Side Dish for Garlicky Chicken

December 14, 2004 10:06 PM

What's a good side dish to go with the traditional "Chicken & 40 Cloves Of Garlic" recipe? (A recipe for the sidedish would be greatly appeciated too.)
posted by keswick to food & drink (13 answers total)

I would go with something citrusy for contrast. Maybe a salad dressed with just a splash of a fruity olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. You'll want some good crusty bread and a bottle of wine, too. The wine will depend on your preference, I'd probably try to find a white Burgundy or any unoaked, nonmalolactic Chardonnay (but that's just me).
posted by cali at 11:22 PM on December 14, 2004

My husband and I went to the Stinking Rose in San Fran a few weeks ago and he had the 40 Clove Chicken. His came with garlic mashed potatoes. So why not go all out? :)
posted by web-goddess at 11:35 PM on December 14, 2004

Crusty bread.
posted by LimePi at 11:49 PM on December 14, 2004

Mushrooms, and a sharp green salad (ie something with rocket or mustard greens or whatever).

Parsley is the traditional antidote to garlic-breath (and it goes with with garlic anyway) so anything parsley-rich would be good.

Chocolate to follow. Merlot to accompany.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:07 AM on December 15, 2004

I like herbed wild rice (heavy in parsely). I don't have the recipe that my ex-gf used to use, but the uncle ben's box is a good substitue. Corn with red pepper would also be a good side. Green Peas actually have the same effect as parsely, I found... I usually eat them dusted lightly with garlic powder, but with the 40 cloves recipe they're fine by themselves.

Joe, I actually liked the crisp, dry chardonnay that I accompanied it with (Rodney Strong Chalk Hill 2002). It cut the slight residual olive-oily-ness of the chicken down. I would think that a Merlot would only enhance that midly undesirable property.
posted by SpecialK at 12:48 AM on December 15, 2004

I'll second the mashed potato....but if you don't want MORE garlic, you could always try with some mild cheese, or pesto, or mustard, or onion....but good mashed potato with milk, creme fraiche, some butter, salt and pepper....rocks.
posted by mattr at 12:52 AM on December 15, 2004

Potato salad. Choose your own recipe from the tumult online, but always have some chives and replace mayonnaise with full fat crème fraîche -- no skimping.

A Tempranillo red wine to go with the whole thing. It's a bit firm but does the trick.
posted by gsb at 1:26 AM on December 15, 2004

I second cali's citrusy salad recommendation. But usually I just put lots of potatoes and mushrooms, and a couple of tomatoes, into the dish with the chicken so that they cook in the juices. Mash up the potatoes in your plate, put some mushrooms and a piece of tomato on top, spread the garlic on a piece of toasted crusty bread, and you don't need a side dish.
posted by fuzz at 3:10 AM on December 15, 2004

You could try some sauteed cherry tomatoes with shallots: cook some chopped shallots in olive oil, toss in tomatoes for a minute or two, then sprinkle with [fresh] parsley, salt & pepper.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 5:54 AM on December 15, 2004

Sauteed string beans tossed with a sharp vinaigrette.
posted by Caviar at 6:46 AM on December 15, 2004

Grilled rapini (aka broccoli rabe... not broccolini) with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
posted by stonerose at 9:45 AM on December 15, 2004

I once accompanied it with spinach sauteed with dried cranberries and pine nuts, which I liked. (I also had a wheat berry "risotto," which I liked a lot less, but the texture was good with the chicken.) Recipe for the spinach, from the "Pedaling through Provence" cookbook:

1/2 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. warm water
1 T pastis
1/4 cup olive oil
3 lbs. fresh spinach, washed & trimmed
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. orange flower water
1/3 c. pine nuts, lightly toasted
salt & pepper to taste

1. At least 30min. before you plan to cook the spinach, soak the cranberries in the warm water and pastis. Let soak at least 30min, then drain.

2. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing it constantly until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the greens with the orange flower water and then mix with cranberries and pine nuts. Season with salt and peper. Serve at once.

(6 to 8 servings)
posted by occhiblu at 11:29 AM on December 15, 2004

Steamed long green beans, crisp, with a flick of freshly ground black pepper and nothing else.

I second the crusty bread. If you ask me, nothing goes with garlic chicken like a good sourdough, but pick your favorite. If you have access to a parbaked loaf that you can just chuck in the oven for 15 minutes or so, that's great. Otherwise take a fully baked loaf, lightly sprinkle it with water, and oven it for 5 minutes or so.

With a salad, lean towards the bitter to blunt the sweetness of the garlic: think arugula, parsley, and little basil leaves along with your signature salad fixins. A gentle touch of balsamic is all the dressing you need.
posted by majick at 12:10 PM on December 15, 2004