Fall Chicken Stew with Quinoa and Butternut Squash

This “New American Heartland” fall hen stew recipe is bulked up with quinoa and butternut squash. The dish is hearty and filling, and an ideal fall or winter dinner recipe.

When the chilly climate units in, I at all times need to make cozy, heat consolation meals, however these are sometimes not essentially the most wholesome recipes (i.e. beef stew, I like you endlessly, however you’re not wholesome haha!). This seasonal dish is wholesome, stuffed with greens, protein and nutritious grains and it’ll heat you up from the within out.

I’m making a loaf of easy herbed focaccia bread to dip on this delicious fall hen stew!

What Do I Must Make Fall Hen Stew?

You’ve heard of kitchen sink cookies, and I severely considered naming this kitchen sink stew since you severely add virtually every part however the kitchen sink! Ha! However kitchen sink stew doesn’t sound appetizing in any respect. Listed here are the elements you will have:

• Hen Broth
• Rotisserie Hen: I like to make use of rotisserie hen simply to maintain issues fast and easy, however you may undoubtedly prepare dinner your individual hen in order for you. Grilled chicken breasts or left over roasted chicken would work nice. I desire to incorporate for hen breast and hen thigh meat if I can for essentially the most taste.
• Greens and Herbs: Butternut Squash, Yellow Onion, Diced Tomatoes, Kale, and Flat-Leaf Parsley
• Taste, Seasonings & Spices: Garlic, Kosher Salt, Dried Oregano, Floor Cumin, Nutmeg, Orange Zest and Black Pepper
• Grains: Quinoa (Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend)
• Olive Oil

The measurements for all of the elements could be discovered within the recipe card down under. Preserve scrolling for all the main points!

Substitutions and Variations

One of many issues I like about stew recipes is how customizable they’re! This recipe is ideal for including to or swapping out. Listed here are just a few concepts:

• You’ll be able to add cubed potatoes (pink potatoes or yukon gold) or candy potatoes or swap them for the butternut squash.
• Use couscous or orzo as a substitute of the quinoa.
• If you happen to aren’t a kale fan, attempt spinach as a substitute!
• In fact the veggies are completely as much as you – peas, carrots, celery, and many others.
• If you wish to make this stew vegetarian, omit the hen and use vegetable broth as a substitute of hen inventory.

The best way to Make This Hen Stew Recipe

To get the depth of taste you crave in a very good stew, it takes a few steps beginning with roasting the butternut squash. You additionally need to caramelize the onions somewhat bit after which let every part simmer so the flavors can come collectively. Listed here are the essential steps:

1. Roast: Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 levels F till it’s tender. Take away half of the squash and set it apart after which roast the remaining squash till tremendous tender. Mash this squash with a fork.
2. Sauté: Warmth a big dutch oven over medium warmth and add olive oil. Sauté the onion till translucent. Add the garlic and all of the seasonings and spices. Stir till bloomed.
3. Mix: Add the tomatoes, butternut squash items and mashed butternut till mixed. Stir within the hen broth, quinoa and kale.
4. Simmer: Deliver every part to a light-weight boil after which cut back the warmth to a simmer till the quinoa turns translucent.
5. Stir: Add within the hen, orange zest and pepper and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Stir within the parsley and serve in giant soup bowls.

Preserve scrolling right down to the recipe card for an entire take a look at the entire recipe.

The best way to Make Hen Stew Thicker?

In case your stew finally ends up extra like soup and also you need that thick, gravy-like stew consistency, there are just a few choices to thicken it up. For this specific recipe, the mashed butternut squash will likely be key to getting it thick. Have you ever tried our classic butternut squash soup? We use the identical method in that recipe too.

Another choice for thickening it’s to combine equal elements flour and fats (i.e. a roux), often butter, and whisking it in.

You may as well make a slurry by mixing equal elements cornstarch and chilly water and whisking it in to a scorching stew till the specified thickness.

I’ve lately turn out to be obsessive about Cornaby’s merchandise, particularly their EZ Gel, for thickening. You’ll be able to comply with the directions on the bag, however mainly you simply sprinkle within the gel and let it do its factor. If I used to be going to decide on between all these choices (other than simply utilizing the mashed butternut), I’d go along with EZ Gel.

Can I Make This Soup in a Gradual Cooker? Prompt Pot?

For the sluggish cooker, you would need to prepare dinner every part first (roast the butternut squash, sauté the onions, and many others.) so it form of defeats the aim of utilizing a sluggish cooker.

For the Prompt Pot, you’ll need to prepare dinner the butternut within the oven first to get that wealthy roasted taste. If you happen to wished to strictly use the stress cooker, add a cup of water after which put the cubed butternut squash in a basket and prepare dinner for 4 min on excessive. Drain and take away. You’ll be lacking that scrumptious roasted taste although. Then sauté every part in batches. Then add every part again to the Prompt Pot and prepare dinner for 5-7 minutes after which do a pure launch.

What to Eat with Fall Hen Stew

Once I eat stew, there have to be a scrumptious bread to dip in it! It’s an absolute should! Listed here are some concepts for breads:

Storage Suggestions

This hen stew will retailer effectively in an hermetic container within the fridge to as much as 5 days.

This stew freezes extraordinarily effectively. Place it in a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag and place it within the freezer. It’ll maintain for as much as 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter or within the fridge and reheat.

To reheat the stew, you need to use the microwave of the range prime. If I’m simply heating up a fast bowl for myself, I’ll zap it within the microwave. If I’m reheating a number of servings, I’ll heat it up in a big saucepan till heated by means of.

Want a heat, comforting meal to get you thru the chilly winter months? This hearty autumn hen stew recipe is filled with taste and nutritious elements that can go away you feeling happy and comfy.

Extra Hen Soups and Stew Recipes:

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