Skillet Chicken Thighs With Schmaltzy Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 tsp fennel seeds (or cumin or coriander seeds)
• 1 tsp lemon zest (finely grated)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt (more to taste)
• 2.125 lb chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
• 2 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 1 red onion (small, halved and thinly sliced)
• red-pepper flakes (pinch, plus more for serving)
• olive oil (for drizzling)
• 0.5 cup fresh basil or mint leaves (torn)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. 2

   Place the fennel seeds in a mortar and pound lightly with a pestle until the seeds are broken up (you don’t have to grind them to a powder). Alternatively, lay the seeds on a cutting board and use the flat side of a knife to crush them, pressing on the knife with your hand.

3. 3

   Combine the crushed seeds with lemon zest and salt in a small bowl, mixing well.

4. 4

   Rub the chicken all over and underneath the skin with the salt mixture.

5. 5

   Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and let it cook until the fat renders and the skin turns dark golden brown, 6 to 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Flip the chicken pieces and put the skillet in the oven.

7. 7

   Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

8. 8

   While the chicken cooks, in a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, pinch of salt and red-pepper flakes, tossing to combine.

9. 9

   Remove the chicken from the oven and place the thighs on a platter.

10. 10

    Carefully pour all (or just some) of the chicken fat from the skillet into the tomato mixture.

11. 11

    Stir the tomato mixture to combine and season with more salt, if needed.

12. 12

    Pour tomatoes over the chicken on the platter, drizzle with olive oil, and top with fresh basil or mint, and more red-pepper flakes to serve.

Notes

Be sure to serve the chicken with crusty bread to catch all the sweet, earthy juices. For a variation, you can toss cubed bread into the skillet with the remaining drippings to toast until golden for a panzanella-style dish.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• chicken
• roasted
• skillet
• dinner
• gluten-free
• low-carb