Baked Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes

Make these baked chicken thighs with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary when you’re in a hurry. It’s a great one-dish recipe!

Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic recipe
Elise Bauer

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.

Ingredients

  • 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

Method

  1. Preheat the oven:

    Set the oven to 375°F (190°C).

  2. 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.

    bone in skin on Chicken thighs in a dish
    Elise Bauer
  3. 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.

  4. 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.)

    Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs in a dish
    Elise Bauer
  5. 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.

    Baked bone-in chicken thigh recipe
    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
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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.