Maple-Roasted Sheet Pan Chicken with Caramelized Acorn Squash + Fennel
I saw Coldplay this past weekend and it was such an incredible show! I love them so much. It was my third time seeing them live and they only seem to get better. It was at CenturyLink Field where the Seahawks play so it was a great venue too. I hate being in stuffy arenas so it was nice to be in the fresh open air. The first time I saw them was at the Gorge and that will probably be hands-down the best concert I'll ever go to cause I mean, you can't top that view.
The only downside to the concert was there were 4 drunk loudmouths sitting behind us talk-yelling throughout the whole concert. Like why did you even come if you just wanted to talk the whole time?! One of the ladies even got a little too rambunctious and smacked me on the top of the head with her iPhone when she was trying to take a selfie. Ugh. But it was still so good! Fireworks, balloons, confetti, and Chris brings the best energy to pump up the crowd. I made this chicken the next day and sent a bunch home with my sister to have for her lunch for school the next day. She sent me a snap when she got back to her dorm of the chicken bones with the caption "so good!". So much for lunch, haha! But OMG is it good so I don't blame her.
This chicken is the perfect cozy Fall dinner and really handy to have up your sleeve for a weeknight because it's low maintenance and super easy to throw together after work. I actually made this again on Tuesday because my parents and aunt came up for my sister's nursing school consecration and I whipped it up after work before they came over for dinner, no problem! You don't have to marinate the chicken ahead of time and the chicken is still super flavorful. Using bone-in and skin-on chicken helps. I'd recommend using organic chicken if you can here since you'll be eating the skin, which is actually really good for you and super delicious if it's crispy, too. The vegetables get all caramelized in the oven and all of it gets tossed with the garlicky, herby, tangy, sticky, sweet maple-y sauce. I'd call that a win.
Maple-Roasted Sheet Pan Chicken with Caramelized Acorn Squash + Fennel
serves 4
1 lb chicken, bone-in, skin on (use any mix of breast, thighs and/ or legs you like, use organic if you can)
1/2 an acorn squash
1 medium onion (white or yellow is good here)
1 medium bulb fennel
sauce
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c avocado oil (or olive oil)
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 t red pepper flakes
fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1-2 t dried)
fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 1-2 t dried)
1 t salt
1/2 t freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 °F. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the maple syrup, avocado oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper together and set aside.
Cut an acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Reserve one half for another time. Slice the other half into 1/4 inch half moons. Peel the onion and slice in half lengthwise, leaving the root intact. Slice each half into 1/4 inch wedges, being sure to leave a bit of the root at the end of each wedge to hold it together in one piece. Trim the top and bottom of the fennel bulb and slice the same way as the onion into 1/4 inch wedges. Add the vegetables to a half sheet pan and drizzle with half the sauce and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer and nestle the chicken in with the vegetables, being sure to allow the chicken to make contact with the surface of the pan, rather that sitting on the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the chicken and toss to coat. Roast for about 45 minutes or so, until the skin of the chicken is golden brown and crisp, the vegetables are all caramelized, and sauce has reduced slightly. You can also check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer to be safe. (I like to!). It should register to at least 165 °F. Enjoy!
