I really love this time of year, when we seem to be straddling two very different seasons, one foot planted firmly in each. It's a time of year when we can benefit from the late summer bounty, while also enjoying the more comfortable temperatures of early fall. The oven has been out of commission for far too long and the time has finally come to ease back into those warm and comforting dishes that we left behind many months ago.
I think the reason why this recipe turned out so well is due to the fact that I splurged and bought some organic chicken thighs from Whole Foods. I'm a firm believer that high quality ingredients make all the difference and to be honest I didn’t find the price nearly as painful as I had imagined.
Serve this recipe up over some goat cheese mashed potatoes, you won’t be disappointed!
Chicken Thighs with Blistered Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 chicken thighs (skin-on, bone-in)
1 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Toss tomatoes with pinch of pepper, kosher salt, and light drizzle of olive oil onto a backing sheet and put in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 and let tomatoes roast for 20 minutes (after oven comes to temperature). Remove from oven and set aside.
While tomatoes roast, dry chicken thighs with paper towels as much as possible. Season skin side generously with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat a medium-to-large sized oven-proof pan with olive oil and place over medium-high heat until quite hot! Once hot, sear chicken thighs skin-side down and season the other side with salt and pepper. When the chicken easily lifts from the pan, it's ready to turn. The skin should be dark brown and sizzling. Turn chicken and sear bottom side for about 1 minute. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
With pan still on medium-high heat, carefully pour in 1 cup of white wine (you can also use chicken stock). The wine will bubble and steam a bit, so be careful. Once the wine has settled stir the garlic in and then add the juice of one lemon.
Return chicken thighs skin-side up and tomatoes to pan. Spoon some of the sauce on to the thighs and place in oven.
Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove and serve immediately with tomatoes and sauce. Enjoy!