Chicken Drumsticks With Tomatoes and Peppers

Crisp and golden chicken drumsticks are baked in a delicious sauce made with fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and bell peppers. The sauce is absolutely out of this word and just perfect to serve over pasta or rice. 

There’s something really iconic about a chicken dinner. Chicken is usually liked by everyone, even picky eaters, so it’s perfect when you want to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.

I created this chicken drumsticks with tomatoes and peppers meal because I’m always looking for new ways to use chicken drumsticks. I also love when you can cook the meat and vegetables all at once. All you need is to make a quick pot of pasta, rice or mashed potatoes and you’re all set. Of course, this is also perfect if you’re having guests in your home too. With some rolls and a salad, you’ve got yourself a restaurant-worthy meal.

The sauce that you get from the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic is phenomenal. The fresh tomatoes make a sauce that is so much smoother and less acidic than canned tomatoes. Of course, you can also use canned tomatoes if you don’t have fresh tomatoes available, and I explained how to make the adjustments in the recipe instructions. The sauce is fresh and bright and still has some texture from the peppers and onions. The chicken gets really soft and tender as it braises in the sauce and picks up all the flavors from the vegetables.

Ingredients:

8 chicken drumsticks (you can also use chicken thighs, chicken wings or chicken breast)

1-2 Tablespoons oil (olive, grape seed, avocado, etc.)

salt, ground black pepper, to taste

1 large onion, sliced

4-6 garlic cloves, minced or sliced

2-3 sweet bell peppers, julienned

2 1/2 lbs of fresh tomatoes, peeled and crushed (about 4 cups total when crushed), or crushed canned tomatoes

1 Tablespoon dry herb seasoning (a chicken seasoning mix, dry thyme, parsley, basil, oregano, etc.)

1 Tablespoon fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil

Instructions:

Preparing the Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and ground black pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a skillet over high heat and brown the chicken until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes, then flip the chicken over and cook until golden brown on the other side as well, about 3-5 minutes.

Set the chicken aside. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point but will continue cooking in the oven.

Preparing the Tomato and Pepper Sauce:

While the chicken is cooking, prep the tomatoes if you haven’t done so already.

To peel tomatoes, cut a small, shallow X on the stem and bottom of each tomato. How to Peel the Tomatoes:

Place all the tomatoes in a large bowl and pour boiling water over the tomatoes and let them stand for about 1 minute.

Then pour the boiling water off and place the tomatoes in a bowl filled with ice water.  Another way I do it is to boil a large pot of water and drop a few of the tomatoes into the boiling water at a time for about 30 seconds, scooping out the tomatoes and placing them into a bowl filled with ice water. The peel comes right off.

Cut out the stem from each tomato. Place the tomatoes into the food processor or blender and crush them until the tomatoes are as smooth or as chunky as you like.

You can also use crushed canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes. Use a little bit less of the crushed tomatoes and add some water to dilute the tomatoes. Their flavor will be more concentrated, so I would also recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar.

In the same skillet that you used to cook the skillet, add more oil if you need to and add the onion, seasoning with salt to taste. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release all the browned bits from the chicken for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and peppers, seasoning with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Cook on medium heat until the peppers have softened as well, 3-5 minutes.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, seasoning once again with salt and ground black pepper, as well as any dry herbs that you like, a chicken seasoning mix, thyme, parsley, basil, oregano, etc.

Bring the tomatoes to a boil, reduce them to a simmer and cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

Baking the Chicken in the Tomato Pepper Sauce:

Pour the sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Nestle the browned chicken drumsticks on top of the sauce.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes.

Garnish with fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil.

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