Non-Recipe for Forty Clove Garlic Chicken 2.0

No, you’re not having de ja vu. Yes, I’ve posted a non-recipe for Forty Clove Garlic Chicken but now have an updated, superstar version to share with you. It’s incredible.
note: 40 cloves of garlic for me was about 2 1/2 bulbs. The best way I’ve found to peel that many cloves at one time is to take them off of the bulb, put them in a metal bowl and position another similarly sized metal bowl over it so the bowls make a dome. Hold the bowls together tightly while you shake the hell out of them. (This is a very loud process. Be sure to warn your house mates or neighbors of your actions, they may come running to rescue you from bullets.) When you open your dome, you will have 40 naked garlic cloves.
-Preheat oven to 350*
-Pre-heat heavy skillet, (I used a large cast-iron), on med-highish heat, add a good amount of olive oil and 2 TB of butter.
-Season 1 whole chicken, cut in half or in several pieces, with salt and pepper.
-Sear the chicken until golden brown on all sides, remove and set aside.
-Add garlic cloves. Saute 5 or so mins until light brown (do not go beyond light brown!)
-Add a few glugs of Brandy and about the same amount of white wine. Scrape up yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow to simmer for a few mins.
-Add 2ish cups of chicken stock and a good handful of fresh or dried tarragon.
-Put chicken back in and place in preheated 350* oven for about 30-40 mins until chicken is cooked through.
-When chicken is fully cooked, remove it and keep warm on a plate.
-Place skillet back on stove top and turn heat up to high and begin to reduce the liquid. In a small cup mix 2 TB of flour and 2 ladles of the sauce to form a thick paste. Stir this into the slightly reduced pan sauce and allow to thicken. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
-Place chicken back in pan to warm up before serving.
-Serve with a potato of some kind so you can soak up the sauce, there should be lots of it.
-Happily lick your plate.