Imagine an easy one‑pan chicken dinner where the prep is minimal and the payoff is huge. As the chicken roasts, cubes of baguette tucked underneath turn into deeply toasted croutons, crisp, golden, and perfect for soaking up the pan juices. Toss in ripe tomatoes and cool, crunchy cucumbers dressed in a simple vinaigrette, and you’ve got a bright, fresh Panzanella that comes together with almost no effort. It’s simple, vibrant, and built for days when you want big flavour without a lot of work.
Tip : I have also used 'Zesty Italian' salad dressing for a fast easy solution. If you have found one that you have tried and like, feel free to substitute for the dressing in the recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 1/2 stick day old baguette cut into 1" slices and then cut into 4
- 2 tomatoes vine ripened quartered
- 1 small cucumber or half of an English cucumber
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 5-6 leaves basil/ rolled up and sliced thinly
- Vinaigrette
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
- Pre heat oven to 400°F.
- Mix 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Stir and set aside until ready to use.
- Place chicken, skin side down, on a sheet pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil.
- Season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Cube bread, tomatoes and peel and cube cucumber.
- Place chicken in a pre-heated 400°F oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add the croutons from 1/2 stick day old baguette and nestle in between the chicken pieces. Turn the chicken so that it is skin side up. Bake until the bread cubes are toasted and brown, about 15 minutes. . Remove bread from the sheet and add to a deep salad bowl. Continue to bake chicken until the chicken is nicely golden and crispy, about 10 more minutes.
- Add about 1/3 of the vinaigrette to the toasted croutons and toss to combine.
- Add cubed tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and basil and gently toss. Drizzle more vinaigrette on the vegetables.
- Mound the salad in the middle of a serving plate and top with the roasted chicken.
