Loaded with roasted delicata squash, sweet apples, and chewy wild rice, this Squash & Wild Rice Skillet with Apple Chicken Sausage is a comforting meal that is perfect for a fall or winter dinner.
When I first developed this recipe, I wanted a recipe that was like a warm, cozy hug. Loaded with all of the flavors of fall including sweet delicata squash, apples, and cranberries mixed with chewy wild rice, savory spices, and chicken sausage. That I definitely accomplished.
I also wanted this to be an easy recipe you could throw together in just one big skillet. That much, unfortunately, I did not accomplish. I forgot that wild rice takes way longer to cook than squash and sausage. So I kind of ended up with soggy squash and some extra chewy rice on my first attempt. But the flavors were out of this world delicious!
So on my next attempt at this recipe, I tweaked it a bit, still coming up with something super delicious and filling. But it does mean dirtying just one more sheet pan. Sorry I tried.
While this Squash & Wild Rice Skillet with Apple Chicken Sausage does take a little longer to cook, thanks to the long cooking time for the wild rice, it is mostly hands off, making it a great easy dinner for weeknight or any day of the week.
How Do You Make This Squash & Wild Rice Skillet
This Squash & Wild Rice Skillet with Apple Chicken Sausage is fairly quick and easy to make. And it only dirties a couple of dishes, meaning easy clean up, too!
The recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients including roasted delicata squash, sweet apple chicken sausage, and chewy wild rice, and mixes them with the traditional flavors you would find in your favorite Thanksgiving stuffing. The best part is that most of the ingredients are available from Imperfect Foods, so you can have them delivered straight to your door without even having to leave the house! Want to learn more, sign up for Imperfect Foods yourself. (You can even save $10 off your first order if you use my link! 😉)
Here are the steps:
- Cook the rice: In a large skillet add the chopped onion, celery, apples, and garlic with melted butter. Cook a few minutes until the veggies start to soften. Add the spices and wild rice and cook a few more minutes to begin to toast the rice. Then add the chicken stock, cover, and cook about 45 minutes until the rice is cooked through. I like to add the veggies to cook with the rice, so they can add all of their delicious flavors with the rice, but if you prefer the veggies a little crisper, you could wait and add them in after about 15 – 20 minutes.
- Roast the Squash: While the rice cooks, you can get the delicata squash ready. Delicata squash is great because you don’t have to peel it. Just slice up the squash and roast it in a preheated oven. I like to cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, then cut each half into thirds vertically and slice the thirds into about 1/2 inch wide strips.
- Heat the Sausage: For this recipe, I used a precooked apple flavored chicken sausage. I love those sausages because they are super easy to add to quick weeknight meals. I love to slice them and toss them with pasta or stuff it in peppers or zucchini. Since the sausage is precooked, you just need to slice it and let it heat up with the squash as it finishes cooking.
- Toss it All Together: Finally, when everything is cooked, just toss it all together in the big skillet, and add the cheese on top to melt. Then enjoy!
How Can I Change It Up?
This Squash & Wild Rice Skillet with Apple Chicken Sausage is just perfect as is, but it is also easy to customize to your liking. In my family, we love roasted delicata squash because it is easy too prep and cook (find out more about roasting delicata squash), but you could also substitute your favorite winter squash or even sweet potatoes.
For the sausage, I used some apple and guoda chicken sausage from Imperfect Foods. It is the perfect combination of sweet and savory. But if you can’t find apple chicken sausage, you can substitute any other flavor. Spinach and cheese or even Italian chicken sausage would be great. Just make sure they are precooked, or you will need to brown the sausage separately.
The cheese on top is optional, but I seriously recommend it as it is the perfect creamy finish to tie everything together.
Squash and Wild Rice Skillet with Apple Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 delicata squash
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp ground sage (divided)
- 1 small onion
- 1 apple
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbs butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 cup wild rice (uncooked)
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 3 apple gouda chicken sausages
- 1/4 c dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup grated gouda or greyer cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 415°
- Chop onion, celery, apple, and garlic. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add chopped veggies. Cook 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add 1/2 tsp ground sage and thyme to the skillet along with rice. Stir and cook an additional 2 - 3 minutes to lightly toast rice.
- Add chicken stock to skillet, increase heat to high and bring to boil. When boiling, reduce to simmer over low heat, cover, and cook 45 minutes.
- While the rice cooks, get the delicata squash ready. I like to cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, then cut each half into thirds vertically and slice the thirds into about 1/2 inch wide strips.
- Add squash to a baking sheet, and toss with oil salt and pepper to taste, and remaining 1/2 tsp sage. Bake 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes is up, add sliced sausage to pan with squash and continue to cook in oven for 5 - 10 minutes (until the squash is cooked through and the sausage is hot). Remove from oven and set aside.
- When squash, sausage, and rice is all cooked, add squash and sausage to skillet along with dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Top with grated cheese (if desired), then turn off heat, cover pan, and let sit for about 5 minutes. You can also stick the pan under the broiler if desired to melt the cheese faster (make sure your pan is oven safe).