.   It’s one of my ‘efficiency’ tips, because we use a LOT of garlic in this house (for cooking and for medicine!)

If you only have the jar of pre-chopped garlic, then I highly recommend waiting until you have some real (fresh) cloves.  It’s just not the same.

The jars of garlic are pathetically impotent compared to fresh. I can’t even look them in the eye anymore.

Let’s get cookin’…

Garlic Chicken Recipe

Put your chicken breasts into a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Flip, repeat with salt and pepper, and load up with peeled garlic cloves.

Just go by what looks good to you, or peel until you get bored, whichever comes first. 

Drizzle with olive oil.

Cover with foil, and pop it into a 400* oven for 20 minutes.

Remove foil, and sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley.  The parsley adds a nice bit of color, and tames back the garlic flavor a bit.  They are a nice pair in baked dishes, I think.

Return to the oven, and bake, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, or until the garlic is beginning to get golden brown, and the chicken is cooked through.

I wish you could smell how yummy this is.  You could really add in some other flavors if you wanted to.  I think sun dried tomatoes or olives would be yummy, and top it with feta cheese and some of the Greek spice mix.

garlic-chicken-recipe (10)

 I’m suddenly really, really hungry.
You might want to pin this one:
This quick chicken dish is one of our favorites, and it's low carb, Paleo, and THM friendly. And delicious. Even if you don't think you like garlic.

Hope you enjoy this quick garlic chicken recipe.  As always, here is your printable.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Garlic Chicken Recipe - S or FP*
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This simple recipe captures the milder, full flavor of roasted of garlic and turns out moist, delicious chicken and beautifully browned cloves every time! It doesn’t get any better, or simpler than this! If you like a sharper garlic flavor, cut back on the parsley. This flexible dish can be served a thousand ways. The first night I serve it as the main dish with vegetables on the side. Leftovers can be served on a salad, over pasta with white sauce, on sandwich rolls, and the garlic cloves are fantastic spread on garlic bread or in dressing.
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil (or 2 Tbs. for a low fat/Fuel Pull version)
  • 40* garlic cloves peeled (or less...I just peel until I get bored 🙂
  • 1 t. dry parsley or 2 T chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper.
  3. drizzle with oil and arrange in a single layer in a 9 x 13 inch dish.
  4. Scatter garlic cloves over chicken.
  5. Cover tightly with foil or a glass lid.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes.
  7. Sprinkle with parsley and continue to bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer until golden brown.
Notes
* If you're a Trim Healthy Mama, this recipe is a deep S or can be adapted to a Fuel Pull by using a little less oil. For an E meal, make with less oil, and pair with a healthy carb serving like a side of brown rice, foccacia bread, or fruit. I rarely have more than 10 to 12 cloves, and it is always delicious and very garlicky. Note: I use the ingredient amounts as a suggested framework. You can really adjust this dish to your taste, and it is nearly impossible to ruin! Just be sure to use real, fresh whole cloves for best flavor and not the chopped jarred garlic.
Step by step photo tutorial of this garlic chicken recipe are found here at: https://gwens-nest.com/family-favorite-recipes/garlic-chicken-recipe
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  2. Making this for dinner tonight. And just for fun, I counted your garlic cloves. You have… 41!!!! LOL

    Reply

  3. Hi Gwen! Just coming across your site as I am just becoming a THM and I love it! I love all the details you incorporate. Question: about how much oil do you think I should use to make this a fuel pull?

    Reply

    • Hi Shannon! Thanks so much! 🙂
      Keep it under a teaspoon per chicken breast. So if you’re doing 6 chicken breasts, then do a little less than 2 Tablespoons of oil. 🙂 Does that help?

      Reply

  5. An easy way to peel your garlic. (I found it on the internet, and just tried it. It works!) Cut off the ends of the garlic cloves that were attached to the bulb. Place cloves in a sealed jar (mine was glass). Shake vigorously. Pour cloves out; remove any ‘papers’. Return the cloves to the jar, cover and shake again. Remove the last ‘papers’. Voila! Easy!

    Reply

  6. Oh goodness, so sad that this just came in to my life. Amazing. I didn’t use but about 25 garlic clovesspread over 2 dishes and didn’t actually measure anything – still amazing!

    Reply

  7. Gwen, the mamas at THM have been talking this up recently. I tried it tonight for the first time. It was moist, tender chicken and perfectly cooked garlic. If I can pry the leftovers out of the family’s hands, it will make a delicious chicken salad. Thank you!!!

    Reply

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