Golden pan drippings star in this simple dish of roasted chicken thighs, seasoning a juicy tomato and red onion salad with their caramelized, salty flavors. There’s minimal prep involved, just the slicing of an onion and halving of some cherry tomatoes, which can be done as the chicken roasts. Red-pepper flakes and lemon zest add bright, fiery notes, and fresh basil or mint sprinkled on at the end give this verdant freshness. Be sure to serve the chicken with crusty bread to catch all the sweet, earthy juices.

Skillet Chicken Thighs With Schmaltzy Tomatoes
Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (or cumin or coriander seeds)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
• 2 to 2 1/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil or mint leaves

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place the fennel seeds in a mortar and pound lightly with a pestle until the seeds are broken up (you don’t have to grind them to a powder). Alternatively, lay the seeds on a cutting board and use the flat side of a knife to crush them, pressing on the knife with your hand.

Combine the crushed seeds with lemon zest and salt, mixing well. Rub the chicken all over and underneath the skin with the salt mixture.

Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Once hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and let it cook until the fat renders and the skin turns dark golden brown, 6 to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and put the skillet in the oven. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, in a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, pinch of salt and red-pepper flakes, tossing to combine.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place the thighs on a platter. Carefully pour all (or just some) of the chicken fat from the skillet into the tomato mixture. Stir to combine and season with more salt, if needed. Pour tomatoes over the chicken on the platter, drizzle with olive oil, and top with fresh basil or mint, and more red-pepper flakes to serve.

Total time: 45 minutes, serves 4 to 6.

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