Chicken - Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (8 pieced)
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
3 T Hennessy Cognac VSOP, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 T all-purpose flour
2 T heavy cream

Separate cloves of garlic and drop them into pot of boiling water for 60 seconds; drain and peel. Set aside. Dry chicken with paper towels, season liberally with s & p on both sides. Heat butter and oil in large pot or Dutch oven over med-hi heat. In batches, saute chicken in fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3-5 mins per side. Turn with tongs or spatula - don't pierce with fork. If fat is burning, turn heat down to med.

When batch is done, transfer to plate and continue to saute all chicken. Remove last chicken to plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5-10 mins turning often until evenly browned. Add 2 T cognac and the wine, return to a boil, scrape brown bits from bottom of the pan. Return chicken to pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme. Cover and simmer over lowest heat for about 30 mins, until chicken is done.

Remove chicken to platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add remaining T of cognac and the cream, boil for 3 mins. Add s & p to taste. Pour sauce and garlic over the chicken and serve hot. Serves 8.