Savory chicken, creamy acorn squash, and peppery arugula all in one skillet! This makes for an easy, delicious dinner with easy cleanup (WIN). This One-Skillet Chicken, Acorn Squash, and Arugula dinner recipe is one of my current faves!
This past weekend I went home to west Texas to visit my family and celebrate my little nephew’s first birthday. It also happened to be my birthday, so there was lots of celebrating all around! It was a weekend of joyful bliss. I was completely unaware of the tasks and busy things of life and completely focused on the joys of family and friendship. Super refreshing and much needed! Living far away from family results in few weekends like this one, so when they come about I make sure to enjoy every second!
As you might imagine (and as indicated over on my Instagram post), there was lots of pizza, lots of cake, and so much more. On the morning of my birthday, Cody and my dad surprised me with a ginormous box of donuts and coffee! So we had donuts for breakfasts all weekend (soooo goood….but soooo bad…), dessert after dinners, and basically all of my deep down favorite non-healthy food things.
It seems that the older I get, the less of that bad food life I can handle. It’s crazy to think that I used to eat like this on a REGULAR, every day basis (true story)! After just a couple of days of eating this way, my body was pretty ready to get back to healthy eating and working out.
This One-Skillet Chicken, Acorn Squash, and Arugula dish ended up being a lifesaver after a weekend of unhealthy eats!
Especially since it happens to be so easy to make! You can basically make this with any veggies that you have on hand. Really, you can even make this with any type of chicken that you have! Simply adjust cooking times based on the ingredients.
For this recipe, I used a 12″ skillet and ended up with about 2 good sized servings. I’ve never really been one to cook on a skillet, but this One-Skillet Chicken, Acorn Squash, and Arugula recipe has totally changed that! I love the crispy taste it gives the food, making healthy food non-boring (always a good thing) and taking things to the next level!
Also, I didn’t peel the skin off of the acorn squash for this recipe. However, feel free to cut the acorn squash into cubes (or whatever works best for you)!
One-Skillet Chicken, Acorn Squash, and Arugula
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado or coconut oil
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 2 medium acorn squash
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place 1 Tbsp oil on the skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken drumsticks and cook for about 10 minutes on each side (or until they are 80% cooked).
- While the chicken is cooking, slice or cube the acorn squash.
- When the chicken is about 80% cooked through, set aside and add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Cook the squash for about 5 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet. Place the entire skillet in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Remove from oven. Add in the arugula and squeeze lemon over the entire dish. Serve and enjoy!
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One skillet meals are the best and I think the flavors are best combined when they are cooked in one skillet. The arugula is a lovely addition for that punch of freshness in the meal.
I definitely agree! Super easy to make!
I hear ya girl! Unhealthy eating gets me every weekend! I try to have self control during the week at least! Sometimes it works! The chicken looks great and I love that you added fresh arugula to it!
What a beautiful dish!! I love that it has has so few ingredients yet so much flavor and presence. Healthy easy and delicious. Perfection!
One skillet meals are the BEST! This one looks perfect and fresh – great for Spring!
First of all, this looks amazing. So fresh and delicious. Second, I completely get you regarding living far from your family and not having much time together. My family is all in Brazil so I don’t see them as often, so when I do, I make sure to enjoy every single moment. 🙂
Downtime with family is always a good thing! I’ve got a trip to San Antonio coming up with the entire agenda is nothing but = Hanging Out.
Who doesn’t love one dish meals? So easy to make and clean up. It helps too when they look as lovely as this one. I wouldn’t have thought to combine the lemon with the acorn squash. …must give it a try
This sounds delicious. I love the addition of the slightly bitter and peppery arugula to compliment the sweetness of the acorn squash. Beautiful dish!