No. 273: Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken with Honeynut Squash and Hot Honey
Plus: Rosh Hashana Sides; Winnetu's Oceans & Oysters Weekend; Fall Gratins, Pear Crisp
🍯 When Chicken Meets Sheet Pan – and Honeynut Squash
Sometimes we food editors and writers can be just too predictable. We wind up covering the same ingredients at the same time – must be a foodie hive mind! I remember my vegetarian cousin asking me once if we really had to put a turkey on the cover of the November issue of Fine Cooking. She was riled up about this. I said, “Well, we tried a pie once, but it didn’t sell very well!” Kind of pathetic, I know.
These days I have a lot more freedom to choose what to focus on, considering the ever-changing bounty of seasonal ingredients I’m surrounded by on the Vineyard. Still, there must be something about the weather in early October that screams chicken, because my phone alerts from NYT Cooking, Caroline Chambers, and a host of other food folks have been all about the chicken – especially one-dish chicken dinners. So I’m a little chagrined to say that what I had planned for this week was – you guessed it – chicken! Only I promise I didn’t arrive at chicken (specifically Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken with Honeynut Squash and Hot Honey Drizzle) through the front door.
I saw some beautiful honeynut squash at both Morning Glory Farm and the Whippoorwill farm stand and had to have them. These little guys have less moisture, a higher sugar content, and a much more intense flavor than butternut. And I am mad about them. I like to roast them cut-side down on a sheet pan. But two honeynuts cut in half do not fill up a sheet pan. To me, that empty space looked like a perfect spot for four chicken thighs.
And this is how my brain starts down the road of creating a new recipe. I knew, based on another chicken sheet pan recipe I developed, Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken with Baby Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, and Smoked Paprika, that the chicken would cook in about 40 to 45 minutes at 425°F. And I remembered from last year that a halved honeynut would roast to tenderness in about that amount of time. The “honey” in honeynut and the “crispy” in the chicken made me think of hot honey, and I thought I’d drizzle everything with that at the end.
Along the way I decided to add a few small garden tomatoes (I’m trying to move them along!), fresh thyme, and smoked paprika. And since squash and corn are a favorite combo – and fresh corn will soon be gone – I decided to top the squash with a bit of buttery corn (though you could make this without the corn, too). I’m happy to say that this new recipe did not need a retest in order for me to pass it along to you this week.
🤓 An Update on Little Winter Squash
New squash hybrids come along every year, but this primer on smaller squash I did a few years ago still covers most of the waterfront. So have a look at the descriptions. I just found out that Row 7 Seeds has a successor to its honeynut called the honeypatch, and I’m guessing that may be what our farmers are growing now, as it seems more stout, less elongated. I noticed that Burpee has developed a cross between a small, flat pumpkin and a butternut called the butterkin. I think I’ll grow that next year! One of my favorite small squash is still Koginut (also from Row 7 Seeds), which I wrote about in 2019. It has very creamy flesh and edible skin.
🛻 The Long Goodbye: Farewell to Corn and Eggplant, Hello to Squash
I’m finding all kinds of ways to celebrate this magic moment when the best of summer and fall veggies collide. That corn, squash, and tomato combo? Try it in this Lentil Salad with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Simple Citrus Dressing.
Or try adding a bit of corn to this Butternut Squash, Kale & Parmigiano Gratin.
Or forget the squash for a minute and make Fall Corn and Yukon Gold Potato Gratin.
Take care of those last eggplants coming in with Stir-Fried Eggplant, Corn, and Peanuts with Noodles and Soy-Ginger Sauce.
🥕Happy New Year
I noticed a lot of fresh carrots at the (very mellow) West Tisbury Farmers’ Market this weekend. If you’re observing Rosh Hashana this week, use those carrots in this recipe for Pomegranate Honey-Carrots.
This Herbed Barley Salad with Dates, Pomegranates, Walnuts and Apples is also a delicious way to celebrate the Jewish new year.
And I think these Walkaway Beets with Citrus Dressing would also be welcome on the holiday table – or on any table.
If you’re looking for a brisket recipe, try Chef John Ash’s Brisket Braised in Coffee from our archives.
🍐 Menemsha Orchard Pears, A Local Crisp
For dessert this week? How about Michael Brisson’s Pear Crisp with Dried Cherries and Dried Apricots, made with some of those beautiful pears from Menemsha Orchard. I picked up a couple at Whippoorwill, but North Tisbury Market should have them, too.
That’s all for this week, folks. Enjoy the crisp air, the crisp chicken, and the pear crisp! And check out the information below about a special celebration of oysters coming up next weekend at the Winnetu resort.
— Susie Middleton
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SPONSORED POST
Discover the Delicious World of Oysters on Martha’s Vineyard!
There’s nothing like eating oysters in view of the ocean and then washing them down with a sip of bourbon. The Winnetu Oceanside Resort on South Beach on Martha’s Vineyard is hosting a weekend dedicated to Oceans & Oysters, Friday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 13. Jefferson’s Bourbon is sponsoring the event, with founder Trey Zoeller on hand to answer your questions and pour your drinks.
Local oysters from Cottage City Oysters and Signature Oyster Farm will be shucked and served at cocktail hour. The weekend offers a variety of fun ways to indulge your love of oysters from Friday’s clambake to Saturday’s prix fixe dinner featuring celebrity chef Brian Arruda to Sunday’s Brunch and Bourbon Bloody Marianne Bar. Check out all the options and buy your tickets here.
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🍽️ What’s Happening Around the Island
Pre-order your holiday challah from Grey Barn farm for pick up on Thursday, Oct. 3 or Friday, Oct. 4.
Save the Dates: Morning Glory Pumpkin Fest: 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19; Harvest Festival at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20.
Photos: In collage, lower middle, Jeanna Shepard; lower right, Ray Ewing; all other photos, Susie Middleton.
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Made the chicken with squash and hot honey tonight. A big hit - thanks!