Bite of Brazil: Chicken and sausage sheet-pan recipe takes advantage of fall produce

One of my favorite things to do as a home cook is experiment in the kitchen.

I rarely look up recipes or follow instructions. Dinners at our house are typically either a culmination of everything I already had in the fridge or inspired by the produce that caught my eye during my most recent shopping trip.

This month’s recipe is just that. Inspired by the fall produce that now lines the shelves of my local grocery store, and created for an early “friendsgiving” dinner.

I always get excited when I see the display of squashes make its return each fall. I love cooking with squash, which to me delivers the same satisfaction that potatoes give with a little hint of flavor and sweetness.

When faced with a choice between chicken breasts or thighs, I always go for the latter. Chicken thighs are much easier to keep moist in the cooking process, and also have more natural flavor.

In this recipe I use boneless and skinless for the sake of cooking time, but bone-in thighs are also fantastic if you have the time to wait.

Kielbasa is just delicious and I knew this dish needed a little more fat to boost the flavor profile. The cranberries are there to balance this fat and add a pop of sweet and sour to this savory dish.

This recipe marks a turning point in the Bite of Brazil column. I have been writing this column for more than two years now and I wanted a chance to share some of my own recipes, which are not always particularly Brazilian. Still, every time I cook a meal I find myself employing skills and philosophies I learned from the matriarchs of my family. In that way, these recipes I develop are always a bite of Brazil.

Follow Alexandra Olsen on Instagram, @TheHungryGaucha.