Ingredients for 5 servings

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (certified gluten-free if necessary)
1 (3 1/3-pound) whole chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
1 ½ teaspoons butter
1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cognac
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons dry white wine
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

40 garlic cloves, peeled (about 4 whole heads)

Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl.

Discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts. Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces to pan; cook 2 ½ minutes on each side or until golden. Remove chicken from pan; place in a 4-quart electric slow cooker.

Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Stir in broth mixture, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Boil 2 minutes or until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup. Pour sauce over chicken; sprinkle with thyme. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or until chicken is done. Serve sauce and garlic with chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.