Sometimes in life I find myself going through these crazy phases where I simply can’t get enough of a certain type of food.
When I was 6 it was cheese-filled hot dogs. (Umm, remember those?!)
12 year old me couldn’t get enough Nature Valley Granola Bars. (Please tell me you’ve seen the HIGHlarious fake Nature Valley wrapper floating around Pinterest?)
My sophomore year of high school? All Banana cream pie, all the time. (Don’t even get me started on the BCP club my friends and I had.)
Junior year of college was riddled with bags of salt & vinegar chips (I can still feel the tongue burns…)
And I can remember the first winter after college when I made a batch of sweet & spicy chili every Sunday, then ate the leftovers for lunch all week afterwards. This went on for MONTHS. (I couldn’t make that recipe again for years after I came to my senses!)
These days? Well, I’m simply stuck on quinoa. Simply struck, is more like it!
Quinoa is as filling as it is versatile, and lately I’ve been having fun putting it in everything from salads, to mini breakfast bites, to mac & cheese – and now soup. Er, rather – stew. Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa, to be exact!
Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa is one of the most unique dishes to ever come out of my kitchen. Sweet butternut squash is paired with salty kalamata olives, shredded chicken, and fluffy quinoa, all swirled in a savory chicken broth. It is hearty, full-flavored and so satisfying.
It is a perfect cold-weather dish too, and makes plenty for leftovers. Start the stew by peeling, seeding and chopping a butternut squash.
I used a vegetable peeler to get the outer peel off, then a big, sharp knife to cut the top, straight half off the bottom half.
Chop the squash into 1/2″ pieces then place it in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water. Put a lid on top then microwave for 5-6 minutes or until the squash is just barely tender. Remove half, set it aside, and continue microwaving the other half until it’s very soft, about 3-4 additional minutes.
Drain, then mash the squash that was microwaved the longest with a fork or potato masher.
Squash = done! Set aside for the moment.
Next, place two frozen or thawed chicken breasts in a large soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove over high heat.
Add in rich chicken broth to cover, then bring it to a boil and place a lid on top.
Let the chicken breasts poach in the broth for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to a plate and shred when it’s cool. Pour the broth into a separate bowl and set aside.
Return the pot to the stove and add in olive oil and minced onion. Saute the onion until it’s soft, then add in fragrant garlic and earthy dried oregano, and cook for another minute.
Next add in a can of petite diced tomatoes (I’m a freak about chunks, so I zipped mine through my mini food processor first) as well as the cubed and mashed butternut squash.
Pour the reserved chicken broth back in, plus rinsed uncooked quinoa, and let the whole thing simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked and puffed.
Finally, add the shredded chicken, pitted & quartered kalamata olives,
and fresh parsley into the mix, then stir to combine.
Season with additional salt & pepper, if necessary, and off you go!
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Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa
Description
Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa is packed with vegetables and enlightening flavors. Gluten-free, too!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 14oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 3/4 cup pitted & quartered kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Place the butternut squash and a splash of water in a large bowl with a lid in the microwave, and cook until barely tender, about 6-7 minutes. Remove half of the squash and set it aside. Cook the remaining squash an additional 3-4 minutes or until it is very tender. Drain, then mash this squash with the back of a fork and also set aside.
- Add the chicken broth and chicken breasts to a large soup pot on the stove, and bring to a boil. Place a lid on top, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove chicken to a plate to cool, and pour chicken broth into a separate bowl.
- Return the pot to the stove over medium-low heat, and add in the olive oil. Add onion, salt, and pepper and saute until the onion is soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute.
- Add tomatoes and all the butternut squash to the pot. Stir to combine. Pour in reserved chicken broth and quinoa, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then place a lid on top, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and cooked.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken. When quinoa is cooked, stir in chicken, olives and parsley. Cook until chicken is hot, season with additional salt & pepper if necessary, then ladle into bowls.
Notes
- If making ahead of time, you'll need extra chicken broth when re-heating as the quinoa soaks up some of the broth as it cools.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Like I said – this stew is so incredibly unique. I love how the cubed butternut squash is creamy, the mashed squash is silky, and that the quinoa lends a little poppy bite to each spoonful.
Don’t even get me started on the flavor contrast between the salty olives and sweet squash. It is sooo good!
Michelle 02.21.2012
I’m really hooked on any whole grains lately, but since I too need to get through the ’78lb’ bag of quinoa from Costco, it’s been a lot of that. I’ve been making a great Asian flavored quinoa salad someone brought to the Super bowl party we went to. It’s cooked red quinoa, broccoli, asparagus, green onions, sesame oil, soy sauce, toasted sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. YUM!!!
Lauren @ Vaguely Vegan 02.21.2012
This looks awesome! Anything with kalamata olives gets my approval…I’m sure they are great with the butternut squash.
Ris 02.21.2012
Quinoa is such a great super food! Also, I love the idea of pureeing some of the squash to thicken up the broth. I do that with black bean soup and it makes a huge difference!
Melissa 02.21.2012
Wow–this looks like it’s really something special! I can’t wait to try it!!!
I am fully addicted to almond butter right now. GAH! So good! I’m out right now, and that’s probably a good thing. ;)
Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) 02.21.2012
My sister and I LOVED the nature valley granola bars (green wrapper – whatever flavor that is). We begged out mom to put them in our lunch every. single. day.
Emilia 02.21.2012
Yum! Quinoa is definitely a good food to be “stuck on” This stew looks terrific. My favorite use for quinoa is pretty much just plain, with a little pesto stirred in. Simply divine!
RJ (Kids and Cast Iron) 02.20.2012
I bought that Costco bag too. Never had it before and am having a hard time liking it. I tried your mini bites and those were a miss, I just don’t care for the taste that results from egg and cheese mixing. I tried it in a salad. No go. Maybe a stew would be the ticket. I need to find a way I like it since I bought the big bag.
Kristin from MN 02.20.2012
I’ve been obsessed with cooking with barley recently! First I made your vegetable beef and barley soup last week (awesome btw), and now this week I’m gonna make your Beef and Barley Stew. I’m looking forward to some more barley recipes! :)
Andrea 02.20.2012
This weekend I had Breakfast Almond and Raspberry Quinoa from http://www.ingredientsinc.net/2011/11/breakfast-almond-and-raspberry-quinoa/. AMAZING!
Laura 02.20.2012
I never would of thought to put olives in stew! Can’t wait to try this.
Emily 02.20.2012
Quinoa is a great food to be stuck on! I am stuck on the Biscoff spread. I just ran out of a jar and it pained me to resist getting a new one last night at the store! Also, I’ve been on a greek yogurt kick for oh…4 years. Don’t think that one is going away!
allison @ thesundayflog 02.20.2012
a) that pinterest wrapper is so true!!!!! you try to bite it nicely and end up totally covered in those damn crumbs! b) i cannot get on the quinoa bandwagon! i just don’t like the taste…! i did make a fantastic breakfast quinoa porridge recently (to replicate this awesome one from a diner in philly), and so far so good. here’s the link if you’d like to try it :)
April Holton 02.20.2012
This recipe looks lovely, I really want to try it out. I live in Singapore, and I really struggle to find butternut squash, do you have any suggestions on what I can use instead?
Iowa Girl Eats 02.21.2012
Sweet potato might work??
Katie Schmaltz 02.20.2012
I love the 3rd photo where you can see the camera in the spoon! Great food photography!
Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon 02.20.2012
I have squash and quinoa all packed for lunch tomorrow!
I used to be very obsessed with quinoa but these days I’m all about barley!
Angie 02.20.2012
I made your mom’s macaroni and cheese tonight and it was a big success at our house. I used the panko & parsley ingredients from another mac & cheese recipe on your blog and put it on top of half of it. This was a compromise for my kids :0) Very yummy!
Abby Ryan 02.20.2012
I’m hooked on quinoa, too. My favorite as of late is quinoa for breakfast with some unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze and some toasted unsweetened coconut. THE BOMB!!! So much better than oatmeal…..
Michelle (Better with Berries) 02.20.2012
I’ve only tried Quinoa once, but this looks like a great way to make it again!
I just looked up the Nature Value spoof on pinterest – you are right, it is very funny :-) And kind of true!
Dena @ 40 Fit in the Mitt 02.20.2012
I would have to say Tofu and canned pumpkin, but not together. But I bet that would make a great pie if it was pureed together!
Allison 02.20.2012
I’m on a quinoa kick as well! Everything and anything I can cook with quinoa I am ON IT. Made your delicious mini ham & cheese quiona cups last night. The family LOVED them! I’d love to see you post some more quiona recipes. Thank you for sharing! XO