Sheet-Pan Chicken With Black Beans and Squash

Sheet-Pan Chicken With Black Beans and Squash

This sheet-pan meal delivers big flavor with little effort. Bone-in chicken thighs, cubed squash (buy pre-cubed if you like), red onion and a can of black beans are all coated with smoky-warm spices before roasting. (To use boneless thighs, see Tip.) The chicken and black beans crisp, the squash and onion sweeten and everything is deeply seasoned with chili powder, cumin and chicken drippings. Bring contrast to the meal by adding cooling, creamy, fresh and crispy toppings, such as sour cream, pepitas, cilantro, raw onion and lime. This is sheet-pan cooking at its finest.

Yield: 4 servings

1 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry

1 pound cubed butternut squash

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and shaken dry

1 red onion, thinly sliced, divided

3 tablespoons avocado or other neutral-tasting oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt

Cilantro, toasted pepitas, sour cream, or lime wedges or a combination, for serving

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, combine the chicken, squash, beans, half the red onion, oil, chili powder, cumin and 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt). Toss to coat, then spread into an even layer. Roast until the chicken skin is deeply golden and the squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Top the cooked chicken and vegetables as you like with the remaining red onion, cilantro, pepitas, dollops of sour cream and a squeeze of lime. 

TIP: To use boneless, skinless thighs, toss them in the seasonings, then remove from the sheet pan. Roast the squash, onion and beans for 15 minutes, then add the thighs and continue to roast until cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Broil for more browning if you like.