Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Roast Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Herbs


This is what I served for Easter lunch. Not your traditional ham, but one of our favorites and always a crowd pleaser.

About 3/4 of a large onion, cut in 1/4-inch slices
6 to 8 cloves garlic, crushed but not chopped
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes or other small tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoons roughly chopped fresh marjoram or thyme (divided) (I use dried)
Kosher salt
3 pounds bone-in chicken thigh (about 12 medium)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, pepper flakes, 2 Tbsp. herbs and 1 tsp. salt; toss until everything's nicely mixed. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt to taste.

Arrange the chicken thighs on two heavy rimmed baking sheets, with space between the chicken pieces. Distribute the tomato mixture and any juices around the chicken so it's in an even layer but not covering the chicken.

Roast until the chicken is totally tender when pierced with a knife, 35 to 45 minutes. During roasting, check that the tomato mixture isn't burning. You want the vegetables to release juices, collapse and brown slightly but not to burn onto the pan. If they're getting too dark, pour in a few spoonfuls of water or chicken broth.

When the chicken is done, transfer to a serving platter. Put a large sieve or colander over a bowl and carefully scrape the tomato mixture into the sieve. Arrange the vegetable mixture on the chicken platter and sprinkle everything with the remaining 1 Tbsp. herbs and serve.

I save the juices and freeze to use later as broth.

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