Skillet Chicken and Potatoes with Cherry Tomatoes: The No-Oven Dinner Saver Recipe
The chicken with potatoes and piccadilly cherry tomatoes is a classic of Italian cuisine, usually associated with slow baking. However, when the summer heat becomes unbearable, turning on the oven is the last thing we want. That’s why the skillet version has become a real must because it’s quick, succulent, and perfect for family lunches.
Why Choose Skillet Cooking?
Cooking chicken in a skillet is not just a heat-beating strategy, but it offers several advantages: first of all, the cooking times are reduced compared to the traditional oven. Covered cooking in a skillet retains moisture, preventing the chicken drumsticks from drying out. Moreover, the piccadilly cherry tomatoes create a delicious sauce that will flavor the potatoes, making them soft and tasty.
A Genuine Dish for the Whole Family
This second course is the definition of “comfort food”: simple, genuine, and loved by children. It’s the ideal meal for summer Sundays or for a quick dinner that feels like home. The drumsticks, well-seasoned with aromatic herbs, are so tender that they can be enjoyed with your hands, just like the little ones love!
Other chicken recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken drumsticks
- 4 potatoes (medium)
- 12 oz Piccadilly cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- as needed vegetable broth
- 3 leaves bay leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 Juniper berries
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste chili pepper
Tools
- Paper towels
- 1 Knife
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Wooden spoon
Preparation
Pat the chicken drumsticks dry with paper towels without washing them*. Wash, peel the potatoes, and cut them into chunks. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, brown the garlic with the oil over low heat for a couple of minutes. Add the well-washed piccadilly cherry tomatoes and slice them*, the juniper berries, bay leaves, and let them absorb the flavors.
Then, after a few minutes, add the potatoes and let them absorb the flavors for another 2-3′. Extend the sauce with the tomato sauce and cook over low heat for about 5′.
Then arrange the drumsticks in the skillet with the rest of the ingredients and adjust with salt and pepper.
Flavor with rosemary, cover with a lid, and cook over low heat for 30′, gently turning the drumsticks from time to time to let them absorb the flavors but without rough handling, adding hot broth as needed to prevent the sauce from drying out too much.
Serve hot.
And there you have it… the skillet chicken drumsticks with potatoes and cherry tomatoes are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉Chicken drumsticks with potatoes and tomatoes can be perfectly stored in the fridge inside airtight containers, preferably glass, for 2-3 days.
Do not leave the dish at room temperature for more than 1-2 hours. Transfer it to the fridge as soon as it is warm and always store the chicken with its cooking sauce; the moisture from the tomato will help keep the meat from drying out during reheating.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣* Contrary to popular belief, chicken should not be washed. According to the Food Standards Agency, the UK’s food safety authority, rinsing meat before cooking does not remove bacteria but rather, quite the opposite, can increase the risk of infections.
🟣For an extra touch of freshness, add some fresh basil, torn by hand, at the end of cooking. If you like contrast, accompany the dish with a portion of fennel and ginger velouté served cold.
1. Can I prepare this dish in advance?
Yes! In fact, skillet chicken and potatoes are even better if left to rest for half an hour before serving, allowing the flavors to blend perfectly.
