Thyme roasted chicken with butternut squash & cracked green olives
Serves 6
Rub
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
Main dish
1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Handful of thyme sprigs, whole
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chopped into 3⁄4-inch cubes (yields about 3 cups)
Salt & black pepper to taste
1⁄2 cup cracked green olives
Toast fennel seeds in dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and light brown. Grind in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle. Combine ground fennel, chopped thyme sprigs, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken pieces, rubbing to coat both sides. Place chicken in glass baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread whole thyme sprigs on a large, oiled, rimmed baking sheet. Set the chicken pieces on top, and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. In a large bowl, toss squash cubes with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste. Arrange in single layer around chicken pieces. Bake 25 minutes, brushing chicken with pan juices or additional olive oil as needed. Remove from oven and nestle olives among squash pieces around chicken. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until chicken is golden brown (no longer pink in the center) and squash is tender. Remove and discard thyme sprigs, and place chicken pieces on serving platter. Gently toss squash and olives with pan juices and arrange around chicken pieces.
Katherine Putnam, Effingham