Why This Recipe Works

Tender, crispy chicken and big hand-torn chunks of toasty bread are the main elements here for this laid-back sheet-pan dinner. To make sure the chicken is thoroughly flavorful, a quick sauce of warm garlic oil, vinegar and oregano is spooned over. The croutons also become saturated in the sauce, creating a double texture of crunchy and chewy. Golden raisins offer little surprise bursts of sweetness and tang, too. When you’re choosing bread for this, something hearty with an open and airy crumb works well. Try ciabatta, Pugliese, a rustic sourdough loaf or even a baguette. Enjoy the croutons however you like – with your hands, a fork, or straight from the baking sheet. A sprightly salad or roasted zucchini would round this meal out nicely.

Total Time – 40 minutes
Prep Time – 5 minutes
Cook Time – 35 minutes
Servings – 6

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2¼ pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for coating the chicken and for drizzling
• ¾ -pound loaf hearty bread (such as ciabatta, Pugliese or sourdough)
• 12 garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• ⅓ cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves or 1 tsp dried oregano
• Flaky salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. On a sheet pan, pat the chicken dry, season it all over with salt and pepper and rub with enough olive oil to coat each piece thoroughly. Arrange the pieces so they are spaced evenly in the pan with the thighs skin-side down. Roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, tear the bread into large (about 2-inch) chunks. This assures your croutons are crispy.
3. When the chicken has roasted for 15 minutes, flip the chicken pieces over (use a thin metal fish spatula to help loosen them if they stick). Mound the croutons on another sheet pan and pour three to four tablespoons of olive oil together with salt and pepper to taste. Then spread out the croutons on a baking sheet and roast in the oven with chicken. Check often. Roast until chicken is cooked through and the bread chunks are crisp and lightly golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes for the croutons and 15 to 20 minutes for chicken.
4. Meanwhile, slice the garlic thinly, then add to a small pot with ⅓ cup olive oil, the raisins and a big pinch of salt. Heat over medium-low and once the garlic starts to sizzle, turn off the heat.
5. When ready to serve, add the stock to the garlic oil, bring to a simmer and turn off the heat. Season with black pepper, then stir in the vinegar and most of the oregano leaves — the consistency will be like a vinaigrette. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and add the croutons. Sprinkle with some flaky salt and the remaining oregano leaves.