For the record, I’ve always been a leg and thigh man. Now let’s get on about chicken.
Chicken thighs have to be, hands down, the tastiest part of the bird. Yeah okay, the breast is lean, healthier for you but it’s also bland. Why do you think chicken breast tastes so good in a Club sandwich (think bacon)?
I recently caught an episode of Jamie (Oliver) at Home and he did a show on potatoes. The dish that stood out for me was his baked chicken thighs with an array of tomatoes and squashed potatoes.
This dish looks very Greek, the ingredients are quite Greek but the approach…pure Jamie. I’m going to show you my take on this dish…shake up the ingredients a bit and relay a couple of worthy moves Jamie makes in this dish.
Jamie’s prep involves three major steps: blanching a medley of heirloom tomatoes to remove the skins, boning and cutting the thighs into smaller pieces and boiling the potatoes before baking.
There are no local heirloom tomatoes(at this time) so I opted for sweet, cherry tomatoes. I boned and cut the thighs into smaller pieces but you may leave the thighs in tact. As for boiling the potatoes, this step is integral to the dish. The boiled potatoes get slightly squished before being place in the roasting pan with the remaining ingredients. This step no doubt is important for what will give you a dish with crispy roast potatoes that are flavoured by the juices of all the ingredients.
I’ve also made some changes to the herbs. I used dry oregano (Jamie uses fresh). Dry oregano is one of the few instances where it beats out the fresh variety. I also added some fresh rosemary into the mix…an apt addition to a dish of chicken and potatoes.
Jamie has a winner with this meal, there were no leftovers, it’s easy to make and if you’re Greek, Italian or you enjoy Mediterranean foods, this chicken’s for you.
Jamie Oliver’s Baked Chicken Thighs
(for 4)
2 trays of chicken thighs, skin on (about 8-10), boned and cut in half)
1 pint. ripe cherry tomatoes
6 medium sized potatoes, peeled
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
- Bone your chicken thighs, cut into smaller pieces (I halved them), season them with salt and pepper and brown them in olive oil. Reserve in the roasting pan.
- Boil your potatoes in salted water until cooked and then slightly squish each potato and add to the pan with the chicken.
- Prick one end of your tomatoes and drop them in boiling water for a mere 45 seconds. Fish the tomatoes out of the water and place in another pot with cold water. Now gently pinch each tomato and the skins will easily come off. Discard the skins and add the tomatoes into the roasting pan.
- Drizzle with oilve oil, add the garlic, lemon juice, oregano and rosemary and some additional salt and pepper.
- Give the ingredients a gentle toss and place in a pre-heated 375F oven for 40 minutes.
36 Responses
That looks great, like really good comfort food.
you stir up childhood memories, Peter. My mom always used to cook real organic chickens (we just called it farm chickens) with the potatoes in the pot, sucking up all the flavors…..
Mmmmhhh, that looks so good. I bought the Jamie at Home book a while ago but haven’t yet tried any of the recipes, even though I’ve earmarked several. I made your Army of Vegetables yesterday, loved it and blogged about it.
Peter that looks so good. I always loved the in depth descriptions that you give when you write!
Looks delicious, Peter! And you are right, it does look quite Greek. I totally agree with you about chicken thighs. I feel sorrt for the dark-meat-haters. They don’t know what they’re missing :)
I’ve had the recipe bookmarked in my jamie at home book to get around to making at sometime! Now I can’t wait to make it!!! Great work Peter!
that chicken looks so well cooked with the herbs sprinkled over it – I’m trying this one out for next Sunday’s meal.
I agree that Jamie’s recipe is a winner Peter. I have had my eye on this dish for some time..if I were a man I would definitely be a breast man though…I like the white meat, and take my chances and just undercook it slightly:D
I made it to the top, uf, uf! I could eat the whole tray!!! Just love this comfort food! I would saY it looks very Spanish too, Peter ;-)
That looks great! So full of veggies and deliciousness! So glad to hear someone else appreciates thighs!!
I totally agree, you can’t beat chicken thighs. They are far more tastier and tender than breasts. (that kind of sounds rude lol)
Do you know what book this recipe is from? I practically have all of his books on my shelf.
Found your link on white on rice couple’s blog and am so glad I did! Your recipes have me drooling – I love Greek food, however, the mister does not, so we never get to eat out at Greek restaurants – he always wins when it comes to eating out….anyway, now I know I can make something Greek and delicious at home and odds are the mister will never know what he’s eating is Greek! Thanks!!! Nan
I discover your blog thanks to Helen from “Becky and Liz”… She was right, everything looks absolutely yummy in here…
I’ll sure come back !
As for the chicken, I was more of a “breast girl” (:-D), but now I’m older, and sort of grew a “wing addiction” …
Peter, I saw that Jamie show and wanted to try the chicken. Your’s looks so good, I wish I had some right now!
That looks so great. I love the look of this dish, it’s gorgeous.
What a hearty and full bodied looking dinner. This one could definitely be a winner in my family.
I’ve made this dish and have to agree that it’s an absolute winner. Just looking your pic is making me remember the scent of oregano wafting round the house :-) Gorgeous stuff.
Oh hey, I saw that episode! But Peter yours looks and sounds much better than Jamie’s. Does yours come with that accent?
I will hold my comments at this time on the breast vs thigh and leg issue:)
I am also a chicken leg and thigh person. Chicken breasts are great for shredding and filling enchiladas, but if you want to take a bite out of the chicken, you better go for the legs!
Your post has made me hugry, yet again, and I just had dinner! Haha. I’ll try this recipe soon.
Cheers!
Now that is a tasty one pot meal!
I love Jamie Oliver’s cooking and you’ve done great work with his recipe Peter. The flavours are amazing!
I am starting to like playing around with chicken thighs. With fried I like white meat,but dishes like this call for legs and thighs.BTW, I will be in Toronto on April 16, 17, AND 18. But it looks like I’m staying in Scarborugh. Dont know how much I can explore as I’m at the mercy of a co worker to drive me around this trip.
I agree completely that thighs are better and that dried oregano is the only way to go and that this tastes delicious. Way to go Peter!
Your talk of “thighs” and “gently pinching tomatoes” is sending quite a springtime message, my dear man.
I love the flavor of potatoes and tomatoes together,and I have to say…you did Jamie proud!!!
it’s just so awesome to see a man cooking like this!!! kudos to you Peter!
You’ve got some nice thighs! They are my favorite part of the chicken too. I’ll have to give this a try — I love Jamie and his cooking, always good!
Vero, welcome and thanks for visiting.Helen’s blog is fabulous too!
Pam, good to see you’re back!
Sara, it’s a beauty in a rustic way.
Giz, yes…this dish would receive wide support.
Jen, you made this? I have to scour your blog to see your version.
Deb, you get a Canadian accent, eh?
Ben, perhaps view my blog well after dinner!
Glam, email me if you’ll like to go for drinks when you’re in TO.
Laurie, dried oregano is much loved by us Greeks.
Heather, mia culpa.
Marie, he does some gems from time to time.
Flan, thank you, I’m blushing.
Allen, thighs rule!
This dish sounds fantastic. Whatever I have tried from Jamie Oliver’s recipes they were a great success. I am a thigh lover as well but all my kids eat only the breast. When potatoes are boiled before baking they are excellent. I’ve tried them in other recipes.
I SO agree with your comment about oregano, dried vs. fresh! So true, especially for a roasting recipe like this.
Good God, Peter…this is so perfectly simple, but made even more perfect by the one or two techniques that make it so…squishing the potatoes and blanching the tomatoes. Very nice!
this looks delicious. and you are so right about chicken breasts. i try to avoid them if at all possible!
Nice site, by the way — I just stumbled across it by chance, and am definitely adding you to my reader. After a trip to Athens last year, I’ve been wanting to learn a bit more about Greek cooking — it looks like you’ll be able to help with that!
Thanks for this recipe! I tried it out last night, after finding your blog on foodblogsearch.com, and it was fabulous! Thanks for the post!
Thank you for this recipe – I too saw the show and was inspired, but of course then could not find his recipe!
I love the look of your blog – I am a foodie of the eating variety and a blogger of the vociferous variety, so I truly enjoy a yarn with my food.
Found you through google, but may just subscribe to salivate!
This recipe completely took my eye, but I still wonder what about red wine vinegar? Should I get rid of it? Thanks!!!
It’s a personal choice but I think lemon & chicken pair so nicely.