Sara Moulton's Baked Chicken Thighs with Pancetta, Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin side-down, and cook them until the skin is golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Turn and cook another 4 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet, add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is golden, 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and return the chicken, skin-side up, along with any juices from the plate, to the pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes, and sprinkle the mixture along with the olives over the chicken, distributing them evenly around the chicken. Tuck the cherry tomatoes between the chicken pieces, pour the wine over the chicken, and bake on the middle shelf of the oven until the chicken is just cooked through (160°F), about 20 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven carefully (the handle will be very hot) and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon some of the tomato-olive mixture and juices from the skillet over each portion.

*Buy Your Olives with Pits
Pitted olives lose flavor and texture much faster than olives with their pits, so try to buy olives with pits and remove them yourself.  It’s very easy: Simply lay the olives on their side, smash them lightly with the dull side of your knife, and the pit will come charging out (or at least be loosened enough you can pull it out easily).