Credit to Melissa Clark, New York Times Cooking for original recipe.
Time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marinating
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lemon, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and thinly sliced crosswise into wedges
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 and 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon whole Sage
1 and 1/2 teaspoons coriander seed, lightly crushed in mortar & pestle
1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Bourbon Aged Maple Syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Large pinch chile powder (or substitue Merquen Maple Syrup for the Bourbon Aged Maple Syrup)
1 delicata or acorn squash (1 and 1/4 pounds), seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light-green parts
PREPARATION
- Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil; drop in lemon slices and cook for two minutes. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, toss chicken with lemon slices, 1 tablespoon oil, sage, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine syrup, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and chile powder. Simmer for 3 minutes. Toss mixture with squash.
- Spread squash in a 9-by-13-inch pan or on a large rimmed baking sheet. Nestle chicken and lemon on top of squash. Roast for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, toss scallions and remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Scatter over chicken and squash; keep roasting until chicken is no longer pink, about 20 minutes more.
Notes: I added 3-5 minutes under the broiler at the end of baking in order to give chicken thighs a nice caramel brown color. Blanching lemon slices is genius! The slices became part of the meal, not just a flavor added to marinade.