Place the oven rack into the middle position and preheat the oven to 400F (205C). You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Drizzle a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) on the baking sheet. Place the cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic, and fresh thyme on the sheet.

Trim the chicken quarters of excess fat and pat them dry with a paper towel. Generously season them with salt and pepper on both sides, and place them in the baking tray, on top and around the tomatoes, skin-side up.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the chicken quarters.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven or until the internal temperature has reached 175F (80 C).

Halfway through cooking, I like to baste the chicken quarters with some of the juices in the pan. If you don't have a baster, remove the pan from the oven, use kitchen tongs to flip the quarters over a couple of times to coat them with the drippings, and return the pan to the oven with the chicken skin-side-up.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes while you gather your sides.

Plate the leg quarters and spoon the roasted tomatoes and garlic pieces from the pan over the chicken.