Nearly Melissa’s Jammy Tomato Chicken

This is an easy one-dish chicken number, closely recreating Melissa Clark's inspiration from the New York Times. I used bacon, with no pancetta in the house. And I upped the brown sugar just a tad to counteract the earthy tones of the paprika. Also, I augmented with one chicken breast for a loved one who prefers the white meat.

1/4 lb bacon (or Pancetta), chopped

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3-4 large pieces

2 dozen grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Sauce:

1 Tbsp Pimenton - smokey sweet Spanish paprika

1 Tbsp dark brown sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon, about 1-1/2 Tbsp

4-6 cloves garlic, smashed

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp Herbs de Provence, or Italian herbs

Preheat oven to 425F. Cook bacon in a large oven-going skillet - I like cast iron.

Meanwhile whisk together the sauce ingredients.

When the bacon has browned up a bit, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Brown the chicken pieces on both sides - about 2-3 minutes per side. You should have enough bacon fat to brown the chicken; if not add a dash of olive oil.

When the chicken pieces are brown, pour the sauce evenly over all the chicken. Then scatter the bacon, tomatoes and a dash more herbs on top of the chicken.

Bake the chicken for about 15 minutes. Stir the tomatoes a bit, without disturbing the chicken. Then cook about another 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Serves 4.

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