A meaty masterpiece with a side of squash
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.
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Winter Squash
Ingredients:
• 1/2 lemon, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and thinly sliced crosswise into wedges
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 and 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage
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• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons coriander seed
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• Large pinch chile powder
• 1 delicata or acorn squash (1 1/4 pounds), seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light-green parts
Directions:
Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil; drop in lemon slices and cook for two minutes. Drain well.
In a large bowl, toss chicken with lemon slices, 1 tablespoon oil, sage, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine syrup, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and chile powder.
Simmer for 3 minutes. Toss mixture with squash.
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.
Total time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marinating, serves 4.
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