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.
Oh my! this Arkansas grandma run across gold when I discovered your website. Sending recipes to my daughter who has a diabetic husband. I knew quiona was a excellent food, but have never tried it. Thanks, love your
recipes, cant wait to try them.
I’ve been really into slow cooker chicken dishes lately – adapted this recipe for the slow cooker and it came out SO good! I especially love the salty, tangy addition of kalamata olives. I would have never thought to add them but am now finding myself adding them to all sorts of dishes! Thanks for yet another delicious, simple, healthy meal :)
This is amazing. Perfect for a blustery day. The whole family, from 10 month old to 41 year old, gobbled it up. Also great with a bit of greek yogurt on top!
I made this a while back without the olives and added some mini sweet peppers. Just had the version I froze and it’s even better than I remember the first time. Topped it with plain greek yogurt and salsa and it’s so good!! Thanks!!
I made this tonight. I’ll admit the olives had me really nervous but I put a few in anyway to try and it ended up being so amazing that I threw extra in! This was an awesome stew. Do you think leftovers would freeze well?
Yay! I don’t know for sure about how frozen leftovers would turn out once reheated since I haven’t tried, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work!
WoW! This recipe is so awesome and a definite keeper. So excited I came across your blog.
IGE…what the heck IS quinoa?! I’ve never had it and I just can’t even figure out what it is with the variety of uses you’ve posted. I know you call it a “pure protein”, whatever that means. I looked online once and I think it said it was a seed of some sort.
What does it taste like? In this soup it reminds me of barley. But sometimes it looks like tapioca. And sometimes it looks like a pasta. And sometimes it looks “bread-y” like a grain.
Help. :(
I wrote this post just for you! :) https://iowagirleats.com/2012/02/28/kiwi-mango-quinoa-salad-easy-kiwi-peeling-trick/
Awesome recipe! Made it today for dinner with homemade French bread.
I made this today and my husband (who is usually not too fond of my cooking) came in and said… “It smells delicious!”
Then he took a bowl of the soup, took his first bite and said “This is amazing. No, really. I’m serious. It is AMAZING.”
Great recipe… thanks for sharing!
Good grief how did I miss this recipe this past week – sounds interesting and I’m pretty sure I’d love it.
I love quinoa in any kind of cold or warm salad. This fall dish has been my fav so far:
This looks really yummy! I love quinoa but haven’t experimented too much with it yet. Looks like that’s about to change! Thanks! Warmly, Barbara
The best Quinoa recipe I have ever come across is from Mark Bittman…sweet potato (I end up roasting mine, where he boils his I think), balsamic vinegar and some onion. OMG to die for! My girls even eat it…hot or cold! :-)
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ooh I made this recipe a few months ago and LOVED it! Thanks for reminding me to make it again :)