Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa is packed with protein and healthy vegetables. The mouthwatering flavors will bring you back for more.
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 use 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!
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!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 14 oz 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
- Keep extra chicken broth on hand for reheating as the quinoa will soak up some of the broth.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This looks awesome! Anything with kalamata olives gets my approval…I’m sure they are great with the butternut squash.
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!
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. ;)
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.
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!
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.
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! :)
This weekend I had Breakfast Almond and Raspberry Quinoa from http://www.ingredientsinc.net/2011/11/breakfast-almond-and-raspberry-quinoa/. AMAZING!
I never would of thought to put olives in stew! Can’t wait to try this.
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!
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 :)
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?
Sweet potato might work??
I love the 3rd photo where you can see the camera in the spoon! Great food photography!