Recipes › Early Season Tomato › Pan-Roasted Chicken with Early Tomato Sauce
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Early Tomato Sauce
Juicy chicken thighs braised in a quick sauce built from fresh early season tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and herbs. The tomatoes' bright acidity keeps the sauce light and vibrant rather than heavy and sweet. A weeknight dinner that tastes like a real Italian Sunday meal.
Early Season Tomato is usually ready April to May. More early season tomato recipes, or see what to sow this month where you are.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs early season tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 4 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn, to finish
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Season chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken skin-side down for 8 minutes until golden and crispy. Flip and cook 3 more minutes. Remove to a plate.About 12 min
- Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Add white wine and scrape up any browned bits. Let reduce by half.About 4 min
- Add chopped tomatoes and thyme. Season with salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until tomatoes collapse into a saucy consistency.About 10 min
- Return chicken to the pan skin-side up. Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes until chicken is cooked through (165°F) and sauce is thick.About 12 min
- Discard thyme. Scatter fresh basil over the top. Serve directly from the pan with crusty bread or pasta.About 2 min
Tips
- Keep the chicken skin-side up during the braising stage to keep it crispy.
- Early season tomatoes make a lighter, brighter sauce than late-summer varieties.
- A pinch of sugar can tame overly tart early tomatoes if needed.
Ring the changes
- Add Kalamata olives and capers in step 3 for a puttanesca-style variation.
- Finish with a spoonful of mascarpone stirred into the sauce for a creamier result.
Keeping it
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Tastes even better the next day.
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