Sheet Pan Cinnamon Chicken with Butternut and Sage

This is a weeknight dinner that takes care of more than one night. Two pans, one oven, and the leftovers carry you into the next day's lunch. The meal you cook once that feeds you several times is how you keep eating well on the days you have little left for the kitchen.

Chicken thighs are a satisfying source of protein, and the butternut squash beside them is a source of beta-carotene, which the body can convert toward vitamin A and which supports immune and mucosal health. Cinnamon and sage do more than flavor the pan; they make a simple meal feel cared for. The marinade leans on apple juice, honey, and coconut aminos instead of a soy-based sauce, kept modest in sweetness, for a sweet-savory finish built from real ingredients.

Choose chicken raised well, and let the warm smell of cinnamon and sage be a small invitation to slow down. Spread the color across the plate, take a breath before you eat, and let whole food roasted with attention be enough.

Ingredients

For the chicken and marinade:

• 3 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 cups unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• sea salt
• garlic powder
• ground ginger

For the vegetables:

• 5 cups diced butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt
• garlic powder
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage

Method

Whisk together the apple juice, honey, coconut aminos, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, sea salt, garlic powder, and ground ginger, holding back the last half teaspoon of cinnamon. Add the chicken thighs and marinate them in the fridge for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 400F. While the chicken marinates, cube the butternut squash and toss it with the olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, minced garlic, and fresh sage. Spread it on one sheet pan.

Lift the marinated thighs onto the second pan and dust them with the reserved half teaspoon of cinnamon.

Roast both pans, with the squash on the lower rack and the chicken on the middle rack. At the 15-minute mark, baste the chicken with a little of the marinade. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes total, until the squash is tender with crisping edges and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.

Serve with a simple salad or a side of sauteed kale or chard.

Air fryer variation

For a smaller batch, the thighs crisp nicely in the air fryer. Marinate them as above, then air fry skin-side up at around 380F, until the skin is golden and the meat reaches an internal 165F (start checking near 18 to 22 minutes for bone-in thighs). Roast the butternut in the oven, since 5 cups of squash is more than one basket holds. Times depend on your machine, so let the thermometer decide.

*Adapted from asquirrelinthekitchen.com*