Balsamic Chicken with Sauteed Spinach
and roasted butternut squash
It's butternut squash season and we're roasting it up this week. This recipe yields enough for Thursday's night meal too so be sure to set some aside. Enjoyed with chicken (or chickpeas for our vegetarian version) and spinach, this meal is all about whole, healthy eating.
Ingredients
- Honey balsamic sauce - 2 1/2 Tbsp ((ingredients listed separately))
- Butternut squash - 3 lbs, uncooked & chopped
- Balsamic vinegar - 2 Tbsp
- Dijon mustard - 1/2 tsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Olive oil - 3 Tbsp
- Homemade honey balsamic sauce - 2 1/2 Tbsp ((ingredients listed separately))
- Chicken breasts - 1 1/4 lb, halved
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp
- Baby spinach - 1/2 lb
- Lemon - 1/2, juice of
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Honey balsamic sauce - Mix together sauce ingredients. You'll use this for both the protein and squash, so pay attention to the amounts listed. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Chicken - Halve, pour on sauce (amount listed under chicken), and then tenderize.
- Butternut squash - Remove skin with a peeler and chop into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes. To soften skin, you can also microwave it for 5 minutes, flipping it midway through cooking. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Make
- Preheat oven to 500F (260C) degrees.
- Place chopped butternut squash in a sheet pan and then cover tightly with foil. Bake for 10 minutes on top rack. Remove foil and then toss with honey balsamic sauce (amount listed under squash ingredients). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes uncovered, giving them a shake midway through. {If making Thursday's dinner, set aside enough roasted squash for tomorrow.}
- While squash is cooking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then chicken breasts to heated oil. Sear on both sides for ~2 minutes and then cover with a lid. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until chicken breasts are cooked through and reach 165F(74C) degrees.
- Remove from pan and set aside and now add spinach to the pan. Let the spinach cook in the chicken juices. Once wilted (shouldn't take long), add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy chicken and spinach with a side of butternut squash. Tomorrow you'll get to enjoy the leftover squash in a whole other way!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
19 reviews
Next time would tenderize the chicken and make it thinner; possibly marinade in balsamic glaze.
0 HelpfulThose magic words from husband: "this one is a keeper!" We used the 2 lb bag of diced butternut squash from Trader Joes, and this came together super fast.
0 HelpfulSauce was tasty and not overpowering. There were still distinct flavors in all 3 components even though they all had the same sauce. I did add about 1/2 T more of the sauce to the chicken and the squash. I thought that gave it plenty of flavor.
0 Helpful