This autumn roasted chicken and butternut squash is one of our favorite fall chicken recipes! It’s made of tender roasted chicken thighs with a maple dijon and rosemary sauce served alongside sweet roasted butternut squash, tart cranberries, and Brussels sprouts. A warm and comforting meal made with good-for-you ingredients!
One of my favorite things in autumn is the amazing seasonal produce available, such as brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and cranberries! Adding them to a roasting pan with chicken thighs and a simple rosemary dijon sauce makes for one of the tastiest and easiest fall dinners.
We make this recipe every year and love it every time! It’s perfect for a weeknight meal but can also be served for a Friendsgiving or small Thanksgiving gathering.
Recipe Highlights
We love this recipe for many reasons, but to name a few, it’s…
SIMPLE YET FLAVORFUL. The approach to making this dish is straightforward, but the flavors are all there. From the fresh rosemary to the dijon and tart cranberries! It’s an easy flavor to attain while still being impressive!
WEEKNIGHT-FRIENDLY. This dish doesn’t take much preparation, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights!
WHOLESOME & NOURISHING. The ingredients in this are all fresh, colorful, and wholesome! Making it a delicious yet good-for-you meal to enjoy with your family.
Ingredients – What You Need
The ingredients for the dish are a mix of fresh ingredients and pantry staples! All the details you need to know can be found below.
See the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and measurements.
- Chicken. The protein in this recipe is chicken thighs. The darker meat stays moist and tender during the longer roasting time! I used boneless + skinless, but you can use thighs with the bone and skin.
- The vegetables. We use three seasonally fall vegetables to roast in with the chicken. Butternut squash for sweetness, fresh cranberries for bursting tart flavor, and Brussels sprouts for some greens.
- The sauce ingredients. This recipe requires a simple Dijon rosemary sauce to flavor the whole dish. For the base of the sauce, we use chicken broth. Then the flavor comes from Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, and fresh garlic. And to balance the sauce, we like using a little maple syrup for sweetness!
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
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1
Make the sauce. First, in a small bowl or mason jar, add all the dijon rosemary sauce ingredients and mix together. Then set aside for later.
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2
Oil and season the vegetables. Add the butternut squash and brussels sprouts to a bowl with a generous pinch of salt and oil. Toss until everything is evenly coated.
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3
Brown the chicken. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with a general pinch of salt and black pepper. Then brown them in a pan with butter (or oil) for 3 minutes on each side.
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4
Add the vegetables with the chicken, and bake. Then add the chicken thighs to a prepare baking dish or roasting pan with the vegetables and cranberries. Cover the dish with the dijon sauce and bake at 425F uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender when tested with a fork.
Recipe Variations
Add different vegetables for roasting. This dish can be adapted to use whatever vegetables you like or what’s in season. Add acorn squash, sweet potatoes, baby or cut-up yellow potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, or green beans!
Add different herbs. Instead of rosemary, you can also use fresh sage or thyme!
Instead of fresh cranberries, try dried. If you don’t have fresh cranberries available, add dried cranberries or cherries to the finished dish at the end (do not bake them). They’re not the same as roasted fresh cranberries, but they will add a sweet and tart flavoring!
Different cuts of chicken. This recipe works best with thighs. I recommend boneless and skinless, but if you prefer bone and skin, use them! You could also use legs/drumsticks and larger chicken breasts. But smaller cuts of chicken could potentially dry out. Thighs/darker meat is the most forgiving for longer roast times!
What to Serve it With
Rice/grain. If you want a starchy side, this dish goes beautifully with rice or any grain you like!
Salad. Of course, a seasonal salad pairs perfectly with this dish. We love to serve it with our apple pomegranate salad or pear and gorgonzola salad!
Bread. For a comforting side dish, homemade bread is always a win! We love to serve this with our cinnamon raisin bread or this no-knead cranberry walnut!
Other sides. If you want more Thanksgiving sides, we love serving a dinner like this with our cranberry orange sauce or these cheesy scalloped potatoes!
More Chicken Recipes to Try
15-Minute Lemon Chicken Piccata
Crispy Garlic & Herb Chicken Thighs
Roasted Lemon & Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Autumn Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Skillet
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs you can use boneless/skinless or with bone & skin
- 1 Tablespoon butter, or sub for olive or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts stems removed and halved
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- salt & pepper to taste
Dijon Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
- 1 healthy pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Make the sauce: First, whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a small jar or bowl. Then set aside for later.
- Toss veggies in oil: in a bowl, toss the brussels sprouts and butternut squash in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of avocado oil with a healthy pinch of salt. Set vegetables aside.
- Brown the chicken: Season the chicken thighs with a generous pinch of salt & pepper on both sides. Then, in a stainless steel pan or cast iron pan, brown the chicken on the stovetop in butter for 2-3 minutes on each side (skin down first if your chicken has skin).
- Add veggies and sauce: after the chicken is browned on both sides, add the vegetables and cranberries, and then pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Bake: then bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender.
I’m not normally one to comment on recipes online, but I was disappointed that this one only had one existing one, as it definitely deserves more! This was really delicious, even though I suppose I technically did modify it a bit. I did not have cranberries, so omitted those, and added some onion and garlic powder to the squash and sprouts, as I know my family is a big fan of that, but I think the key here is the sauce, which really amped up the chicken. Thank you!
Yum! I will be making this!