• Yield: Serves 4

  • Time: 45 minutes cooking


Everyone needs a simple oven-roasted chicken every now and then. This recipe gets a vibrant lift from the bright, clear flavor of tomatillos. 

Tomatillos, also known as Mexican green tomatoes or Mexican husk tomatoes, have a lemony-herbal flavor with a bite of acid. That combination is sublime with the sweetness of the butternut squash and the earthy flavors of roasted Brussels sprouts.

Be sure to make the full recipe, as the chicken is even better the next day.

  • One 23-ounce jar Muir Glen Crushed Tomatillos, divided

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • One whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

  • 1 tablespoon paprika, plus more for garnish

  • 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved  

  • 1 large red onion, cut into wedges  

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons salt  

  • 1 teaspoon pepper  

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Set aside 1/2 cup of the tomatillos. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining tomatillos, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir until well mixed.

3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the paprika into the chicken pieces. Add the chicken to the tomatillo mixture, cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and onion with the oil, salt and pepper.

5. Place the chicken skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the reserved tomatillo sauce and arrange the vegetables around it. Roast until the chicken juices run clear and the vegetables are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with more paprika and serve.


***

This recipe was created with funding from Muir Glen, whose tomatoes we love. In fact, Lynne picked them as the best-tasting canned tomatoes in a blind test way back before they were an underwriter of the program. Now our relationship works like this: Muir Glen gave us the money to create more recipes that use tomatoes. We asked our friend Adeena Sussman, who appeared on the show back when she authored this cookbook, to come up with nine original recipes that include canned tomatoes as an ingredient. They're great, and we're rolling them out over the course of nine months. We'd like to thank Muir Glen for the support and for allowing us the creative freedom to produce this content independent of any editorial oversight.