Garlic lovers will love this recipe for creamy chicken thighs, which uses 24 to 36(!) cloves to make a rich, succulent sauce.
This creamy garlic chicken recipe has one rule: Go hard on the garlic. We use whole cloves from 2 to 3 heads of garlic, which amounts to about 24 to 36 cloves total. Cook the garlic until browned, then simmer in rendered chicken fat, cream, and butter to infuse their flavor. The cloves transform into soft, jammy morsels bursting with garlicky sweetness.
Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Brown chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until light wisps of smoke appear. Add chicken skin-side down, working in batches if necessary, and fry until skin is golden, at least 10 minutes for thighs. Flip and cook the other side briefly, 1–2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Cook garlic: Add peeled garlic cloves to the pan and cook in rendered chicken fat, stirring frequently, until browned. Add thyme sprigs, if using, stirring quickly to cook. Add chicken stock or water and rice vinegar to deglaze the pan. Once liquid is boiling, reduce heat to low and bring it to a simmer. Cook garlic until softened. Add cream and butter. Stir until well combined and sauce has taken on a pale yellow color.
Finish chicken: Add chicken back to the pan, skin-side up. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through and garlic is tender, 15–20 minutes. Season to taste. Transfer chicken to a serving dish. Spoon garlic cloves and pan sauce over chicken. Serve hot.
You can! Note that the skin on boneless chicken thighs tend to shrink compared to bone-in, and will need a few more minutes on the pan.
