Chicken Garlic Stew

I was going to try a new chicken recipe, but we were all playing MLB 2K9 across the hall (my Yanks got spanked by the Indians, though fortunately Joba Chamberlain was not attacked by insects this time), and I wanted to minimize my at-stove presence. So I made this old standby (from Bittman) instead. It came out quite well (how can one go wrong with oodles of stewed garlic?) - John and I had it over white rice for a late dinner (after the ignominious defeat of our Nats by the Rockies), and some more is sitting under my desk in today's Mr. Bento. My tweaked version of the recipe is below:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (1/2 of what the original recipe called for, but I like sauce)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• at least 2 heads of garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled (I used 3-1/2 small ones this time))
• 1/2 tsp. allspice (double what Bittman calls for; I much prefer this to cinammon, which is also a possibility)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley (heaping)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (other options include stock and water)

Put olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken well, turning when necessary. (This should take 10-12 minutes, but my pot was a bit too hot and the skin started sticking, so I peeled it off and abbreviated to about 6 mins.)

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper; add allspice, parsley, garlic and liquid to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat till liquid is at a brisk simmer, then cover the pot and play more Xb leave unattended till chicken and garlic are very tender, at least 1 hour.

Uncover. Correct seasoning, and serve (Bittman defaults to bread; I default to white rice).