This Chicken And Butternut Squash Bake is a quick and delicious dinner recipe for busy weeknights. It's easy to make, delicious and full of cozy autumn flavors.
Easy Chicken And Butternut Squash Bake
When you pick up beautiful ripe Butternut Squash at the grocery store and you've already tried Butternut Squash Soup and Squash Arugula Salad, the next thing in line is a Butternut Squash Bake.
Throw in some chicken along with sweet shallots and optional bacon (why not) and your dish is destined for success.
Because on busy weeknights and after a long day at work, you want your dinner to be delicious and comforting. That's what we're going to achieve with this easy chicken and butternut squash bake.
Three things that make this Chicken And Squash bake a success
- Maple-Balsamic caramelised Butternut squash
- Chicken thighs with crispy skin
- Sweet shallots
The optional step in this recipe is to fry some bacon for an additional crispy and smoky bite. But even without bacon, this dish is delicious and perfect for cozy family dinner.
And if you buy already chopped Butternut Squash, your dish will come together even faster.
How does Butternut Squash taste like?
Butternut Squash is a winter squash with a dense fleshy pulp. It's very similar to pumpkin and sweet potatoes and has a sweet and nutty taste.
What can I replace Butternut Squash with?
You can also make this recipe with Pumpkin or Acorn Squash instead of Butternut Squash. They have the same texture, taste and cooking time. Just cut your vegetables the same way as you would cut butternut squash and cook according to the instructions.
Also try these Baked Chicken Recipes for busy weeknights
- Chicken, Brie And Potato Bake
- Spanish Chicken And Rice
- Baked Chicken And Orzo Risotto
- Greek Oregano Chicken
Chicken And Butternut Squash Bake
Ingredients
- 1 about 1 ¼ lb butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 4 slices bacon (optional) cut into ½ -inch thick pieces
- 3 shallots peeled and quartered
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Precook chicken
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and over a medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place it skin side down in a skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes until skin turns light brown, then flip and cook for another minute. Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate and remove skillet from the heat.
Arrange squash and chicken in a baking pan
- In a large 13 x 9 inches baking pan arrange cubed butternut squash. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of thyme, ½ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of pepper. Mix everything together. Top butternut squash with seared chicken and shallot wedges.
Make Maple-Balsamic vinaigrette
- In a small bowl whisk together 2 tbsp of Maple syrup and 2 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar.
Roast
- Roast butternut squash and chicken for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush chicken with Maple-Balsamic vinaigrette and drizzle the remaining of it over the vegetables. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until squash is tender and chicken is cooked (meat thermometer reads 165 F)
Optional - fry bacon
- In a medium skillet and over medium heat add bacon and fry until fat is released and bacon is crispy.
- Finish the dish
- Remove chicken and butternut squash bake from the oven, sprinkle with crispy bacon and serve immediately.
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