Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Add the olive oil to your wide shallow pot over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs in a single layer, skin-side down along with the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Allow to cook on a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until golden. Don’t be tempted to move the chicken around. As the skin begins to turn brown and caramelize, it will naturally release itself from the base of the pot.

Once the skin side has browned, flip the pieces over and cook the other side for a couple of minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate, keeping as much of the oil in the pot as possible. Transfer the garlic cloves to another plate.

Add the onion to the pot and cook for 7-10 minutes over a medium heat until soft. Add wine, increase the heat and boil to reduce by about half. Now add the halved tomatoes. At this point, using your fingers, squish out the cooked garlic cloves from their skins and allow them to pop into the pot. The garlic should be soft do will break down in the sauce as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper and allow the tomatoes to cook for 15 minutes over a medium heat until they have started to turn pulpy ad have reduce in volume a little.

Add the chicken pieces, skin-side up, to the tomatoes, pushing them down into the sauce. Cook on a medium heat for another 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has become rich, thick and fruity. Give the pot the occasional shake and scrape the bottom from time to time to make sure nothing is sticking.

Serve sprinkled with basil leaves