Honeynut squash is a modern marvel, a vegetable that’s younger than the iPhone, YouTube, and Olivia Rodrigo. Now at farmers markets and grocery stores across the country, typically from September to December, the honeynut squash as we know it was released around 2009 as a collaboration between the Plant Breeding and Genetics department at Cornell University and chef Dan Barber’s team at the upstate New York restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Their dream was a shrunken, single-serve butternut squash that needs little more than a high-heat roast to become absurdly delicious. This recipe starts there—then adds some creamy, tangy, spicy toppings to gild the lily.

In 30 minutes, the squashes emerge from the oven tender and browned, with little cups (where the seeds used to be) waiting to be filled. The answer here—as it is with cantaloupe halves for some people, you know who you are—is cottage cheese. Now is the time to get the good stuff. Our test kitchen is devoted to Good Culture, but if you can’t find that brand or another high-quality, whole-milk version, swap in another dairy, like plain Greek yogurt.

The rest of the dish can likewise be treated as a template. If honeynut evades you, opt for any winter squash and adjust accordingly. Cottage cheese and chili crisp would be equally gleeful atop butternut quarters or delicata rings (no need to peel either; roast until tender). If seasoned rice vinegar is in your pantry, use that and skip the added salt and sugar in step 3. Whatever the specifics, it’s a special-enough side dish to also make as a vegetarian main course.

Chicken

Step 1

Stir 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add 1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs toss to coat. Let sit 30 minutes.

Chili Crisp and Assembly

Step 2

While chicken is marinating, combine 2 jalapeños, finely chopped, and one 1″ piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, in a medium bowl and set a fine-mesh sieve over bowl. Set aside.

Step 3

Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Add 2 shallots, halved through root ends, thinly sliced crosswise, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 5–7 minutes. Add 4 scallions, thinly sliced, 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour through reserved sieve into bowl. Let shallot mixture in sieve cool, tossing occasionally, to keep crisp.

Step 4

Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off); oil grate. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess, and place over direct heat. Grill, turning halfway through and moving thighs to cooler side of grill if browning too quickly, until deeply browned in spots and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest 5–10 minutes.

Step 5

Stir shallot mixture into oil mixture in bowl, then stir in 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. granulated sugar, and 1 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar. Spoon green chili crisp over chicken thighs and serve with rice alongside.