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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.
Made this for the second time. We really enjoyed it. Easy to prepare and very flavourful. The only modifications I made was to add some onion and garlic powder to the chicken in addition to what the recipe called for. But I loved it and will make again. Thank you
Hi Josie, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it enough to make it twice! Adding onion and garlic powder sounds like a delicious touch.
Made this for my husband and I this evening and it was wonderful. I've never actually had butternut squash before and wasn't sure if I would like it, but in this recipe it was wonderfully soft and sweet! I may experiment with adding mushrooms next time, just because I think a bit of earthiness will be a nice addition. Adored this recipe!!!
Thank you for your review, Madison! Mushrooms sound like a fantastic addition—such a great pairing with the sweet butternut squash!
Was such a yummy dinner. It came together easily and the colors were definitely autumn’s crown. Thanks!
I love your review—this dish is perfect for autumn!
I’m so excited to try this! My husband is not a fan of Brussel sprouts, do you have a recommended substitute?
I recommend fresh green beans (roasted in the oven, or boiled briefly).
This was simple and delicious thank you for sharing
Yay, Heather, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I would like to try this recipe but I am lactose intolerant. What type of pasta could I substitute and would the pasta hold up to freezing. Would it be best if I just made the chicken, brussel sprouts and butternut squash portions and then froze?
Hi Dottie! If you can find vegan ravioli - they would work great here. Also, use dairy-free butter or simply olive oil instead of butter here. You can also use gnocchi (make sure it's dairy-free) or bow-tie pasta here.
This has quickly become a staple in our house. I make it with boneless chicken breasts and every single person I've made this for has asked for the recipe. Stunningly delicious every single time!
Sam, wow, your comment made my day! ❤️ Thank you for taking the time to share such a wonderful review. 🙂
can this be made with boneless chicken breast
Janet, yes, you can make this with skinless boneless chicken breasts, without any changes to the recipe. Just make sure the chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Everyone loved it…including my vegetable phobic teenager! lol. I will definitely be making this again. My grocery store sells already peeled and cubed butternut squash so that saved me some prep time. The whole thing was on the table in about 40 min start to finish.
Joy, I am so glad it was a hit with everyone! 🙂 The precut cubed butternut squash saves so much time! Whenever I see it in the store, I always grab it!
Made this last night, perfect one dish meal for a cold night! I adore roasted vegetables anyway, but this combo was spot-on. The sear in the iron skillet for the chicken and the simple ingredients, just so good. I have leftovers in the fridge for lunch, and I'm looking forward to that as I work this morning! I doubled the amount of chicken, as we are trying to up our protein, but other than that followed the recipe exactly.
Kim, thank you for your rave and detailed review - I so appreciate it! 🙂 I am all about incorporating more protein into my dinners, as well! Most of the recipes on my website are very much protein-forward (plus veggies and other stuff, of course).
Yummy! I made it for my parents and they loved it.
Elise, I am so glad you guys enjoyed it! 🙂
This is really yummy, and super easy to make vegan 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Heather, you are so welcome! Glad you were able to adjust it to be vegan-friendly!
This was delicious and easy to make. The whole family loved it. I will definitely make this again, and often!
Kathy, I am so glad this recipe was a success! ❤️❤️ Thank you so much for your review and the 5-star rating! ❤️
VERY good!
Thank you, Marki!
I thought it was very gods and easy to make. Thanks so much
Judy, I am glad you tried this recipe and loved it! 🙂