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This Super-Flavorful One-Pan Meal Is The Perfect Healthy Weeknight Dinner

Author:

Eliza Sullivan

September 11, 2024

mbg Nutrition & Health Writer

By Eliza Sullivan

mbg Nutrition & Health Writer

Eliza Sullivan is a food writer and SEO editor at mindbodygreen. She writes about food, recipes, and nutrition—among other things. She studied journalism at Boston University.

sheet pan chicken thighs with chickpeas, onion, and squash

Image by Donal Skehan / Contributor

September 11, 2024

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Easy sheet pan meals are the perfect foundation for a weeknight dinner, especially when they include veggies and protein. This super-flavorful meal, from Everyday Cook by Donal Skehan, features chicken thighs spruced up with a simple yogurt marinade.

If you didn't know, yogurt is a great marinade base because it can help to gently tenderize the meat, which makes it a particularly good fit for a chicken dish. This particular marinade also includes some of our favorite functional spices: turmeric, especially.

Skehan also ensures that this recipe can be made to be seasonal: "Swap the butternut squash with sweet potato or eggplant if you like," he writes. While the veggies on the pan mean this can be served as a stand-alone, we might pair it with a favorite leafy green or a small portion of grains to round out the plate.

Spiced Yogurt Roasted Chicken Thighs With Roasted Squash

Serves 4

Ingredients

7 ounces (200 grams) Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cardamom pods, crushed
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Zest of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze of juice
2 teaspoons honey
8 free-range chicken thighs (bone in and skin on)
2¼ pounds butternut squash, deseeded and cut into wedges
2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 14-ounce (400-gram) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl mix the yogurt with the garlic, spices, lemon zest and juice, honey, and plenty of salt and pepper.
Add the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes, if you have time.
Toss the squash and the onions with the oil and tip into a roasting tray. Season them well with salt and pepper, then add the chicken pieces and nestle them into the tray.
Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the squash and the onions halfway through, then add the chickpeas and return to the oven for 10 minutes more.
Scatter with cilantro and serve.

Excerpted with permission from Everyday Cook: Vibrant Recipes, Simple Methods, Delicious Dishes by Donal Skehan.