Let's Get Fresh: Frugal Foodie Mama Shares Recipe for Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on September 29, 2019 from Let’s Get Fresh
This week, we welcome back Frugal Foodie Mama for her last recipe of the season and boy does it look tasty! We have three weeks left of the outdoor market season before we head indoors. Be sure to stop out Sunday and pick up the ingredients for this fall meal.
If you visit the Bridgeport Farmers Market on any given Sunday during their outdoor season, you are sure to find at least 40 different local farmers selling their freshly picked vegetables and pasture raised eggs & meats from baskets and coolers at various tables throughout the market. I am on a mission once again during this outdoor farmers market season to show you how you can create a delicious meal purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at the market this summer and early fall.
For the month of September, I am sharing my last recipe post of the outdoor market season- this juicy and flavorful Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash. This roasted chicken recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the
fall season.
fall season.
I am going to share a little secret with you all that I just recently learned myself- if you roast a chicken upside down, you will end up with the most moist & juiciest chicken breast that you have ever tasted. I know it seems weird to roast a chicken with the breast side down, but do trust me on this one, folks. Give it a try with this recipe. I guarantee that you won’t regret it.
Roasting a chicken upside down allows the breast meat to be exposed to both wet & dry heat which will result in a more tender, juicy chicken breast. Yes, you won’t get that perfectly golden, crispy skin on the breast. But think of it as a small sacrifice to make for incredibly moist breast meat.
This month’s recipe features a young whole chicken from Sweet Wind Farm, acorn & butternut squash from Eden Lane Edibles, and honey from Shipley’s Forest Hill Farm. Be sure to stop by their tables during your next visit to the Bridgeport Farmers Market & tell them I sent you.
Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash
Yield: Serves 4
Author: Carrie Robinson
Prep time: 20 min cook time: 60 min total time: 80 minutes
Ingredients:
- (1) 3-4 lb whole young chicken
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled & seeds removed & then chopped
- 1 acorn squash, peeled & seeds removed & then chopped
- 1 whole red onion, peeled & roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
- 1 -2 sprigs of fresh sage, leaves removed & finely chopped
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions:
How to cook Honey Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash
- Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet on one of the top racks of the oven. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, both inside & out. Set aside & let rest while you peel & chop the squash & red onion.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, olive oil, & fresh herbs. Set aside.
- Place the chopped squash & red onion in a large bowl. Pour about 1/2 of the honey mixture over the squash & onion, & toss well to coat. Season with salt & pepper.
- Rub the remainder of the honey mixture all over the outside of the whole chicken. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
- Remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven and swirl with a little olive oil to coat. Place the chicken upside down in the center of the skillet, and then arrange the squash & onion around it.
- Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the juices run clear. Let rest at least 15-20 minutes before flipping right side up & carving. Serve alongside the roasted squash and onion.
- Enjoy!
