Sheet-Pan Chicken With Black Beans and Squash
Updated February 20, 2026
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Ready In
- 45 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
1 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
1 pound cubed butternut squash
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and shaken dry
1 red onion, thinly sliced, divided
3 tablespoons avocado or other neutral-tasting oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
Cilantro, toasted pepitas, sour cream, or lime wedges or a combination, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)
35 grams carbs; 167 milligrams cholesterol; 635 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 40 grams fat; 11 grams fiber; 1011 milligrams sodium; 36 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, combine the chicken, squash, beans, half the red onion, oil, chili powder, cumin and 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt). Toss to coat, then spread into an even layer. Roast until the chicken skin is deeply golden and the squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Top the cooked chicken and vegetables as you like with the remaining red onion, cilantro, pepitas, dollops of sour cream and a squeeze of lime.
To use boneless, skinless thighs, toss them in the seasonings, then remove from the sheet pan. Roast the squash, onion and beans for 15 minutes, then add the thighs and continue to roast until cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Broil for more browning if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
New family favourite! My two-year-old loved this so much that in her bedtime prayers she said, “Thank you, God, for the new dinner.”
Another great Ali Slagle sheet pan dinner that'll be going into the rotation at our house! I subbed in sweet potatoes for the squash because I find them easier to work with and my family likes them better anyway. For toppings we had cilantro, lime, red onion, and feta. I doubled the recipe for our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 elementary-aged kids) hoping for leftovers. But everyone liked it and we only had one thigh leftover, so I think we would have been hungry if I hadn't.
@Kate C. I took your suggestion and used sweet potatoes. Also prepped veggies early and tossed in large bowl with spices. Spice wimp here so only one 1t. of chili powder. Added chicken after an hour. Delicious!
Made this dish with a mixture of chicken breast and bone in skin on thighs. Also cut back on chili, and added paprika. Worked perfectly! Question for the crowd - I have vegetarians visiting next month - they would love the taste profile - what changes do I need to make this with no chicken? Add some broth? Add tofu?
I made this with carrots because that is what I had and it was good, but pretty dry, especially the black beans when reheated as a leftover. I wanted to keep it healthy and don’t like sour cream so I didn’t use any. Any tips to make it less dry?
Subbed in sweet potatoes, skipped the pepitas. Wonderful served with warm, soft tortillas to scoop all the amazing flavors into. Will add more onion next time. Roasted four pounds of bone in thighs so the meat could be used in another meal but then my ratios were a little off and I had extra veggies. Turned them (and all the pan juices) into soup and topped with crushed tortillas - could have totally topped that with the pepitas. Yum (again!)