Baked Chicken With Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic Recipe

Name: Baked Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 53 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 pounds (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (a heaping basket or 25 to 30 cherry tomatoes); 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled; 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary)

September always catches me unawares. It seems that one day, we are wilting in the heat, while neighborhood kids shoot hoops well past dusk (How can they see in the dark?). The next day, a cool breeze comes in, the block is eerily quiet, the kids are back at school.

Even though summer isn't officially over till later in the month, for all practical purposes, it's gone. Playtime has passed. We put on our worker bee wings and get ready for the fall.

Baked Chicken Thighs in a Hurry

This baked chicken dish is made for busy days. It takes all of 10 minutes of hands-on time and 45 minutes in the oven.

Cherry tomatoes can still easily be found at the market, or in your garden in many parts of the country. A few cloves of garlic, a couple sprigs of rosemary, some balsamic, salt, and chicken thighs are all you'll need.

Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic — Elise Bauer

Ways to Use the Sauce

The chicken and tomatoes will produce plenty of juice, which you can use for dipping crusty bread or reduce further and serve as a sauce over the chicken.

My mother and father stopped by the other day for lunch, 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 for Baked Chicken

Baked Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes

Prep Time 8 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 53 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

This dish produces a lot of flavorful liquid. You can use it for dipping crusty toasted bread. Or you can remove the chicken, tomatoes, and garlic to a serving dish and pour the strained liquid into a small saucepan and boil until reduced to a thicker sauce. You can pour this sauce back over the chicken or pour it over rice or pasta.

The recipe calls for bone-in thighs. If you make it with boneless thighs, you may need to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.

The recipe calls for skin-on thighs. If you make it with skinless thighs, try to cover the thighs as much as you can with the tomatoes to keep the meat from drying out. If you make it with skinless breasts, do the same, and reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes.

2 pounds (900g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups (25 to 30) cherry tomatoes (a heaping basket)
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary
Toasted crusty bread, buttered noodles, or rice, for serving, optional

Preheat the oven:

Set the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Arrange and salt the chicken thighs:

Place chicken thighs in a baking dish that allows for a little room between them. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt.

Elise Bauer
Prep the cherry tomatoes:

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place in a bowl with the whole garlic cloves. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Pour the tomato mix over the chicken:

Pour the cherry tomato mixture over the chicken pieces and arrange so that they are squeezed around the chicken pieces. You want the chicken skins to be exposed so they brown in the oven. Lay sprigs of rosemary over the tomatoes.

(If you are using dry rosemary instead of fresh sprigs, just mix it in with the tomatoes.)

Elise Bauer
Bake until well browned:

Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes, until the chicken is well browned on top and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Skim the excess chicken fat with a ladle.

What's the Temperature of Cooked Chicken?
READ MORE:

Elise Bauer

Serve with toasted crusty bread, buttered noodles, or rice. (Skip bread and noodles for a gluten-free version.)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
348	Calories
22g	Fat
4g	Carbs
36g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	348
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g	28%
Saturated Fat 6g	32%
Cholesterol 192mg	64%
Sodium 370mg	16%
Total Carbohydrate 4g	1%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 8mg	39%
Calcium 29mg	2%
Iron 2mg	10%
Potassium 516mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.