This delicious Balsamic Chicken & Butternut Squash Dinner is the perfect fall sheet pan 30 minute recipe. This easy and healthy one pan meal is served with juicy pomegranates and creamy goat cheese or amazing flavors.
Fall Chicken & Squash Recipe
If you are looking for a delicious and healthy dinner recipe that embodies everything great about the fall, this Balsamic Chicken & Butternut Squash is a must try! Juicy pomegranates at the peak of their season are paired with creamy herbed goat cheese along with roasted butternut and squash and chicken breasts cooked on a sheet pan.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese
If you’ve been here before, you know I love all things goat cheese. There isn’t much that doesn’t pair well my favorite soft cheese. Butternut squash is no exception. From this Roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Pasta to a quick and easy Air Fryer Squash & Goat Cheese Pizza, it’s a wonderful combination.
This Balsamic Chicken & Butternut Squash is another great reason to add goat cheese to your dinner plate. It adds a nice tangy and creamy element to the sweet squash and pomegranates.
Sheet Pan Chicken & Butternut Squash
The best part about this chicken and butternut squash dinner is that it is made all together on a sheet pan. This means fewer dishes to wash for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
If you are feeling ambitious you can peel and chop a butternut squash. I like to keep it quick and simple and buy a pack of cubed squash in the deli section at the grocery store. This saves me around 10 minutes and is totally worth it.
How to make Chicken & Squash Dinner
Once you have your peeled and cubed the butternut squash, toss it on a sheet pan with a tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F for ten minutes.
While the squash is baking, place the chicken breasts in a gallon resealable bag. Use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to pound out the chicken to 1/2 inch thick. Be sure the breasts are tenderized even or they won’t bake evenly. Add the following balsamic marinade to the chicken breasts.
Honey Balsamic Marinated Chicken
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
Seal the bag and use your hands to mix the marinade together and coat the chicken breasts. Place in the refrigerator until the squash has cooked for 10 minutes.
Push the squash to one side of the pan and add the chicken breasts to the other side. Be careful because the pan will be hot!
Return the chicken and squash to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Pomegranate & Goat Cheese Chicken Bowls
Serve the balsamic chicken and roasted butternut squash in bowls with herbed goat cheese and pomegranate arils. If you don’t have herbed goat cheese, regular or honey goat cheese are great options as well.
If pomegranates are out of season, grapes, apples or dried cranberries are all good substitutes. These Fruit & Chicken Goat Cheese Bowls are the perfect example of just about any fruits pairing well with chicken and goat cheese.
Chicken & Butternut Squash Recipes
I often make butternut squash dishes that end up being vegetarian, because it’s a hearty vegetable with incredible flavor all on it’s own. If you are wanting to add meat, chicken is the perfect pairing because it won’t overpower the delicate flavor of squash. Here are a few great Chicken & Butternut Squash Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Balsamic Squash Sheet Pan Dinner – Bacon makes everything better. Chicken tenders wrapped in bacon and baked with squash and balsamic brussels sprouts is bursting with flavor.
- Cheesy Chicken, Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Rice Skillet – A cheesy rice skillet, but with no rice! This healthy mix of cauliflower rice, chicken and butternut squash is a wholesome weeknight dinner for the whole family.
- Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Squash & Vegetables – A whole chicken roasted over carrots, potatoes and squash is a hearty and delicious dinner for a special meal.
Balsamic Chicken & Butternut Squash Dinner
Ingredients
Honey Balsamic Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
Squash
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Bowl
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 4 ounces herbed goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add chicken breasts to a gallon resealable bag. Tenderize the chicken by beating it so it is evenly 1/2 inch thick. Add the balsamic, honey, garlic, sage, salt and pepper and mix so the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Add the cubed squash to a sheet pan and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes.
- Push the squash to one side of baking sheet and add the marinated chicken breasts to the pan. Bake at 400°F for an additional 15-20 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve the chicken and squash in bowls with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese.
Coleen says
The chicken was so tender and juicy with tons of flavor. This meal was a home run and I can’t wait to make it again.
Julie says
Love a delicious one pan meal. This flavor combo was out of this world!
Alison LaFortune says
Love a sheet pan dinner! This one is so full of flavor. Love the squash & chicken together.
Malinda says
Amazing flavor! Adding to my meal plan!