Crispy Baked Chicken with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes

Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Is there really anything to be happy about? For me, today is just another day but I am happy as it is a holiday and I am at home. And what better way to celebrate than to share with you a simple and easy chicken dish. Now, that is something to be happy about :)

I bookmarked this recipe for the longest time. It comes from the brilliant but now defunct Extra Virgin Chef. I have always known that Luan Ee would move on to greater things and I was right. I do miss her posts and I still feel a sense of loss. 

Second attempt with whole chicken legs.

According to Luan Ee, this dish is "Easy. Healthy. Tasty. Impressive. Practical. No exotic, expensive or inaccessible ingredients. Little preparation time. Only one dish to wash. It passes all these criteria with flying colours". I couldn't agree more.

So colourful and fresh. Try to use a bigger baking dish so that your veggies don't stick out on the surface and get burnt. My dish is a bit too small.

How easy can this be? What you need is chicken drumsticks, garlic, basil, cherry tomatoes, chilies, salt and pepper. And olive oil. Simply salt and pepper the drumsticks and arrange them in one single layer. Then sneak the other ingredients at the bottom or in between the drumsticks. After that give a splash of olive oil on the ingredients and bake in the oven for 90 minutes. There is no need to baste or turn the chicken. Just leave it there to do its thing. Unbelievable?

The chicken skin was crispy and the garlic tasted divine!

Honestly, I found it hard to believe until I actually tried it. The only ingredient that I did not have was basil as there was no stock at Aeon. The Thai basil in my garden wasn't doing too well but I managed to harvest a few leaves. I was worried that the chicken would burn after being in the oven for 90 minutes.

But no, they did not burn. Only some of the chilies, basil and garlic that were on the surface got burnt but it was no big deal. And the chicken was beautifully crispy, tender, juicy and tasted very good. The only thing I was not happy about was that my chicken drumsticks were too small and I did not put enough olive oil.

I attempted this dish again using whole chicken legs. It was a lot better but I made the mistake of using a baking dish that was too small. That resulted in my other ingredients sticking out above the chicken and getting burnt.

Burnt chillies again.

I am now convinced that this dish really works. It would be a dish that you could do for a dinner party if you want something hassle free. Just assemble everything and chuck it in the oven. This was what I had for my Christmas lunch and I think it is fitting to serve at my next dinner party. Here's the unbelievably easy recipe for you to try.

Crispy Baked Chicken with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe source : Adapted from Extra Virgin Chef

Ingredients :

- 6 chicken drumsticks (or any number you like/whole chicken legs)

- 10 cherry tomatoes, cut into half

- 10 cloves garlic, crushed with skin on

- 1 fresh chili, sliced

- a handful of basil leaves

- olive oil

- salt and pepper

Method :

1. Salt and pepper the drumsticks.

2. Arrange the drumsticks in a single layer in a baking dish.

3. Place the cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilies and basil leaves in between or at the bottom of the drumsticks.

4. Give the drumsticks a good splash of olive oil (be generous) and bake the dish at 160C for 90 minutes. There is no need to baste or turn the chicken.

5. Serve with rice or salad.

I am submitting this post to Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013 hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.