Best Baked Chicken and Squash

Name: Best Baked Chicken and Squash
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 4 Teaspoon salt ((divided)); 1 Teaspoon sugar; 1 small delicata squash, seeded & cut into 1/4" slices ((or ~11 oz)); 8 ounce brussels sprouts, halved or quartered; 1/4 red onion, sliced; 2 Tablespoon olive oil; 2-3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; 2-3 rosemary or thyme sprigs

Published: Nov 23, 2020 · Modified: Nov 3, 2021 by Julie Park · This post may contain affiliate links

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If you're in the mood for chicken and seasonal veggies, our Baked Chicken and Squash recipe won't disappoint! This ONE PAN dish is simple, quick and full of our favorite fall veggies and flavors.

chicken, squash and brussels sprouts dish

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👍Why We Love this Dish
🛒Ingredients
🔪Equipment
👩‍🍳How to Make Baked Chicken and Squash
⏰Time Saving Tips & Tricks
❓FAQ
🧂Customize Baked Chicken & Squash
🧶Craft For This Recipe
🍽More One Pan Meals
Best Baked Chicken and Squash

Note: If you love squash, be sure to check out this delicious and simple Vitamix Butternut Squash Soup!

👍Why We Love this Dish

One Pan! To make this dish you simply need to season and prep your chicken and chopped veggies and then toss them together in a sheet pan and bake. Note: If you love sheet pan meals, check our our Baked Italian Sausage with Veggies.

Quick! A delicious, healthy dinner in UNDER 30 minutes!

Packed with veggies! The combination of squash and brussel sprouts is amazing, and the roasted squash imparts so much flavor.

Healthy and Delicious. Our Baked Chicken and Squash recipe is equally hearty and belly-warming, but much cleaner. The ingredients are simple, there are no gravies or heavy sauces, and the chicken is baked.

veggie for baked chicken and squash recipe

🛒Ingredients

Notes on ingredients (full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card:)

Chicken thighs- use kitchen shears to clip off the excess fat
Delicata squash- on the smaller size
Brussel Sprouts- halved or quartered depending on size
Herbs-Rosemary OR Thyme sprigs add a wonderful flavor
Oil- we are big fans of Carapelli Olive Oil
Lemon- See our tips on how to juice a lemon without a juicer

🔪Equipment

2 medium-large mixing bowls
l rimmed/lipped baking sheet or shallow pan
Meat thermometer

👩‍🍳How to Make Baked Chicken and Squash

Step 1: Heat oven and season chicken.

Salting chicken thighs in green bowl for chicken and squash recipe

🥄 Kids Step: Measure salt and sugar! Cooking is a great chance to teach kids about measurements.

Step 2: Prep veggies.

scooping seeds and guts out of delicata squash in order to bake

🥄 Kids Step: Your kids can rinse and dry the veggies while you prep the chicken. All they need is a colander (like the one in this Joseph Joseph Nesting Set), stool and towel. Then, your kids can help cut veggies. These are great knives for the task: Curious Chef Kids Knife and Opinel Le Petite Chef Knife (my kids' fave!). Note: We recommend that an adult cuts the squash. But your little can definitely get nice and messy scooping out the seeds!

Step 3: Combine all, top with lemon juice and herbs, and bake!

🥄 Kids Step: Add rosemary. If you have a garden with rosemary, have your child snip some rosemary. We love these Kuhn Rikon Kids Snippers.

chicken and squash with veggies in casserole dish

⏰Time Saving Tips & Tricks

Choose chicken thighs. Because we were tailoring our baked chicken and squash recipe to a 28 minute timeline, we selected a cut that cooks fast. Note that if you are working with a bone-in cut or something thicker than thighs, like a chicken breast, you'll need a longer cook-time.
Heat oven right away. It's really important to heat your oven right away because we allot only 8 mins for prep and 20 mins for baking.
Enlist little helpers. Also, because of the short time allotted, it's important to cut the veggies quickly. I got my daughter to rinse and pat dry the veggies. Then she cut the Brussels sprouts while I cut the squash and onion. This task allocation did save a little time, although the Brussels sprouts ended up very interestingly shaped. Lol!
Use jarred garlic instead of fresh and refrigerated lemon juice instead of juicing a lemon. Buy a bag of pre-rinsed Brussels sprouts.

❓FAQ

Is delicata squash healthy?

Yes, delicata squash contains important vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A and C, and its known for being rich in antioxidants.

Can you eat the skin of delicata squash?

Yes, you an eat the skin of a delicata squash so there is no need to peel it off before chopping.

What is the best way to cut delicata squash?

To prep the squash we (1) cut the squash length-wise, (2) ran a spoon along the middle of each section to scoop out all the seeds and gunk, and (3) sliced squash (skin facing up).

When are chicken thighs done baking?

Four boneless chicken thighs can be fully baked at 450 degrees in 20 minutes. All chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees [check with this great ThermoPro Waterproof Meat Thermometer].

A little tip: If your meat is anywhere between 155 and 165 degrees, you can take it out of the oven. The chicken will continue to cook a bit once out of the oven, and this will help to prevent your chicken from ending up too dry. Just make sure to do a final temp check with a meat thermometer, and it must read at least 165 degrees.

🧂Customize Baked Chicken & Squash

🍅 Use different veggies. While we loved the flavor and texture of delicata squash, feel free to roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower or broccoli instead. Just try not to double up on flavor, i.e. potatoes + squash would be too starchy. Or try not to double up on the same nutrients. For instance, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are both cruciferous veggies, high in vitamin C and fiber. So, maybe just roast one of those. Just try to mix it up.

🍅 Decrease the salt. I think this baked chicken and squash recipe is great as is, but if you're looking to minimize your salt intake, cut a teaspoon out of the veggie prep and add in another seasoning, if you like.

🍅Add a side! I don't know why chicken and rice is such a surefire combo for kids. If you're not sure how the kids will take to squash and Brussels sprouts, maybe make some quick rice and frozen peas as a back up. This dish also pairs well with our One Pot Lemon Garlic Pasta dish!

baked chicken and squash on baking sheet

🧶Craft For This Recipe

While the grown-ups cook, kids can make The Most Adorable DIY Napkin Rings! Easy to make, using your old toilet paper rolls. Let kids decorate the holiday table with this festive and sweet craft!