Wednesday 1 January 2014

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.

46 comments:

  1. Hi Phong Hong,
    This is indeed a must try recipe - Easy, healthy,simple and yummy!! My two thumbs up to this irresistible dish! Here's wishing you and your family all the best and Happy New Year 2014!

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    1. Thank you, Ivy! I love this chicken dish a lot. Happy New Year to you and family too!

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  2. I like the word "crispy'; it makes me weak! Love the colours you've put all together, Phong Hong. Dropping by to wish you a Happy 2014! xoxo

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    1. Hi Shirley! The skin is really crispy and the flavors are good. Thank you for your wishes and Happy New Year to you too!

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  3. Delicious baked chicken! Must be extremely aromatic and yummy with the basil! I'm baking one too tonight! We both sure love baked chicken, don't we? haha!
    Happy New Year, Phong Hong! Wish you good health and all the best in 2014!

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    1. Hi Joyce! Oh, I love this simple dish and yeah, we love our chicken! Happy New Year, Joyce and wishing you good health and all the best too!

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  4. Happy New Year PH. This dish looks very healthy & delish.

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    1. Hi Cecilia! Yes, this dish is delish and a healthy one too. Happy New Year!

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  5. Hello PH dear...Selamat Tahun Baru 2014 buat PH dan keluarga...moga segalanya akan berjalan dgn lancar, sehat, gembira dan berjaya dalam setiap usaha....

    akak takder azam apa2, tahun lepas punya masih ada yg tak tertunai lagi tapi bila masuk sini macam kena buat azam sekali lagi...azam nak masak ayam camni...ayam bakar mmg simple tp lazat kan PH? cuma...masa akak jer yg macam tak cukup nak dibagi2...dpt buat ni terlepas yg itu and vice versa...tp asalkan sehat dah la kan? hidup ni tak boleh byk sgt komplen kan?

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    1. Hi Kak Q! Selamat Tahun Baru! Terima kasih, harap-harap 2014 tahun yang baik hee..hee...Betul tu, Kak Q. Tak boleh komplen-komplen. Kalau ada masa, Kak Q cuba ayam ni sebab tersangat mudah dan juga sedap :)

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  6. Happy new year, Phong Hong! I like this dish here becoz got my fav chicken. If the top of the chicken get burn away too early, can consider of roughly cover with aluminium foil, leaving enough gap to let the hot air in to continue cooking but your chicken looks fantastic & there is nothing to worry about.

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    1. Hi Jessie! Happy New Year! The chicken skin turned out nice and crispy. Only the veggies got a bit burnt. But I like the taste of the burnt vege hee..hee...

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  7. Happy New Year Phong Hong your chicken dish looks yum I always like to eat chicken the smell must be nice when cook with basil well must give it a try one of these days

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    1. Happy New Year, EE! Do try this very simple dish. Very good for days when feeling lazy :)

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  8. Looks really good. I prefer chicken baked - healthier too. Wish my missus would not remove all the skin though. Sobsssss!!!!!

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    1. So sad! I must have the skin on or else it does not taste as good :)

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  9. Happy New Year to you Phong Hong. I guess any chicken dishes especially baked version is almost everyone favourite. This selection dish is a good start to kick off the new year!

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    1. Happy New Year, Mel! Yes, baked is delicious and healthy. Must eat better this year :)

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  10. Hi Phong Hong, this chicken dish look extremely good and sure need to sapu 2 plates of rice. LOL
    Love the basil leaves, I can practically smell the fragrant scent from here.

    Happy New Year to you and family. Wishing you all the best in 2014.
    Regards.

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    1. Happy New Year, Amelia! I wish that I could sapu this with rice. But CNY is coming, I must slim down lah :(

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  11. This looks amazing...I am always looking for different ways to make chicken. Certainly a lot of flavor going on here. I do the same thing bookmarking for the longest time, so worth it when you finally get to it! Wishing you a Happy New Year!

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    1. Happy New Year, Lyndsey! Do give this chicken dish a try as it is ridiculously simple and yet it tastes so good!

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  12. Wow love your chicken dish... so flavourful. Happy New Year!

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  13. Hehehe today baru had Roast Chicken...the "boss" cooked

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  14. Happy New Year! Wow, such a simple recipe yet the results look amazing!

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    1. Happy New Year! Must try more new stuff this year :)

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  15. Happy New Year to you, PH. This chicken dish looks simple enough to prepare and it does looks good!

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    1. Happy New Year, Cheah! This is a stress-free dish if you are entertaining.

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  16. Baked chicken is my favorite thing ever. Happy New Year!!

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    1. Happy New Year, Cathleen! Anything chicken I love :)

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  17. Happy New Year 2014 :)

    Ahhh, good to see an update from you again. Baked/roasted chicken can never go wrong, nomatter what you put inside, and nomatter what marinade you use.. Your chicken looks so juicy and yummy, I wouldn't mind the burnt chillies. Most important is that the chicken is soft, moist and juicy.

    The beautiful thing is, the chicken won't burn in the oven nomatter how long you put it inside. I tested this myself, and it's true. Only the surface or the sides ingredients (if you chuck in root vegetables or onions or garlic) will burn a little..

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    1. Happy New Year, Louiz! Eh, I tried one of your roast chicken yesterday and it was really good. Will post it one of these days :)

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  18. Happy New Year! For us it was also just another holiday that we spent at home:)
    the chicken looks good !

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    1. Happy New Year, Ola! I love my chicken hah! hah!

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  19. For Christmas nowadays, I am always looking for easy recipes to do as I want to enjoy Christmas with my family too and not spend all day in the kitchen. Hehe!

    Wishing you a fantastic 2014, Phong Hong!

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    1. Thanks, Yen! May you and your family have a joyful and blessed 2014!

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  20. This sounds like my kind of dish, easy to prepare and delicious with little utensils to wash! :D Happy New Year !

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    1. Happy New Year, Jeannie! Yes, my kind of lazy, lazy dish!

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  21. you are my favourite roast chicken queen!...looks wonderful and yet simple, no basting needed..wow, can just take a nap while it's cooking...haha..

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    1. Hah! Hah! Lena, I didn't think of the napping part. Good idea!

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  22. sound very flavourful! Happy New Year by the way..

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