by: Holly Erickson
Cook Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
6 servings
Total Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
6 servings
summary
A cozy sheet pan dinner with all of our favorite fall flavors! Inspired by a squash salad recipe on our website, we turned it into a one-pan meal. The colorful ingredients pop against the blue sheet pan.
ingredients
- Chicken and Acorn Squash
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 4 pounds
- 1 small acorn squash, about 1½ pounds, sliced into ⅓-inch thick half circles
- Creamy Goat Cheese Dressing
- 4 ounces goat cheese, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup whole milk
- For Serving
- 4 cups arugula
- â…“ cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Minced flat leaf parsley (optional)
directions
- Make the chicken and squash. In a large bowl or zip-top bag, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, maple syrup, minced garlic, paprika and cayenne. Add the chicken and the squash and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or seal the bag and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the center position.
- Place the squash and chicken, skin side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with any additional marinade from the bowl. Sprinkle the chicken and squash with remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
- Roast until the squash is tender and the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30–35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a food processor, add the goat cheese, olive oil, vinegar, salt, maple syrup, pepper and milk and blend until smooth.
- Arrange the arugula on a serving platter, and top with the chicken and squash. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries, pepitas, additional crumbled goat cheese, black pepper and parsley.
- Serve family style.
notes
Start with a sharp knife. To stabilize the squash, slice off ¼ inch from the stem end and base. Place the flat end on the cutting board and slice down the middle. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. The beautiful thing about acorn squash is that the peel is edible—and provides great texture to the dish! Place the squash halves cut-side down on the cutting board and slice into ¾-inch thick half circles.
You can swap out boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This dish makes a wonderful true salad, if you chop up the chicken and toss it all together. Double the dressing and keep some on hand all week. We love to serve this dish family style!
