Roasted Chicken Thighs With Winter Squash Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Roasted Chicken Thighs With Winter Squash Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marinating
Rating
5(2,420)
Notes
Read community notes

Roasted chicken thighs can be the juicy, meaty center of many weeknight meals. Add delicata squash, quickly tossed in a maple syrup-butter glaze, along with slices of lemon and sage, and you have a something more unusual, an interplay of flavors that don’t generally meet on the same sheet pan. This recipe is a little too fussy to count as a fast weeknight dish, but there is nothing difficult about any of the steps. And it’s a fine introduction to delicata squash, if you haven’t cooked with them yet. Unlike many other winter squash varieties, they have a thin skin and don’t need to be peeled (just cut them in half and remove the seeds), making them as easy to prepare as they are sweet.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½lemon, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and thinly sliced crosswise into wedges
  • 4bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 and ½ pounds)
  • 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1tablespoon chopped sage
  • 1and ½ teaspoons coriander seed
  • 1and ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼cup maple syrup
  • 3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • Large pinch chile powder
  • 1delicata or acorn squash (1 and ¼ pounds), seeded and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rings
  • ¼cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light-green parts

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

489 calories; 33 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 813 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Roasted Chicken Thighs With Winter Squash Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil; drop in lemon slices and cook for two minutes. Drain well.

  2. Step

    2

    In a large bowl, toss chicken with lemon slices, 1 tablespoon oil, sage, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes.

  3. Step

    3

    Heat oven to 425 degrees.

  4. Step

    4

    In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine syrup, butter, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and chile powder. Simmer for 3 minutes. Toss mixture with squash.

  5. Step

    5

    Spread squash in a 9-by-13-inch pan or on a large rimmed baking sheet. Nestle chicken and lemon on top of squash. Roast for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, toss scallions and remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Scatter over chicken and squash; keep roasting until chicken is no longer pink, about 20 minutes more.

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2,420

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Barbara

Just as a comment, the recipe calls for chili powder, not flakes. A bit more mild...

lucysky

Why use the delicata squash in the title of the recipe, when the picture clearly shows acorn squash?

Eva Santos-Phillips

Probably one of my very favorite recipes I have tried from NYT. I love the lemon in the recipe and have used this way of preparing the lemon in other recipes. I don't like sage, so I used thyme instead. The first time I used the acorn squash and it was good, but when I used the delicata squash it was fantastic.

swp

This is a go to recipe for me - I have made it a dozen times. It is pretty and has a nice range of flavors. I cook it at lower temperature for longer and add more lemon. I also toss everything in the maple syrup mixture to save a step. It is a good company dish because it can be assembled ahead of time and is forgiving on cooking time (assuming that you have cooked the chicken through)

Maria

Really good warm fall flavors. I've only made it with delicata squash and use cookie cutters to quickly and neatly remove the seeds and membrane from the rings. Used ground coriander instead of the seed because I don't care for the bark-like texture of whole seed. Needed more like 45 minutes cooking time.

Gretchen

Delicado is so naturally sweet that you don't need to add any other sweetening to it. Just evoo and salt and pepper gives a deliciously sweet squash. Will make it without the maple syrup (which we love on pancakes or fritters!) next time. Otherwise, a very tasty dish! Too sweet as written!

Lesley

I used cumin in place of the sage and ginger instead of chili pepper in the maple sauce...both were delicious alternatives. This is simply a wonderful dish!

sissy

I made this with boneless chicken breasts and it was delicious!

J. David Nelson

Use one lemon, not one half lemon. For roasting after adding the scallions, use convection bake at 425 degrees, which gets the skin perfectly brown. My guests thought the meal was really, really good.

Robert

No lemons in the house, used a lime, went Southwest on the seasoning using a green chili spice blend and a Serrano pepper from my garden, minced. Used a little extra chili powder in the squash glaze, a little less butter. Paired this with tomatoes and cakes from my garden drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar. No scallions, but I used leeks from my garden ( did I mention I have a garden?) Definite keeper, it was a delicious meal. Thanks!

Oh, and the squash was from my garden too. Yum.

Michelle

OMG! SO good! I would give this 10 stars if I could. I did need to cook it for 45 minutes though.

Soni

On prepping the delicata squash.... I sliced then seeded each ring which was clearly a mistake! Next time would cut off one end, seed, then slice. Another simpler option would be to cut in half lengthwise, seed, then slice into half circles.

Margo Rogers

Oh my, I loved this recipe. I stumbled across it while standing in front of the squash at the store. The delicata looked so pretty and so I looked for a quick and easy recipe. It was a great "welcome home" dinner after a 24 hour trek from Chile. Easy enough to put together while being sort of brain dead and yummy enough to sooth the soul after a long trip. It was a bit mild though, if you want more oomph, add some extra chili powder. I'll make again. Bon appetit!

JM

Used dried sage and ground coriander (I don't use it often enough to have both seeds & ground on hand), which worked out fine. Have some gorgeous NM red chili powder and used a VERY generous pinch and it was divine. My husband isn't big on squash but gobbled this up. Cooked on a quarter sheet pan covered with piled heavy duty foil, so clean up was a snap, even with the reduced syrup. Definite keeper!

smv

A fall favorite recipe. I will often make the spicy maple glazed squash without the chicken when I want a quick but flavorful fall side course.

Jody

Absolutely delicious! I accidentally thawed boneless, skinless thighs instead of bone-in, and they worked fine - just kept them sort of balled up while roasting. Also added some pitted dried dates quartered lengthwise to the squash mixture, and tossed the scallions in toasted sesame oil rather than olive. Divine!!

Lola Ansel

This was a bust at our house despite liking the ingredients. Probably user error but I’ve unsaved it.

M Parlett

Marvelous! I used a Meyers lemon as that was all I had, along with fresh sage and a tiny acorn squash (no delicata to be found). Lovely, fresh, sweet and savory and zesty flavors. A definite winner for us!

Joanne P

I made this with minimal changes: sage powder instead of leaves, minced yellow onion instead of scallion as these were what I had in the house. I used delicata squash and I dont think that the flavor mixed well with the chicken and the lemon. It was a good dish but not a 5 star great dish. Don't think I will make it again as there are too many other recipes that I like better. I guess it is a matter of personal taste. MIght have been better with thyme.

nutmeg

I was really excited to try a new MC sheet pan recipe but this one fell flat for me. The lemon rind was inedibly bitter—I spit it out and figured I must have read the recipe wrong. Did I? My sage didn’t come through at all. And most disappointing, the squash (acorn) didn’t have much of any flavor at all. On to the next!

Judy

This recipe is amazing! I made it once with delicata squash and last night I only had a sweet potato so I used that. My favorite part of this recipe is how lemon gets caramelized!

JaneS

I purchased cut-up butternut squash and tossed it with half of the sauce ingredients. Also used skinless boneless chicken thighs. Delicious. (Great idea to make squash as a side dish.)

Jane

Followed the recipe precisely except used boneless, skinless thighs which I had on hand. It was delicious and will make it again soon! Next time will try with half the butter and use a TBS of EVOO, reduce syrup to 3 TBS and kick up the chili powder to 1/4 tsp. Love the coriander seeds and fresh sage. Fabulous!

Aaron

Recommend peeling the squash. Besides that it was a tasty fall dish.

Delicious

Delicious! I would make more of the syrup sauce to add to the chicken as well if I made it again

Ben

This tastes like fall on a plate. It would be amazing with turkey. Surprisingly, out of all of the interesting ingredients, it is the coriander seed that rises to prominence.I made this with kabocha squash and (cringes) pancake syrup since I didn't have real maple. It still tasted great. I don't think you could go wrong being heavy handed on the sage and green onion.

Rebecca

This was pretty good, I only had boneless thighs and I think it would have been much better with bone-in, skin on thighs. Used butternut squash and it was delicious. Highly recommend tasting the heavenly maple syrup mixture after pouring on - I cleaned out the whole pot with my finger!

Ossie

Unfortunately, had to skip the lemon because my household doesn't like any kind of lemony chicken.Used fresh hyssop instead of sage, which blended beautifully with the coriander.Only squash I had was butternut.And spulged on whiskey barrel aged maple syrup.Absolutely no leftovers.

Peter

Second time- Michael didn’t love it. Chicken could have been more browned etc. Not a keeper

JC

Excellent - I used delicata squash and a tsp of Aleppo Chile flakes and chipotle chili powder - this will be on our regular rotation! Yum!! Thank you Melissa for another superb recipe!

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Roasted Chicken Thighs With Winter Squash Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What temperature should chicken thighs be cooked at? ›

You'll know the chicken thighs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. For the most accurate temperature reading, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, taking care to avoid touching the bone for bone-in chicken thighs (this leads to an inaccurate reading).

Is it better to bake chicken thighs at 350 or 400? ›

Chicken thighs can be baked anywhere between 350 and 425 degrees, but at 400 or 425 degrees, they have enough time to get super tender while still having the heat they need to crisp up the skin. Should you cover chicken thighs in the oven? For baking, it is not necessary to cover chicken thighs.

Is it better to cover chicken thighs when baking? ›

The best oven baked chicken thighs start with seasoning! A blend of garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt and fresh cracked pepper brightens up plain old chicken thighs and adds wow-worthy flavor. But I know you are wondering– should you cover chicken thighs when they are baking? The simple answer is, no.

How long should you cook chicken thighs at 400 degrees? ›

Pop the baking dish into a preheated, 400 degree oven then bake for 30-40 minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken thigh reaches an internal temperature of 180-190 degrees.

Do you need to flip chicken thighs when baking? ›

Bake in the preheated oven (uncovered), without moving or turning, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken (not touching the bone) reaches at least 165° F. This will take about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken thighs.

Do chicken thighs get more tender the longer you cook them? ›

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That's because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender.

Can you overcook chicken thighs in the oven? ›

In fact, the more you cook chicken thighs (up to a point), the better they get because that connective tissue dissolves, leaving behind fork-tender meat. So if you've got a batch of chicken thighs for dinner, it's not only okay to overcook them, it's encouraged.

Should chicken thighs be room temperature before baking? ›

To bake juicy chicken thighs in the oven that have crispy skin you first need to let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cold chicken in a hot oven will cook unevenly and the meat will be tough. To help the skin get crispy, pat the moisture off the skin with paper towels.

Is it better to roast chicken at 350 or 400? ›

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Is it better to bake chicken in glass or metal? ›

So we asked a few of the best bakers in the biz what they prefer. And almost unanimously they said metal. It's lightweight, easy to maintain, and inexpensive, and it provides a more consistent and even bake.

Why do chefs prefer chicken thighs? ›

While the breast is very low in fat, chicken thighs are higher in fat, and in cooking, fat equals flavor. It also means the thighs are more tender and less likely to dry out than chicken breasts—in other words, they are very easy to cook and very difficult to ruin.

At what temp are chicken thighs most tender? ›

While leg and thigh meat are still safe at 165 degrees F, it is recommended to cook your chicken until the internal temperature reaches about 170-175 degrees F. Chicken legs consist of actively worked muscles and the meat is tougher because of it. The higher temperature helps break down muscles.

What is the best internal temp for baked chicken thighs? ›

For the ultimate juicy and tender chicken thigh experience, aim for an internal temp between 175 and 185 F. Any temperature higher than that can dry out or burn your meat, but the perfect 175° to 185° range will get you well above the minimum safe temperature and maximize the poultry's flavor potential.

Is 30 minutes long enough to cook chicken thighs? ›

Easy baked chicken thighs use a few basic seasonings and are ready in just 30 minutes for a delicious main course that's so juicy and flavorful!

Can you eat chicken thighs at 145? ›

Chicken thighs need to have an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees to make sure that all the bacteria have been destroyed and it is safe to consume the meat. You can check this with an instant-read thermometer.

Are chicken thighs done at 165? ›

Chicken thighs are a little more tricky to prepare than chicken breasts, but with a few simple tips on chicken thigh internal temps, it can become one of your favorite meats to cook. Per the USDA, any poultry should have a minimum internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit to be safe for consumption.

How to tell if chicken thighs are done? ›

Poke the Meat

For properly cooked chicken, if you cut into it and the juices run clear, then the chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are red or have a pinkish color, your chicken may need to be cooked a bit longer.

Are chicken thighs safe at 155? ›

The USDA publishes critical food safety temperatures for all foods, including chicken, that reflect the heat needed to kill the bacteria commonly associated with those foods. And most people know that the recommended safe internal temp for chicken is 165°F (74°C).

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