Chicken on a baking tray with melted tomatoes and pancetta

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg chicken thighs, boned, or 600 – 700 g chicken breast, cut into 2 cm cubes
• ½ tsp salt
• 9 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp, heaped paprika powder, sweet
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 1 tsp brown sugar, optional
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 400 g cherry tomatoes, halved, various colors
• 80 g pancetta or bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 handful of fresh dill, parsley or other herbs
• Pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

Crush the garlic cloves with the blade of a knife and peel them. Finely dice one of the nine cloves. Mix the diced pieces together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, oregano, and cumin. If the cherry tomatoes don’t have a summery sweetness, add the brown sugar and mix. Salt the chicken pieces and place them in the spicy marinade, ensuring all pieces are well contacted with the marinade. Marinate for one hour (or considerably longer). Turn over if necessary. Preheat oven to 220°C (top/bottom heat). Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking sheet (if desired, place a sheet of baking paper on the sheet). Arrange the tomato halves and garlic cloves among the chicken pieces. Lightly salt the tomatoes again and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spread the pancetta over the tomatoes. Place everything in the oven on the middle rack and roast until the chicken pieces are golden brown. This takes 30-45 minutes, depending on the oven. After 15 minutes, stir the tomato halves with the garlic and pancetta, leaving the chicken pieces in place. Place the chicken pieces on a serving platter. Stir the tomatoes and pancetta again in the baking tray, scraping up any toasted bits and allowing them to be absorbed into the tomato, garlic, and pancetta mixture. This enhances the already delicious flavor. Add herbs and black pepper, and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice (to taste). Carefully spoon everything onto the chicken pieces and serve. Even reheated, it’s a flavor bomb!