Rinse the chicken legs and pat them dry. Season liberally on all sides with salt. Heat the olive oil in large, heavy sauté pan with high sides over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken legs on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken legs to a plate and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until you can smell the garlic, about a minute. (Do not allow the garlic to burn.) Add the rosé and turn the heat up so that it simmers. Reduce the wine by about half, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as they loosen. Stir in the chopped tomato, the thyme and the chili flakes and cook for another few minutes, until the tomato starts to release its juices.
Return the chicken legs to the pan (skin side up) and add the grape tomatoes, tucking them around the chicken legs. Grind some black pepper over all. Partially cover the pan and turn down the heat so that the sauce is simmering gently. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken legs are tender, and the meat has started to pull away from the bone.
If the sauce is thin, transfer the chicken legs to a clean plate and turn up the heat for a few minutes so that the sauce boils and thickens a bit. Don't let it cook down too much, as you'll want plenty to pour over the rice or mashed potatoes that you'll be serving!
Return the chicken to the sauce and heat through before serving with rice, mashed potatoes or crusty bread.
I've used white successfully! In my experience this is a very forgiving recipe, you could probably also use a light red if you don't mind ending up with purple chicken.
I had the half bottle of rose, but only boneless chicken breasts and golden cherry tomatoes. I cooked the sauce a bit first to reduce, then returned the chicken to the pan to cook for another 15 or so minutes. While probably not as flavorful as bone-in thighs, the dish was still delicious--and great for a quick weeknight dinner!
I made this last night and served it over couscous--it was a huge hit! I am a spice-fiend, so I added a whole teaspoon of the chili flakes and found it was the perfect level of heat for me. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this for a dinner on Saturday and it was a huge success! The tomatoes and sauce really stole the show and while I don't often cook whole chicken legs, they were the perfect protein pairing with the other flavors. Leaving them to simmer for 30-40 minutes meant that I could enjoy wine and cheese with our guest and not be stuck in the kitchen with any last minute cooking. I served the chicken with an easy pearl couscous salad with pesto, snap peas, and fresh basil, which was a great flavor and color contrast.
Looks delicious and I have hundres of tomatoes, but the store sells the leg quarters by the 10#s and I am the only one that likes dark meat so I'm going to make the recipe using a whole cut up chicken
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