Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 340kcal
This is one of my favorite easy summer dinner recipes! Chicken with tomatoes and basil! You only need 5 ingredients and it's ready in less than 30 minutes!
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs 6 thighs
- 10 oz small cherry tomatoes one dry pint
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- fresh basil
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Slice tomatoes in half. Peel garlic cloves and crush them so they break open. Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large deep skillet or casserole over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the garlic and chicken thighs.
- Cook chicken thighs about 7 minutes per side, until they release easily and are starting to get golden brown. Let the garlic cloves get brown and caramelized.
- Remove chicken thighs to a serving plate, leave garlic, olive oil and chicken fat in the pan.
- Add the tomatoes into the hot pan cut side down and let them sit and sizzle for a minute. They will start to release their juices. That’s the time to use your silicone spatula and start pushing the tomatoes around the pan and scraping up all the brown bits left from cooking the chicken. Cook for another 3 – 5 minutes, just until the tomatoes start to collapse and get slightly wrinkled. You don’t want the skins to start coming off.
- Top the chicken with tomatoes and garlic mixture. Garnish with fresh basil leaves–just tear them, no need to chop them–and serve.
Notes
- When you are smashing the garlic, it’s okay if the cloves fall apart, but that’s not the goal. You want them smashed open so they release all of that aroma and soften in the pan.
- Something really magical happens when you add the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Let them sit cut side down on top of the browned bits left from the chicken for a minute or two. Then those browned bits will scrape right up and become part of the 'sauce' and taste so good! That's why you need that silicone spatula, so you're not scratching up your pan.
- I used my Lodge enamel cast iron casserole dish for this recipe. It heats up quickly, cooks the chicken thighs evenly and has a secure lid. You could also use a regular high-sided 12" skillet.
- You should only need to salt the chicken and not the tomatoes. Since you are leaving all of the cooking liquid in the pan, some of the salt will still be there. Just taste it to make sure.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 794mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 517IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg