A simple recipe for one-skillet baked chicken with tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs. Chicken thighs are seared until crispy and golden in a cast iron skillet, and then baked up with tomatoes, garlic, greens, and herbs.
This recipe for baked chicken with tomatoes was originally published in September 2013. Since it’s a favorite on the site, I’ve updated the recipe and photos.
Early Fall Nights
On cool nights in Brooklyn, I loved laying in bed with the windows open. I would drift to sleep and sometimes be startled out of it by the conversational mumbles of the late dinner crowd coming out of the restaurants and planning their next moves, the nightly din-to-shrill crescendo of the bar out back, and the wall of taxis laying on their horns as they came down Havemeyer on weekend nights at twelve thirty, and again at two. When the loudest sounds ebbed, I’d hear bits of conversation, laughing, music floating by, and would sit in bed and love that I could hear all this life happening from right there in my bedroom. And if the moon was also shining in the window, as it did this time of year, well, what else could you want?
Virginia nights offer a different symphony. Crickets mostly, but also the occasional titter of peepers or the croak of a frog. Leaves rustle and the occasional car snakes down our street. The world and its worries feel distant, and it’s pretty perfect. Especially now that the chilly nights have set in. I’ve been sleeping like a cadaver; the kind of sleep where you don’t move once all night and then your neck hurts for days but you don’t care because you’ve just banked the best eight hours of sleep you’ve had in months.
The Perfect Recipe for Early Fall: Baked Chicken and Tomatoes with Garlic
I’m glad that fall is nearly here. As it turns out, I needed it. And after a morning spent testing recipes and finally braising and roasting and stewing, I turned to a stash of tomatoes and chicken thighs and wondered what to make for dinner. The answer, as clear and bright as these September days, was to turn on the oven and make baked chicken with tomatoes.
So, here it is. A simple, flavorful family dinner with beautifully tender cast iron skillet baked chicken, concentrated tomato, lots of hardneck garlic, and kale ribbons for good measure. Serve atop a bowl of buttery grits, and then ladle on the rich tomato pan sauce with abandon.
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Looking for more delicious chicken dinner recipes? Check out this classic chicken piccata, these easy chipotle chicken tacos, or these sesame-crusted chicken tenders with greens and orange-ginger dressing. Or, browse all chicken recipes here.
A simple recipe for one-skillet baked chicken with tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs. Chicken thighs are seared until crispy and golden in a cast iron skillet, and then baked with tomatoes and garlic. Recipe updated 6/12/24.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 - 1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (about 4 - 5 thighs)
- 4 large cloves hardneck garlic, smashed, peeled, and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups quartered fresh tomatoes, (if using cherry tomatoes, halve them)
- 3 - 4 large kale leaves, cut into thin ribbons
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, thyme, or oregano)
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub 1 teaspoon sea salt all over the chicken.
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Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add olive oil, and once it's hot, add chicken skin-side down. Sear 3 - 4 minutes or until skin is deep golden. Flip, and sear 3 minutes more. Add garlic when there's 1 minute of cook time left. Remove from heat.
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In the same skillet, carefully arrange kale ribbons around pan, tucking them under the chicken, and then tuck tomatoes all over so they surround the chicken thighs. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake 30 - 40 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the tomatoes are bubbling and jammy. Remove from oven and sprinkle chicken with fresh herbs.
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Place a generous dollop of buttery grits in a bowl, spoon chicken and tomatoes, and finish with several spoonfuls sauce and an herb sprig.
Feel free to play with ingredients. Other kinds of dark leafy greens, a smattering of sweet or spicy peppers, or cauliflower florets would all be delicious additions.
Oh this is lovely; just exactly the kind of food that I love to eat.
New to cooking and I’m a guy. What do o baste the chicken with? Is the sauce you are referring to from the skillet?
Hi Tim, Yes – the sauce will develop in the skillet as the tomatoes release their juices as they cook. You can use this to baste the chicken and also as the sauce once it’s done.
Be sure to check the chicken temp after 40 minutes as different ovens can run hot.
I’ll update the recipe to make all this clear ASAP. Thanks for the feedback and please keep me posted on how the recipe turned out for you.
Its best food I love it
I should have browned the chicken longer and my cherry tomatoes were a little sour. I added the fresh herbs with the tomatoes. Would that make it sour or did they need a little sugar?
I don’t have an iron skillet. Will it work on the top?
Looks gorgeous – simple and delicious.
Canned tomatoes, regular tomatoes. If regular tomatoes just cut in half, four pieces, what?? Thanks
Hi Sarah,
Fresh tomatoes – halved for cherry tomatoes and quartered for larger.
I’m nervous to put tomatoes in my cast iron skillet, should this recipe be okay for it?
Hi Julie, I am pretty laisez fare about my cast iron skillet, though it’s pretty well-seasoned. If you have a new skillet, metal could leach into the food or the food could damage the seasoning. For a well-seasoned skillet, I think you’ll be fine. Our dish didn’t taste metallic at all. Of course, if you’re concerned, you may way to go with stainless. Here’s a great debate on the subject: http://www.thekitchn.com/will-cooking-acidic-foods-damage-my-cast-iron-skillet-good-questions-187282
So beautiful and so simple. Perfect as always!!
Thank you Liz!
Wowza! Am loving the fall recipes and the grits are an awesome pairing.
What a gorgeous dish! I love the beautiful colors and that you used chicken thighs.
Elizabeth, your new symphony sounds delightful! While I do love cities, I’d rather hear crickets than traffic any day. So good to hear you all are settling in.
And your baked chicken looks like just the kind of dinner I should be making these days:)
xoxo
E
I want to make this tonight…but it looks like there are greens in the photo and none in the recipe? Should I add greens?
Hi Serena, Thanks for catching that! I did leave kale off the ingredient list. The recipe has been updated. I used kale here, but other dark leafy greens like collards or chard would be good too.
Great! thanks for the idea of collards. I have them so will use!
how to get nutritional analysis for this dish?
Where is the SAUCE coming from?
Hi Danielle, The sauce is created in the pan as everything bakes. After cooking, you will have the chicken and a sauce with the cooked tomatoes, vegetables, and other ingredients.
Nice recipe. Planning on making it tonight.
Is there anything you recommend using for the basting? I was thinking garlic butter, but what would you suggest?
Hi Shawn,
Glad to hear it! We used the cooking liquid to baste the chicken, but I think garlic butter sounds divine! My guess is it will impart a nice, complimentary richness to the dish. Enjoy!
The butter and garlic went well together with it for basting.
Very happy with the results and easy to make. I could’ve used more kale, but I wasn’t sure if the bits sticking out from under the chicken would be inedible or not, so I held back on the kale a bit.
I used a variety of different tomatoes (roma, grape, slicing, and green). Turned out good and I’ll make again.
Hi Shawn,
I am so glad to hear that the recipe turned out well! Thank you for sharing your recipe feedback!
Printing this recipe is 23 pages! Having a page just for tomato pictures isn’t necessary! My plan of trying it later may happen but it’ll be thanks to my memory. It does look & sound great so thank for posting it.
Hi Sandra,
There’s a button within the recipe card itself that says “Print Recipe.” If you click that, it generates a PDF file that’s just one page. For reference, I’ve emailed that over to you.
If that doesn’t work, you could also cut and paste the text into a word processing/notes doc and delete the images.
Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the recipe.
Very best,
Elizabeth
Hi Shawn,
There’s a button within the recipe card itself that says “Print Recipe.” If you click that, it generates a PDF file that’s just one page. For reference, I’ve emailed that to you.
If that doesn’t work, you could also cut and paste it into a word processing/notes doc and delete the images.
Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the recipe.
Very best,
Elizabeth
Great recipe. Thank you! My wife and I loved it. So easy to make. The presentation was terrific.
Absolutely fantastic. I skipped the grits and served with quinoa and red rosemary roasted red potatoes. So good! I deglazed my pan with a little white wine and the flavor of the “sauce” was amazing.
Do you think it would be okay to eat this entree with rice?
Yes! It would be great with rice.
What is the sodium content in the recipe?
Hi Linda, There’s 1 teaspoon of salt, so 582 milligrams per serving.
Not into dark meat so can I use chicken breasts instead?
Hi Floyd, Yes! Chicken breast would be great. My only concern is that they don’t overcook. I might sear them in the pan, remove and tent the chicken, add the tomatoes to the pan, and then bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then add the breasts for the remaining time.
I made this dish for my boyfriend the first time he came over for dinner. We just celebrated our third wedding anniversary. This recipe is a keeper!
Lissa! That’s amazing! Your comment totally made my day. Glad the recipe has seen you through so many wonderful times. Thank you!
I had to modify this a bit for what I had, skinless boneless thighs that I dusted in flour to get crisp and added some some summer squash. It was perfection. Thank you.