Roasted Chicken Breast with Butternut Squash

Super simple roasted bone-in chicken breasts served with Parmesan butternut squash in a single cast iron pan.

Roasted Chicken Breast with Butternut Squash

Deliciously roasted bone-in chicken breast served with roasted Parmesan butternut squash in a single cast iron pan! It’s a true one-skillet recipe that is simple, hearty, and savory. Oven-roasted chicken is one of my favorite easy weeknight recipes. It’s easy to pull together and you can throw it in the oven and FUGGEDABOUTIT.

Please don’t forget about it.

The Advantage of Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken

A few things first. For best results, I really think you need to use a full bone-in chicken breast or even a small half chicken. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are OK too. A standard boneless, skinless breast will not yield the same results.

The skin and bone play a vital role in crispy roast chicken. Not only does it create a perfectly golden and flavorful crust, but it also helps keep the chicken tender and juicy. Roasting a lean, fatless chicken breast at high temps for an extended period of time will dry it out and make it unappealing.

There is something amazing about bone-in, skin-on chicken. It’s harder to really screw up. It’s the only chicken I’ll bake or roast.

How To Roast Chicken Breast

Roast chicken breasts at 450 °F for about 50-55 minutes or until internal temp reaches between 160 °F -165 °F. We are aiming for 160 °F because we will let the chicken rest in the skillet for 5 minutes before serving. The resting period will continue to cook the chicken and increase the temp to the final desired temp of 165 °F—the recommended serving temp for chicken.

Roasted Butternut Squash

The Parmesan butternut squash can be thrown in the same skillet about halfway through the roasting process. It will soak up the drippings and pick up so much flavor. Plus, the Parmesan cheese and rosemary won’t hurt either.

Since the butternut squash takes about 25-30 minutes itself, I really recommend you give that a quick toss about halfway through for even cooking. 15 minutes is ideal. Altogether we’ll take the skillet out twice. Once to add the butternut squash at the 25-minute mark, one more time at the 40-minute mark to give the butternut squash a quick toss.

That’s all there is to it. A simple fall-inspired recipe with amazing color, flavor, and presentation.

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Roasted Chicken Breast with Butternut Squash
Roasted Chicken Breast with Butternut Squash
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Roasted Chicken Breast with Butternut Squash

  • Author: Shawn Williams
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 55
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2-3 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Super simple roasted bone-in chicken breasts served with Parmesan butternut squash in a single cast iron pan.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 16-20 ounce skin-on, bone-in split chicken breasts
  • 1 butternut squash (23 pounds), peeled and cubed into bite-sized chunks*
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 lemon, juice squeezed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 23 sprigs rosemary, removed from stem, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F and place oven rack in the middle.
  2. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, and 2/3 of the rosemary in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
  3. Combine butternut squash, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and parmesan cheese in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and toss until evenly coated. Set aside.
  4. Place split breasts in a cast iron skillet, arranging as best you can not to overlap or overcrowd. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
  5. Pour/brush the olive oil/seasoning mix over the chicken breasts until evenly coated.
  6. Place skillet in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 25 minutes. Remove skillet from the oven and add butternut squash to the skillet, arranging as evenly as possible around the chicken. It’s OK if some are slightly under the chicken. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temp of 160-165°F. I’ve found giving the butternut squash a quick toss after it’s been in for 15 minutes helps it cook more evenly.
  7. Remove skillet from the oven and let chicken rest in the skillet for 5 minutes before serving. It will continue to cook during this time. The final serving temp should be 165 °F. A digital thermometer really helps! Serve sprinkled with the rest of the fresh rosemary all over.

Notes

You are looking for roughly 16 ounces of butternut squash, after it’s been peeled and cut. Sometimes you can get it pre-prepared at the grocery store.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 331
  • Sugar: 5.1g
  • Sodium: 191mg
  • Fat: 13g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 29.1g
  • Fiber: 5.8g
  • Protein: 28.3g
  • Cholesterol: 74mg

Keywords: roasted chicken, oven roasted chicken breast