Maple Chicken with Acorn Squash

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F. Grease a 35 × 25 cm metal roasting dish with the butter. Prepare the vegetables while the oven heats.

2. 2

   Halve and seed the squash, then weigh out 800 g of unpeeled squash and cut it into 1 cm half-moons. Trim the carrots and slice into 1 cm rounds. Peel the onion and cut into thin wedges. Spread the vegetables in the dish, add the water and season with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper.

3. 3

   Use four bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs weighing about 250 g each. Pat them dry without rinsing and season with the remaining 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper. Wash your hands and clean surfaces that touched raw chicken.

4. 4

   Heat the olive oil in a 30 cm skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the thighs skin-side down in one layer for 5 minutes. Transfer them to the roasting dish skin-side down, on top of the vegetables, and spoon the skillet drippings over the vegetables.

5. 5

   Roast for 10 minutes. Turn the thighs skin-side up, reduce the oven to 200°C/400°F and drizzle the maple syrup over the chicken and vegetables.

6. 6

   Roast for another 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken reaches at least 74°C/165°F in the thickest part without touching bone. Check the glaze after 15 minutes and loosely cover the dish with foil if it is becoming too dark; continue roasting if needed to reach the safe temperature.

7. 7

   Rest for 5 minutes. Using clean serving utensils, divide the chicken and vegetables among four plates and spoon over the maple pan juices.