Garlic Chicken at the spanish style (pollo al ajillo)

This is a quick and easy recipe that however I only taste when I prepare it myself. If I find it in a restaurant I am usually left with the desire because I love it but it is usually poorly prepared. And it also has an entirely avoidable side effect: it's one of those foods that you eat quickly but  you "repeat" for the rest of the day.

That garlic repeats is due to the presence of a substance called allicin. Allicin is released when we cut, crush or eat garlic directly without having previously cooked it. In other words, this substance does not exist in garlic until we manipulate it. Allicin is a natural antibiotic that, however, is not very usable since it is very unstable. If we cook the garlic above 60 degrees (140 F)  it is destroyed. For this reason, its therapeutic qualities are usually used only when it is supplied in the form of tablets or when raw garlic is ingested.

To prevent garlic from recurring, there are several things that can be done simultaneously. The first is to remove the green germ from the garlic with the help of a knife. The second is to put it in the microwave in the defrost position for a few seconds and finally cook it. Following these steps you will not lose flavor but the "repetition" that bothers you will dissapear.

Of course, if you go as antisocial, you serve a public you hate at a counter, you want to create a comfortable space around you when you travel by subway (the aroma of garlic comes from our mouths but also with our sweat), or like to repel your relative who awaits you in ambush with libinous intentions when you return home, a good garlic chicken prepared with a lot of mashed and undercooked garlic assures you of the solitude of Simeon the Stylite.

INGREDIENTS

• A whole chicken
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1 glass of white wine
• Fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Cut the chicken into small and regular pieces. The normal thing is to cut four quarters and from each quarter make four pieces. The quickest way, however, is to buy chickens cut in this way, which are usually sold in trays that already indicate "cuts for chicken with garlic".

In a casserole - better if it is clay - fry a clove of garlic in a good jet of olive oil. When it starts to blacken we remove it. Next, brown the previously seasoned chicken pieces. If you are not worried about fat, it is better to do it without removing the skin.

While the meat browns, make a mincemeat with the fresh parsley and the rest of the cloves, taking care to remove the germ and if you want, microwave it. When the chicken is well fried, add the glass of white wine and the bay leaf, if you like the flavor it provides, although it is not essential. Let reduce a little and add the juice of a lemon. Then sprinkle the minced garlic and parsley.

Keep on low heat for about twenty minutes - or until the broth reduces considerably - and it is ready to serve.

A very Spanish recipe, as well as very healthy and tasty.