Parmesan Lemon Baked Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
Spaghetti squash alone can be a bit dull, but it's amazing what butter seared chicken, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and plenty of lemon can do. What used to be boring turns into something that's almost impossible to stop eating. We use chicken thighs, but there's no reason you couldn't swap them for chicken breast.
Spaghetti squash alone can be a bit dull, but it's amazing what butter seared chicken, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and plenty of lemon can do. What used to be boring turns into something that's almost impossible to stop eating. We use chicken thighs, but there's no reason you couldn't swap them for chicken breast.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for baking the squash
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 lemon halved
- 2 ounces grated parmesan pecorino or a mixture (about 3/4â cup)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems chopped
- Carbohydrate 3.46662344393091 g
- Cholesterol 102.31318847977 mg
- Fat 9.61469002730056 g
- Fiber 1.26899994850159 g
- Protein 38.5352861774554 g
- Saturated Fat 4.86913637815929 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (187g)
- Sodium 368.882929264518 mg
- Sugar 2.19762349542933 g
- Trans Fat 0.985094995054165 g
- Calories 255 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet (or large baking dish) with parchment paper.
- Using a heavy chef’s knife cut squash in half lengthwise — see the notes section for how to do this safely. Remove the seeds and discard. Lightly drizzle the cut side of each squash half with olive oil, and then season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side-down onto the baking sheet and bake 40 to 50 minutes until it is soft and easily pierced with a knife.
- About 20 minutes before the squash has finished baking, cook the chicken. Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks, season with salt then let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter sizzles, add the chicken thighs and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Add the juice of one lemon half and cook for about 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- When the squash is done, flip them so that the cut-side is facing up and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Run a fork through the flesh to separate the 'spaghettilike' strands, and place in the skillet with chicken. Stir in most of the cheese, parsley, and some fresh ground pepper. Serve with more cheese and an extra squeeze of lemon juice on top.
Acid applied at the end of cooking preserves volatile aromatics that prolonged simmering destroys. Fresh lemon juice added directly to hot pan drippings deglazes fond instantly while retaining sharp, bright citrus notes absent from bottled juice. Baking spaghetti squash cut-side-down traps steam inside the cavity, accelerating cellular breakdown and yielding tender strands without adding extra liquid to the baking sheet. Roasting at 375 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes ensures the outer skin remains stable enough to hold its shape while the interior yields easily to a fork.
The Advantage of Fresh Components
Whole parmesan pecorino blocks grated immediately before mixing melt into hot squash strands much smoother than pre-shredded varieties coated in cellulose anti-caking agents. Chicken thighs provide higher fat content than breasts, creating richer drippings when seared in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Salt applied to 1-inch chicken chunks five to ten minutes prior to cooking draws out surface moisture through osmosis, promoting a deeper, more even sear.
- Watery squash strands usually result from under-baking or failing to drain excess moisture before mixing with meat.
- Tough chicken chunks indicate the pan temperature was too low, causing the meat to steam rather than brown during the initial 5-to-7-minute sear.
- Substituting boneless skinless chicken breasts requires reducing total pan cooking time by roughly two minutes to prevent dry protein fibers.
