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This colorful and vibrant Autumn Chicken Dinner with Roasted Vegetables features smoked paprika chicken, cheese tortellini, and garlic butter sauce. The two main ingredients are amazing Fall veggies: roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. This dinner might become your new family favorite recipe this Fall!
Autumn chicken dinner
Butternut squash and Brussels sprouts are two delicious Fall veggies that are often used on their own or in salads. Or as part of holiday side dishes, as in my very popular Thanksgiving side dish: roasted butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, and pecans.
In this autumn chicken dinner, however, they are part of a much larger picture. Here, those two delicious roasted veggies are combined together with smoked paprika chicken, cheese tortellini, and garlic butter sauce. The end result is a beautiful, colorful, and vibrant dinner.
- The sliced skinless, boneless chicken thighs seasoned with smoked paprika and seared to perfection in a cast-iron skillet are so tasty!
- The roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts pair beautifully with the chicken.
- Cheese tortellini completes this colorful meal together with the garlic butter sauce. This dish is my new favorite Autumn comfort food!
Fall vegetables
What I love about this autumn chicken dinner is that includes two of my favorite Fall veggies: butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. They are delicious and so good for you! If you want a complete meal and dinner involving these two veggies, this is it!
This recipe requires a little bit more work than my usual recipes but it is so worth it! And the only extra work involved here is roasting the butternut squash and the Brussels sprouts. Peeling, seeding, and cutting the butternut squash in cubes does take time. Roasting the veggies also takes time. This is not a one-pan dinner. You will use a cast-iron skillet and 2 baking sheets. But, if you want to implement these 2 wonderful veggies into your menu, it's totally worth the effort!
What kind of chicken can you use?
- Skinless, boneless chicken thighs. This is what I use in this recipe. The dark meat of chicken thighs goes really well with all the other flavors.
- Skinless, boneless chicken breast. You can definitely use chicken breasts - slice them thinly similar to how I sliced the chicken here.
- Chicken Tenderloins or Tenders. This is another perfect meat to use here. It's already sliced, so you can use it as is, or slice it even thinner.
Fresh herbs
Fresh herms are so important in this recipe! They truly make or break it! I use fresh thyme, and it adds a lot of flavor to this Fall chicken dinner. I used ¼ of an ounce - or just a few sprigs of fresh thyme. The more, the better! I would not recommend using dried thyme. But if you do use it, use a much smaller quantity.
How to make autumn chicken dinner
First, make sure you have peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash. Toss it with olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper in a large bowl.
If you want to know everything about how to peel, seed, and cube butternut squash - check out my very detailed basic recipe for roasted butternut squash.
Next, roast the butternut squash in the oven until crispy.
Then, slice Brussels sprouts in half and toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roast the Brussels sprouts in the oven at the same time you roast the butternut squash.
The skinless, boneless chicken thighs (sliced) are seasoned with smoked paprika, salt, and ground black pepper. They are then seared in a cast-iron skillet until the golden crust forms.
Next, the butter and the minced garlic are cooked together briefly with the chicken juices to create garlic butter sauce and then mixed with cooked cheese tortellini.
Finally, everything is combined together: cooked paprika chicken, cooked tortellini (both coated in garlic butter sauce), roasted butternut squash, and brussels sprouts.
How to store and reheat it
Because this autumn chicken dinner features only a simple garlic butter sauce, this recipe is perfect to make ahead. Reheating it is a breeze, and you can make this 2 or 3 days in advance.
- Fridge. You can store this dish in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. This is a perfect meal to freeze. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- How to reheat. You can reheat this in a microwave oven for 1 minute. Or, you can melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and reheat this over medium heat for about 5 minutes. So easy! There is no cream sauce to deal with! Just reheat everything with butter!
What to serve with it
Since this recipe already has lots of veggies, you don't really need to serve a veggie side dish with it. A simple Fall salad will pair beautifully with this autumn dinner. Try one of these:
- Cranberry Spinach Salad with Cashews and Goat Cheese
- Arugula Salad with Pears and Apples
- Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts
Other Autumn recipes you might like
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
- Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
- Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
Autumn Chicken Dinner with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled, seeded, cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Roasted Brussels sprouts
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Chicken and Tortellini
- 9 oz cheese tortellini
- 1 lb chicken thighs skinless, boneless
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- fresh thyme
Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Make sure the butternut squash is peeled, seeded, and cubed. Here is a very detailed recipe on how to peel, seed, cube, and roast butternut squash.
- In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
- Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove yellow leaves. Slice all Brussels sprouts in half.
- In a medium bowl, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the Brussels sprouts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
- Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for 20 or 30 minutes. You can roast them at the same time you roast butternut squash. Remove from oven.
Chicken and tortellini
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add tortellini and cook according to the package instructions. Drain.
- Slice skinless, boneless chicken thighs into thin strips. Season generously with smoked paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat an empty large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. This allows the cast-iron skillet to heat through. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add sliced chicken thighs in a single layer, without overcrowding. You might have to work in batches. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 4 minutes, without moving it at all so that it sears nicely.
- Flip the chicken slices over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer until it's cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate.
- To the same, now empty, cast-iron skillet, add butter and minced garlic. Cook on low-medium heat for about 1 or 2 minutes or until the garlic softens.
- Add cooked tortellini and coat thoroughly with the garlic butter sauce on low-medium heat.
- Add back cooked chicken and stir to coat the chicken with the garlic butter sauce on low-medium heat. Remove from heat.
- Add roasted butternut squash and roasted Brussels sprouts to the skillet with cooked chicken and cooked tortellini. If you used a large skillet, everything should fit. If not, work in batches. Top with fresh thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
One of the most flavoursome dishes I’ve tried, made it a few times now. Branched out and added chilli flakes and tried with ricotta & spinach gnocchi, thank you for the recipe!
Louise, you are so welcome! ❤️ Ricotta and spinach gnocchi sound so delicious in this recipe!
I was drawn to this recipe as I love Brussels and all hard Squash. It’s simply amazing !
Being a semi studied chef I love to cook to stay healthy and your recipes have inspired me yet again. I’ve found many ways to adapt this using the Sprouts and squash as a base to begin. Thank You !!! Wonderful Recipes and so many !!!
Arthur, wow, your thoughtful comment really made my day! ❤️ Brussels sprouts and winter squash are some of my most favorite ingredients as well and I love using them in my cooking. So happy to hear my recipes encourage you to cook! ❤️❤️
I would like to make this without the chicken. Any tips?
Kamelya, just skip the chicken cooking part, but don't skip the spices. Combine all roasted veggies and cooked tortellini in a large high-sided skillet, add all the spices listed in the recipe, butter, etc. Mix everything well and reheat gently.
If you like mushrooms, you can cook portobello mushrooms instead of chicken.
Enjoy! 🙂
So tasty!! We have some leftovers, can I freeze them?
Tara, yes, this recipe freezes well. So glad you liked it! 🙂
The ads are ridiculous! You can’t even read the recipe to see if it would be something I’d cook! And, I get a pop up asking me if I want to save this recipe…before I’ve been able to read it? The ads on top of ads on top of ads….
I made this for my family tonight and everyone loved it! It was so good! I’m gluten intolerant so an easy switch and delicious!
Ashley, so glad this recipe was a success - thank you for your feedback! ❤️
Oh my goodness!! I love this recipe so much!! The flavor profile is amazing!!! h. Definitely a “keeper” for sure!
Hannah, I am so flattered by your comment! ❤️ Thank you for your rave review - I appreciate it!
This looks divine but we don't care for brussels sprouts. Is there another vegetable you would recommend?
This meal was amazing! My family loved it. I cooked the veggies together on one baking sheet for 30 minutes. I added some melted butter to the veggies after I took them out of the oven. The family loved it! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful fall recipe!
Bonnie, I am so happy you tried this recipe and loved it! Thank you for your great review! ❤️❤️
Absolutely delicious! My husband loved it! And he has a mature pallet lol!! Will definitely be making this again this Fall season!!
Taylor, thank you for such a positive comment - I really appreciate it! ❤️❤️
Just made this tonight. It was fantastic and so easy. I used frozen cubed butternut squash. Cooked the vegetables together for 35 minutes and I used 1tsp dried thyme. Definitely will make this again.
Thanks
Dione, so glad this recipe turned out well! Thank you for taking the time to share your great review! ❤️
Don’t usually come back to leave a comment, but this was a home run! Took a short cut with the Brussels sprouts and bought frozen but roasted them and broiled for a couple minutes. It was delicious! And…it was my first time with the whole butternut squash, not sure why I’ve been so intimidated all these years lol, but it was easy to manage. Thanks for a great dish!
Virginia, thank you for taking the time to share such a positive and detailed comment! ❤️ Glad the frozen sprouts worked well in this recipe!
Just made this and it was amazing!!!
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Wow! Just a fantastic combination of ingredients. Pretty easy to make. I can’t wait to take some into work and make people jealous!
Tracy, I am so glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! ❤️
Yum! Husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful, flavorful dish. I made the recipe as written except I used a regular large saute pan. The prep time took me a lot longer than 40 minutes but I was enjoying the process so didn't mind. I think next time, I'll add some red pepper flakes and a little acid of some sort (a few tomatoes?). Thanks for this delicious recipe.
DeeDee, I am so glad both of you liked this recipe! ❤️ Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful review! ❤️
I am looking forward to making this dish this evening; however, was shocked by the 94% Saturated fat!!! Going to cut the butter and use Olive oil through out maybe that will help. I'm sure it will be delicious!
What a terrific meal. I made it for my older grandson who loves all the components. He raved about how good it was.
So delicious & so easy !! Definitely at the top of my list
Sally, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and loved it! 🙂
The thyme on the tortellini combined with the fall vegetables was delicious. I made it with edamame instead of chicken and it was amazing
K, thank you for trying the recipe - so glad you liked it! 🙂 Edamame sounds delish with these flavors!
Loved this recipe! Easy to make and the flavor was so good. I did add garlic and onion powder to the chicken. You have so many great recipes I want to try! Thanks !
Kris, you are so sweet - I am glad you're enjoying my recipes. I hope you like them all! 🙂