Make these Baked Chicken Thighs with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Rosemary when you’re in a hurry. It’s a great one dish recipe!
September always catches me unprepared. It seems that one day we’ll wither in the heat while neighborhood kids throw hoops way after dark (how can they see in the dark?). The next day, a cool breeze is blowing, the block is eerily quiet, the kids are back at school.
Although summer isn’t officially over until later in the month, it’s practically over. Playtime is over. We put on our worker bee wings and get ready for fall.
This baked chicken dish is made for busy days. It takes a full 10 minutes to touch and 45 minutes in the oven.
Cherry tomatoes are still easy to find on the market or in your garden in many parts of the country. A few cloves of garlic, a few sprigs of rosemary, some balsamic vinegar, salt and chicken thighs are all you need.
Ways to use the sauce
The chicken and tomatoes produce plenty of juice that you can use to dip in crusty bread or further reduce and serve as a sauce over the chicken.
My mom and dad stopped by for lunch the other day and I served them this chicken. They both gave it two thumbs up for taste, and my mom gave extra points for simplicity. Enjoy!
5 delicious sides to baked chicken
Baked chicken thighs with cherry tomatoes
This dish produces a lot of flavorful liquid. You can use it for dipping crusty toast bread. Or you can place the chicken, tomatoes, and garlic on a serving platter and pour the strained liquid into a small saucepan and cook until reduced to a thicker sauce. Again, you can pour this sauce over the chicken or over rice or pasta.
The recipe calls for bone-in thighs. If you’re making it with boneless thighs, you may need to shave a few minutes off the cooking time.
The recipe calls for skin-to-thighs. If you’re making skinless thighs, try to cover the thighs with the tomatoes as much as possible to keep the flesh from drying out. If you’re making it with skinless breasts, do the same thing, reducing the cooking time to 25 minutes.
ingredients
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2 pounds (900G) with bones, with skin chicken thighsfreed from excess fat
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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2 cups (25 to 30) cherry tomatoes (a filled basket)
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6 whole cloves Garlic, peeled off
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1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
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1 1/2 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil
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2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary
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Crispy roasted breadButtered pasta or rice for serving, optional
method
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Preheat the oven:
Set the oven to 190°C (375°F).
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Arrange and salt the chicken thighs:
Place the chicken thighs in a casserole dish that leaves some space between them. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt.
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Prepare cherry tomatoes:
Halve the cherry tomatoes. Place in a bowl with the whole garlic cloves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
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Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken:
Pour the cherry tomato mixture over the chicken pieces and arrange so that it’s pressed around the chicken pieces. You want the chicken skins exposed so they will brown in the oven. Lay sprigs of rosemary over the tomatoes.
(If you use dry rosemary instead of fresh sprigs, just mix it in with the tomatoes.)
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Bake until well browned:
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until chicken is well browned on top and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Skim off excess chicken fat with a spoon.
What is the temperature of cooked chicken?CONTINUE READING:
Serve with toasted crusty bread, buttered pasta or rice. (Skip the bread and pasta for a gluten-free version.)
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 348 | calories |
| 22g | Fat |
| 4g | carbohydrates |
| 36g | protein |
