Smothered Chicken with Bacon and Burst Cherry Tomatoes

I'm really excited about this post because it is my first post for the newly launched Food of the Month Club hosted by La Cocina de Leslie.

The food for January is tomatoes, which are a little bit hard to find here this time of year, at least good ones. My Mom used yellow cherry tomatoes on her vegetable trays for Christmas and they were really good.  After Christmas I was so happy to see two pound boxes of them on sale at the back of the grocery store for only $2.50.  Unbelievable!  Wade and I enjoyed the first pound of tomatoes sliced in half and tossed with some fresh onions, herbs, garlic, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.  Yum!  I used the remaining tomatoes in this recipe.  They worked well cooked as they were becoming a bit soft, but they still had a wonderful, vibrant flavor that is so welcome in the cold winter months.

•4 slices bacon, chopped
•4 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 large onion, sliced into rings
•1/2 cup sweet or hot peppers, sliced into rings (or one bell pepper, sliced)
• 1 Tablespoon Creole style spice blend
•4 chicken drumsticks, or thighs
•1 cup chicken stock
•1 pint cherry tomatoes, left whole

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook for a minute or two to render some of the fat.  Add the garlic, onion, and peppers.  Cook until the onions are slightly browned and the vegetables have become tender.

Add the creole seasoning and the chicken.  Stir for a few minutes to cook the spices slightly.  Add the chicken stock.  Cover.

Simmer over medium low heat for about 20-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear.  Add the cherry tomatoes five minutes before serving and cook until they burst and are heated through.  Serve.

Wade made scalloped potatoes and dijon green beans to go with the chicken.  He added some Worcestershire sauce and a few tablespoons of whiskey to the cheese sauce and it turned out really, really tasty.