Chicken and Butternut Squash with crispy chicken, caramelized squash, and herby green beans. It’s a delicious, restaurant-quality meal the whole family will love!
Chicken and Butternut Squash
This is hands down one of the best fall chicken dinners and my absolute favorite way to eat butternut squash! Once you cook it up in a skillet with browned butter and fresh herbs, you’ll be hooked.
This dish tastes like it came straight from a restaurant—it’s so good! The chicken is lightly breaded, but we skip the Panko and the deep frying, so it’s a little lighter without losing any of the flavor.
One skillet, minimal ingredients, and tons of flavor—let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Chicken and Butternut Squash:
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless breasts or thighs work great.
- Flour: Adds a light, crispy coating to the chicken.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds savory, salty flavor and helps crisp up the chicken.
- Paprika: Brings a hint of smoky flavor and nice color.
- Olive Oil: Ideal for searing the chicken to get it golden and crispy.
- Butter: Adds flavor to the dish. As it browns, it gives the squash a rich, nutty flavor.
- Butternut Squash: Dice into small, even pieces for quick cooking and nice crispy exteriors.
- Garlic: Freshly minced or jarred—either works!
- Oregano: Great for seasoning the veggies. Italian seasoning is a good swap.
- Green Beans: Trim and then halve for quicker cooking.
- Fresh Thyme: Brings fresh, herby flavor. Keep some extra for garnishing.
- Lemon: A fresh squeeze at the end brightens everything up.
How To Make Chicken and Butternut Squash
- Prep Chicken: Cut, pound thin, and coat with flour, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Cook Chicken: Sear in oil and butter until golden. Set aside.
- Cook Squash: Add butter, squash, garlic, paprika, and oregano. Cook until caramelized.
- Add Green Beans: Stir in beans and thyme. Cook until tender-crisp.
- Finish: Add chicken back. Squeeze lemon over top, garnish, and serve warm.
Chicken and Butternut Squash Recipe Tips
- Prep First: Things move quickly once you start cooking, so have your veggies ready to go.
- Chicken: Pound to 1/4-inch thin for even cooking. A meat mallet works best, but a rolling pin does the trick too.
- Butternut Squash: Dice into small, even pieces for faster cooking and good browning.
- Lemon Juice: Add at the end to brighten up the flavors. If you like sauce, try my browned butter lemon sauce from this Lemon Parmesan Chicken recipe.
- Parmesan: Use finely grated Parmesan for a better crust. Quality Parmesan makes a big difference in flavor!
What To Serve With Chicken and Butternut Squash
- Rice or Quinoa: A great base for the chicken and veggies.
- Mashed Potatoes: Creamy and perfect for soaking up extra sauce.
- Caesar Salad: A great way to balance the dish.
- Crusty Bread: Use to soak up any sauce or butter.
- Fresh Fruit: Or try this delicious Winter Fruit Salad
Storage
Chicken is best hot as it loses crispiness quickly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet or Air Fryer.
More Delicious Chicken Dinners:
- Chicken Chili made in the slow cooker
- Chicken Orzo made in one pot
- Healthy Chicken Salad with a light dressing
- Cilantro Lime Chicken with a mango-avocado salsa
- Applebee’s Chicken Salad with the best easy dressing
Chicken and Butternut Squash
Chicken and butternut squash with crispy chicken, caramelized squash, and herby green beans—this meal is so tasty, it feels like dining out right at home!
Equipment
- Large pan nonstick, 12-inch
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 6 pieces (2 breasts)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan sandy texture
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 4 cups diced butternut squash see note 1
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups green beans cut in half
- 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish
- 1 lemon for serving, optional
Instructions
- Dice squash into small pieces, trim and halve green beans, and mince garlic.
- In a shallow bowl, mix flour, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces. Place chicken pieces between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound them to 1/4-inch thickness. Use your hands to rub 1 tablespoon olive oil all over the chicken (divided between both sides), then dredge in flour mixture until evenly coated.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan over medium-high. Add half the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes on the first side until golden brown. Flip and cook for 1–2 minutes on the other side. Transfer chicken to a plate and sprinkle each piece with a tiny pinch of salt. Repeat to cook remaining chicken, adding more oil if needed. Cover with foil.
- Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet, turn heat to high, and add squash, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and oregano. Stir, then spread squash in an even layer and cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until charred.
- Stir, then add green beans and thyme. Spread in an even layer again. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender-crisp, about 5 more minutes.
- Return chicken to pan on top of veggies. Drizzle with lemon juice and garnish with extra Parmesan and thyme. Serve promptly.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To cook in the right amount of time, the squash needs to be diced very small (1/4-inch) and into even cubes.
Storage: Chicken is best hot as it loses crispiness quickly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet or air fryer.
Storage: Chicken is best hot as it loses crispiness quickly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet or air fryer.Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 30.4g | Fat: 26.4g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 416.3mg | Fiber: 4.8g | Sugar: 4.9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was fabulous! So easy and very tasty.
I am going to make it for my keto friends.
I used chicken tenderloins and almond flour.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS ONE!
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for the comment and review 🙂
Nice meal, hubby & I both enjoyed. Easy since I generally have these ingredients on hand in the fall. Thanks! 🙂
So happy to hear that; thank you JC!
My son and I prepared this recipe today and it’s delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!
So happy to hear that! Thank you so much Claudia!
The flavor of the thyme is bold, but not overpowering. The sweetness of the squash makes this dish insanely delightful. On the end of each bite, parmesan compliments the garlic notes deliciously. Overall, it was amazing, had a beautiful rustic look, and presented very well. This is a great dish for autumn and I will be making it again very soon!
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Didn’t have green beans, so I used fresh asparagus straight from our garden. Will definitely make again.
Yay! Thrilled this was a hit 🙂 Garden asparagus sounds lovely. Thanks for the comment and review!
Made this recipe with a friend tonight! It was so easy and smelled amazing while cooking. It was even better eating it! Wish I had left overs
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks Erin! 🙂
I made this dish , it was delicious. I added a little brown sugar to the squash.
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks! 🙂
This was so delicious! The squash ended up breaking down quite a bit, so I turned it into a lovely buttery herbed mash. This meal gave me all the fall feels I was looking for. Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much! 🙂
We made this tonight – didn’t have fresh thyme- so we subbed 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves. We used fresh Honey Nut squash (sister of Butternut just smaller) -I think I cut them small- as it cooked a little quicker- We loved it and will be checking out more of your recipes.
I am so happy you loved this recipe! Thanks for your comment Nancy! 🙂
This looks amazing!! Would it lend well to meal prep? I make up 15 lunches every Sunday for my husband, teenage daughter, and I and we are always looking for something a little more elevated!
I absolutely love this for meal prep! 🙂