This sheet pan chicken and squash with fennel is a fun and flavorful easy weeknight dinner for all the family! Super simple to make as a gluten free meal, it's packed with veggies and has a delicious pop of sweetness from blueberries.
Do check out my sheet pan pesto chicken as another flavorful and very simple dinner idea!
We all need an easy weeknight dinner that's nourishing, full of flavor, but more importantly super simple to make don't we?! Making this sheet pan chicken, squash and fennel requires just a little prep time, then we roast chicken and veggies all on one pan.
The 'special' ingredient of this sheet pan chicken is the blueberries - they add the best little pop of sweetness that goes so well with the flavors of squash and fennel. Don't worry, they won't make it taste like dessert!
Looking for more easy chicken recipes? Do check out my herbs de Provence chicken breast recipe, brown butter and sage chicken and air fryer mozzarella stuffed chicken breast. All flavorful and easy to make!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
- Family dinner idea - the oven does the work to make this sheet pan roasted chicken and squash, and it's equally perfect as a weeknight or weekend meal.
- Fall flavors - the squash and fennel make it especially nice during the fall season, but it can be enjoyed year-round of course!
- Easy to make - this really does have very little 'hands on' prep time.
🐓 Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
This sheet pan chicken and squash makes the most of fresh veggies, fruit and pantry staples. You will need:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - this recipe serves two people (generously), so purchase chicken breasts to your appetite! If they are larger in size, then you may wish to cut into smaller pieces as I have done here.
- Squash - the quintessential fall vegetable (well, fruit technically). Slice into wedges and remove the seeds. You can use butternut squash, dumpling squash or another roasting squash.
- Fennel - an often overlooked vegetable I feel, but has a lovely aniseed flavor.
- Blueberries - used as a swap for grapes, they burst and go jammy when cooked in the oven.
- Maple syrup - the sweetness in the dressing.
- Ginger - I do suggest to use fresh root ginger rather than ground ginger. Adapt the quantity to your taste preference.
- Olive oil - the base of the dressing.
- Garlic - use fresh if you can, or garlic powder in a pinch if you're out.
📖 Swap and variations
Swap blueberries for grapes. If they work for you, grapes can be used as a swap. Just to note for my low histamine readers that they are a somewhat debated food in terms of histamine. The SIGHI list rates them as low histamine (0 on their list), but other lists rate them higher.
🔪 Step by step instructions
The beauty of tray bake or sheet pan recipes (never sure which term to use!) is their simplicity, which makes them perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. It really is a case of adding ingredients to your tray and letting the oven do the work for you.
All the instructions are set out in the recipe card below, but these photos should help guide you.
Step 1
After making the maple ginger dressing, add the squash, fennel and blueberries to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle half the dressing over them. Toss to combine so they are evenly coated.
Step 2
Place the chicken breasts (I cut mine into two as they were on the larger side) on the squash and fennel and then spoon the rest of the dressing over them. You can use a brush if you like to ensure the chicken is coated.
Roast the chicken sheet pan in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken has thoroughly cooked through, with an internal temperature of 165F at its deepest part using a meat thermometer.
If you like, then scatter some fresh thyme (or herb of choice) over the sheet pan to serve. Then enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Cut your chicken breast into 2-3 pieces depending upon their size.
- For the squash, I use dumpling squash for this recipe but you can also use butternut squash, acorn squash or buttercup squash.
- Make sure to check for an internal temperature of 165F for the deepest point of the chicken using a meat thermometer.
- If you aren't a fan of thyme, then parsley would be nice!
📋 Frequently asked questions
This recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Yes, you can easily use butternut squash for this chicken and squash sheet pan recipe. Slice into small wedges and remove the seeds, then roast it up!
It isn't necessary to peel many varieties of squash when roasting them, including butternut squash and sweet dumpling squash, as they have thin edible skin.
🍽 More tasty chicken recipes
Find so many tasty chicken recipe ideas here, including my creamy sage chicken, ricotta stuffed chicken and popular rosemary chicken fillets and these recent recipes:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Sheet Pan Chicken, Squash and Fennel
Ingredients
For the sheet pan chicken and squash
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts divide into smaller pieces, if required
- 1 small squash sliced into wedges, seeds removed
- 1 fennel fronds removed, de-cored and sliced
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
For the maple ginger dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cm ginger grated
- 1 garlic clove finely diced or minced
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C.
- Make the maple ginger dressing by combining all the ingredients and stirring well.
- Arrange the diced squash, fennel and blueberries on a baking sheet in an even layer and drizzle over half the dressing. Toss to combine. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and spoon over the remaining dressing. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked through (internal temperature of 165F at the deepest point using a meat thermometer).
- Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, and then serve.
Notes
- If your chicken breasts are on the larger side, then cut into smaller pieces.
- Try to spoon the dressing over the chicken so that it acts as a marinade.
- To ensure the chicken breasts are thoroughly cooked, use a meat thermometer and check for an internal temperature of 165F at their deepest point.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- ginger and garlic, which score 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
Lindsey Pratt says
This was so good, I couldn’t stop eating it!! It was also super easy to make! Def putting it in rotation!
Claire says
So glad you enjoyed it Lindsey! Always handy to have a simple sheet pan recipe on a busy day I think!
Elly says
I've made this three times and it is low histamine delicious. My partners favorite as well. The flavors are wonderful and the blueberry/fennel combo is so good. We devour it!!
Claire says
So glad you both like it Elly! Sheet pan chicken recipes are always good for being easy meals aren't they.
Jayne says
Thank you for sharing this - so easy and delicious -we really enjoyed it! I used chicken legs (both the drumstick and skin-on thigh) that I had frozen and wanted to use up. We needed a low histamine - SIBO friendly meal and this was great! The chicken was lovely and tender (baked for 20mins first to defrost), the carnival squash was delish with the maple dressing and juice from the blueberries! YUM! Add to the that the fact that it's so easy to make, and it's a winner! Look forward to making it again!
Claire says
Hi Jayne, so glad you liked the recipe and it worked both for low histamine and SIBO! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂