Sheet-Pan Chicken With Squash and Dates
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2pounds delicata squash (about 2 large squash), scrubbed, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 4whole bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (about 3 pounds)
- 4ounces pitted large Medjool dates (about 6), quartered lengthwise
- ½cup pitted green olives (about 2 ounces), coarsely chopped
- ½cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- 1tablespoon drained capers, plus 2 tablespoons caper brine
- 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1136 calories; 72 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 38 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 77 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 52 grams protein; 1872 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine squash and chickpeas with 3 tablespoons oil; season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread in an even layer. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and arrange on top, skin-side up. Roast for 20 minutes, then stir in dates, and roast until squash is golden and chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes longer.
- Step 2
While the mixture roasts, in a small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup oil with the olives, parsley, capers and caper brine, and lemon juice. Season the olive relish with salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Step 3
Divide the roasted chicken, squash, dates and chickpeas among plates. Stir any pan juices into the relish, then spoon the relish on top of each serving. Serve with lemon wedges.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
JSK
Can you make this with boneless breasts? If so, how would you adapt it. We don't eat dark meat.
Elissa
Can I make this with thighs?
bayouguy
Look at the acompanying picture. Those are leg quarters which include the leg and thigh. Plus, the recipe calls for "4 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (about 3 pounds)". 3 pounds is 48 ozs. That would make each leg 12 ozs. No way a leg weighs that much. It probably should say "4 whole bone-in, skin-on leg quarters."
Amy
I think you’ll be fine without the capers. If she’s okay with the green olives called for, you might toss a bit of the olive brine in, in place of the caper brine. Or skip. No biggie. The white meat poses the challenge of ending up a lot drier. I’d brine the chicken for about an hour beforehand. 2-3 teaspoons salt dissolved per cup water, completely cover the chicken with the liquid, and refrigerate. Then since the white meat will cook faster, add it later in the cooking
Deborah Perlick
I like this recipe a lot and think that with the lemon juice and capers, there is enough salt. You could always add more of above. I always have organic chicken cutlets in my freezer but have recently been experimenting with thighs which are only marginally darker than breasts. Also, I have combined delicata squash with fresh roasted figs which could sub for dates.
Brenda Stoddard
Sure you could, but skinless boneless white meat chicken will be dry and will have absolutely no taste.
Megan
As bayouguy notes: adjust the cooking time and watch carefully since skin provides protection from heat and a moisture layer. If you have a Thermopen, pull the chicken out when the internal temp reaches 165 (start checking around 20 minutes, although it might take a little longer). Give the squash a head start by maybe ten minutes -- not a whole lot longer since it will cook faster without the chicken on top of it. Another idea to mitigate dryness would be 12 hours of saltwater brining.
Barbara
Why not? I'd use two per person for average appetites.
Amanda S
The cooking time was waay too short for my batch. Keep an eye on the temps. Buy prechopped squash if you are doing it on a school night and save yourself the hassle. I used "butter" squash yummy yummy.
judith
Good. Used skin on bone in breasts. Seasoned chicken with small amount zaatar Squash less than 1/2 in thick. Added chickpeas after 10 min. Dates near end and switched to convection roast. No brine in sauce, less oil, lemon zest. Approx 35 min total cook time
Sue
We love this dish and have cooked it many times. However, we've had trouble with smoking during cooking, and I believe that the low smoke point of extra virgin olive oil may be the culprit. Next time we plan to try an oil with higher smoke point such as expeller-pressed canola oil or perhaps avocado oil.
Barbara
Lovely! Quite rich, and a nice combination of sweet and savory. This is a keeper.
Gin
the recipe called for a can of chickpeas, which are already cooked.
Natalie F
This was an amazing delish weeknight meal to throw together in no time & not too much hassle. Made some changes: skinless chicken breast (sliced into thinner cutlets), sprinkled turkish chicken spice on meat & veggies, dried prunes & flame raisins in place of dates, skipped the olives. I didn't put the chicken in the oven until the halfway step where you add the dates. I flipped the delicata slices for good measure and threw on a little more olive oil on chicken and raisins.
mert
A super satisfying & easy dinner! I used acorn squash, added some paprika & garlic powder to the chicken, & threw in more dates. I agree with other comments that no extra salt is needed in the relish. My olives & caper brine were salty enough. I’m looking forward to making this again!
Rebekah
Substitutions due to what I had in the house: butternut squash, prunes and golden raisins instead of dates, no parsley. Served with crispy focaccia and cucumbers. Delish! I’ll make again: it’s so easy.
wb
Love the relish!
Julie
4 stars as written, but easily 5 stars with a couple adjustments- I thought it really needed spice and plan to add a healthy dusting of za'atar in the future. The leg quarters were fine but I'll probably use chicken thighs next time just for ease of eating. I am not a squash lover but it was excellent here, and the balance of sweet/salty/pungent with the relish was fantastic.
AlliePJ
Quite possibly the best squash dish I’ve ever had! For next level deliciousness, add harissa with the tiniest bit of cinnamon - I made it again later the same week bc it was so good!
Rick T
This is a fascinating combination of flavors and textures, especially with the olive-caper relish. If I make it again (and I probably will), I'm going to use just thighs -- they'll cook more evenly than leg-thigh quarters, taste better, and are easier to eat. If you want to use quarters, you might consider separating the legs before baking.
Meg
One of my favorite recipes! This time I made it with tofu instead of chicken, which I seasoned with olive oil and a za'tar spice blend (plus s&p). I just put the tofu on top of the chickpeas and squash, and it worked great. I also added squares of feta when I put the dates in. I serve this over a bed of spinach because I am addicted to spinach. The olive and caper relish is essential for this recipe and I recommend making extra so you can come from a place of abundance when you eat it :)
Karen
This was easy enough to put together and had good flavors but seemed like it was trying too hard. The squash and date combo was delicious and would make a great accompaniment to the chicken but without the relish. The relish is outstanding on the chicken and reminds me of another NYT recipe for a chicken sheet pan dish with olives and vinegar. I love chick peas but they were lost in this.
june
I made this tonight with large chicken breasts. The chicken was dried out. I think 425 is too high a temperature. The chickpeas were dried up also. I don’t think I will make this again.
David B
I made this and liked it, but also combined this with another NYT recipe (One-Pan Crispy Chicken and Chickpeas). Since I had some dates I wanted to use, and really like sautéed greens with a crispy chicken dish, I took a little from both and made something new.
Edith N
Very delicious. I would add fresh or dried rosemary and/or thyme to the chicken, squash, chickpea mixture next time.
Gwynne
This was easy and had a great flavor payoff. I tweaked by adding a sliced onion on the sheet pan and subbed raisins (soaked first in white wine) for the dates I did not have. You may consider adding some spices—I tossed Aleppo pepper, cumin, coriander and a small pinch of cinnamon. Kept the relish the same but also used a few handfuls of baby spinach to eat our colors on one pan.
katy
I mixed in some greek yogurt with the relish. It smoothed it out and made it extra rich. Adding the pan juices is essential.
Stephanie
This was a huge hit, and easy to assemble. Followed the recipe exactly, with two additions: Added a sweet potato to the sheet pan for my daughter who’s not a fan of squash, and served on a bed of arugula.
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