Baked Chicken With Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes and Herbs

Baked Chicken With Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes and Herbs
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
5(1,828)
Notes
Read community notes

For this simple bake of chicken, potatoes and tomatoes, Julia Moskin borrowed a technique from the Italian island of Ischia, where rosemary, fennel and other herbs grow wild in the hills. Because the island was formed by volcanic activity (Pompeii is just under 20 miles away), it has natural hot springs, and the sand on some of its beaches is as hot as 350 degrees. When cooking fuel was scarce and expensive, the islanders learned to use the sand as a heat source for cooking. Wrapping the ingredients tightly and subjecting them to steady heat produces a succulent, aromatic dish. If you prefer to brown the ingredients, take the final step of uncovering the pan.

Featured in: In Ischia, Italy, Cooking Is Done in the Sand, Not the Stove

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1(3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up, or 3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1tablespoon rosemary leaves (from about 2 sprigs)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2small dried red chiles, crumbled, or ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 2 to 3pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
  • 12ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1large yellow onion, quartered and thickly sliced
  • ¼cup dry white wine
  • 4 to 6basil sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded leaves, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1265 calories; 80 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 37 grams monounsaturated fat; 15 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 73 grams protein; 1946 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pull any lumps of fat off the chicken and discard. In a bowl, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ tablespoon rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and the chiles. Mix and set aside, at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or a large ovenproof skillet with a lid, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ tablespoon rosemary, potatoes, tomatoes, onion and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss and spread out evenly in the pan. Arrange chicken pieces on top, skin-side up. Add the wine, pouring along the edges of the pan, and place basil sprigs on top. Cover tightly, and bake for 30 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove chicken from the oven and turn the oven temperature to 475 degrees. (Use the convection feature if you have it.) Or heat the broiler and arrange oven rack about 8 inches from the heat. Return uncovered pan to oven and cook until chicken skin is browned, cooking liquid is reduced and vegetables are very soft, 10 to 15 minutes more.

  4. Step 4

    Discard basil sprigs. Garnish with shredded basil and serve immediately.

Tip
  • AND TO DRINK ... Few dishes are more versatile with wine than roasted or baked chicken. The addition of fresh tomatoes here suggests starting with a dry white wine. The choices are many: perhaps a St.-Aubin from Burgundy, or a fairly restrained American chardonnay. You could circumnavigate the Mediterranean, picking out bottles from Corsica, Sardinia, Campania, Liguria, Sicily, Greece and so on. Or if you wanted a rosé, you could take the same geographical journey, adding the south of France to the itinerary. You could try a crisp California rosé, or a pinot gris from Oregon. If you did want a red, I’d start in Beaujolais, which has a special affinity for chicken. I would also consider easygoing Burgundies or American pinot noirs, as well as some unusual Loire reds like gamay or pineau d’Aunis. ERIC ASIMOV

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,828 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

I used new potatoes - Yukon Golds - halved, sweet orange cherry tomatoes and young red onions all from the Farmers Market and tender rosemary from my garden with chicken thighs. I roasted all in a deep open roaster with the lid off for 40 minutes at 450 degrees. The skin on the chicken was browned and crisp, the flesh was succulent, the onions and tomatoes melted into a rich, delicious sauce and the potates perfectly tender and slightly browned. Will definitely make again!!

This was just ok. The covered cooking gave the whole dish a "steamed" quality. I'd rather take the same ingredients and roast them uncovered. Also, adding some minced garlic to the veggies is no bad thing.

This is a subtle but delicious dish. I used a large high-sided fry pan with a cover. Because of readers' warnings about the vegetables taking too long, I par-boiled the potatoes. While the chicken (in my case, a Cornish game hen split in half--for two) was marinating, I covered four medium Red Bliss potatoes, quartered, with cold water and brought them just to a boil, then drained them, returned them to the pan, added the other ingredients. Vegetables and poultry were done at the same time.

Delicious and easy to prepare. I prepared the max amount suggested in the recipe, almost 4 lbs. of chicken thighs and potatoes, planning to have leftovers. The leftovers were even better. Only additions suggested would be to use more rosemary and tomatoes and maybe add sliced garlic. Totally enjoyed.

I followed the recipe as written but used a large roasting pan with thighs and wings, about 3# total. I used the convection setting @ 450 degrees for browning for about 30+ minutes.....browned beautifully and chicken/veggies cooked perfectly. I cut the potatoes in smaller pieces than recommended and added 2 small garlic cloves thinly sliced.....delicious, moist, and crisp....definitely will make again!

This is as much Greek as it is Italian, the exception being that Greeks will use Oregano rather than basil. I have Italian heritage, use basil, my close neighbor is Greek and uses Oregano. Pretty much the same recipe, subtle difference, both hearty and delicious. I DO NOT cover - rather prefer a roasting rather than the steaming that occurs when covered. So too my dear neighbor.

To give this a personal flavour touch, other herbs such as thyme, marjoram or sage could be used. When cooking for one this is so easy to use the quantity required. Lovely dish.

I added thyme and a touch of tarragon. A special dish and great for a party but definitely a fall/winter dish vs. summer.

I think this was great. The steaming method complained of by another reader worked to keep the chicken moist, while the use of the convection method and higher temp at the end produced a wonderfully crispy skin. Potatoes need to be a little smaller. Dish is not highly seasoned, but recipe provides a launching pad for whatever flavors you like. I had some fennel, so I added that to the veggies and also added fennel pollen from Zingerman's, one of my favorite flavors.

can't imagine doing with without garlic. after 45 minute, i drained the most of the liquid and reduced it to make the sauce while the chicken and vegs were browning under the oven broiler. my chicken was done in just 20 minutes under the broiler. will make this again and again

I've made this several times including (coincidentally) last night and we love it! I add several cloves of thinly sliced garlic and increase the wine to about 1/2 cup and while I use dried rosemary I think fresh basil's a must. A crusty baguette to sop up the delicious sauce and this one-dish meal is a winner!

I liked it better without the wine, olive oil, red chili, and basil. Just chicken thighs (liked them better than whole chicken parts), rosemary (plenty of it), onion, cherry tomatoes, tiny yukon gold potatoes, salt and pepper. The chicken thigh skins exuded enough fat to keep the entire dish moist and without the wine you get a nice, crunchy skin, onions, and potatoes.

Loved this. To be fair, I just used it as a jumping off point--skipped tomatoes entirely and used about 10 kinny young carrots instead, tiny golden potatoes from the farmers market and swapped 2 roasted mild green chilis (peeled, seeded and diced) for the red pepper flakes. Only used chicken thighs & marinated for more than 24 hours.. But holy moly, was I pleased with the results. This recipe is easy to improvise with whatever's around. Can't wait to play with it again!

This is one of my favorite recipes. I always add more white wine and rosemary and use the smaller potatoes cut into quarters (to make sure that they are cooked through) After I remove the cover I let the chicken brown a bit, and then zap it under the broiler. An incredible one dish meal

You need to cut potatoes into 1/8s or 1/16s

Love this recipe, feeds a crowd (I doubled it), very filling and delicious. I would add chicken stock,though, as it can dry out if cooked too long, or re-heated. Chicken is tender and flavorful.

This is so basic, but so good! I made this with 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks and a full 3 lbs of yukon golds...This definintely does NOT fit in a 9x13 dish. I used a 10x15. I roasted for 35 min covered at 450, then 15 minutes uncovered at 475...however this was not long enough, as the poatoes in the middle were still a little firm, so I roasted for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered at 425. In the future, I would roast covered for 40 minutes at 450, then uncovered or 20 minutes at 475.

I followed the instructions and after 30 min I looked at raw potatoes and raw chicken…never again!

Delicious and easy. I used extra rosemary, which brought out more flavor in the potatoes and the chicken. Definitely add more seasoning to the chicken !

I added carrots, 2 cloves garlic, fresh sprigs of thyme and oregano, 1 T herbs of Provence, and cooked longer (half hour at 450). Added broccolini toward the end. Yummy!

Cook uncovered Add 2 cloves garlic and juice of lemon to the marinade

Excellent recipe. The potatoes soak up the delicious juices from the chicken. When reheating as leftovers, add more olive oil and lemon juice.

Agree with the comments that the steaming caused the chicken to be less crispy than may be desired, although it also kept it moist. The vegetables and larger pieces of chicken needed about 10 minutes extra cooking time in my oven.

40 min convection bake at 425 was a lil too much

It took a lot longer to cook. Not sure what I did wrong?!

Large potatoes need to be cut in smaller pieces. Recipe needs additional time to cook. Liked it

Great taste and easy mid week dinner. Made it in 12" round cast iron buffet pan and results were off. Chicken was done nicely but potatoes needed another 20 minutes to cook. Next time a bigger pan and smaller potato pieces.

Delectable! I cut in half for 2 ppl and roasted all at 425 covered for 1/2 hour and uncovered for 1/2 hour. Turned out great! Chicken was moist, with nice brown skin. Tomatoes and onions were melty and jammy and the potatoes had an almost silky quality that was wonderful! Will definitely make again!

I used skinless boneless thighs, garlic instead of chili's and thyme instead of basil just because that is what I had. Added a squeeze of lemon to the chicken marinade again because. I cooked everything @ 475 convection 20 mins, then removed the chicken and tested the potatoes. Since they were taking longer I returned the pan to the oven for 10 more minutes. Then added the chicken back for 15 mins at 450. Superb!

* I left out- Do Not Cover! Add another splash or 2 of white wine to prevent scorching. Everything carmelized beautifully.

I left it in at 450 for 40min. Then put the chicken in a separate pan returned them both at the higher temp so those taters browned nicely too.

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