Braised Garlic Chicken

From Williams Sonoma

1 chicken, 3 - 4 lbs cut into 8 serving pieces, trimmed of excess skin and fat
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons canola oil
4 heads garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup dry white wine such as chardonnay or savignon blanc
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken and cook, turning frequently until well browned, 7 - 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pour off all but 2 Tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Add the garlic cloves and saute over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

STOVE TOP: Transfer the chicken to a Dutch oven. Sprinkle with the thyme and add the garlic mixture. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and opaque throughout, about 45 minutes.

SLOW COOKER: Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker. Sprinkle with the thyme and add the garlic mixture. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and opaque throughout, 3 hours on the low-heat setting.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Set a fine-mesh over a saucepan and strain the pan juices. Press on the garlic cloves to extract as much liquid and pulp as possible. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and top with the sauce. Serve at once.