Chicken Stew With Butternut Squash and Quinoa

I made this last friday and it came out fabulous. I'm just now starting to get a hold on making soups, stews and sauces - so I was quite surprised when this came out looking just like the picture in the recipe. On top of tasting as good as it looked. It made a ton! It fed us all weekend long, on top of giving some to my dad and my friend Kristy to take home. The recipe was pretty easy to follow and didn't really take to long to throw together. 


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (I actually bought 2 halves of a butternut squash already peeled and seeded at the grocery store)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used about 4 thighs)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a medium sized pot, steam the cut squash until barely tender (about 10 minutes), remove 1/2 of the squash and set aside, then continue to steam the remainder until you can mash it with a fork. Mash whats left in the pot, and set aside.

In a large sauce pan bring chick broth to a simmer, and add in the chicken thighs. Cover and cook until chicken is done, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate to cool, set aside. And pour chicken broth into a bowl, set aside.

Return sauce pan to medium heat, add olive oil. Add onions and cook until they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add salt, garlic and oregano. Cook for an additional minute. Add in diced tomatoes, butternut squash pieces and mashed squash. Stir to combine.

Add in the reserved chicken broth and quinoa- stir. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa is translucent. While the quinoa is cooking, shred the chicken with a fork or your fingers. Once the quinoa is cooked, stir in the chicken and olives. Season with pepper if needed. Let simmer together for 5-10 minutes, stir in the parsley and serve.

If you're looking for a nice, hearty, warming soup on cold day - this is perfect! The kids ate their stew with buttered  crackers and we ate ours with grilled cheese. It was amazing. This is going to be my new way to poach chicken too. It came out so moist and delicious. It would be perfect for any recipe you need for shredded chicken. I would omit the olives if you don't like the briny taste of them. Especially if you'll be eating this stew for a few says, because it just flavors it more and more as the olives sit in it. Cheers!

Credits: Chicken stew with butternut squash and quinoa