This is the perfect meal to warm up this season. Winter squash of any kind—butternut, acorn, kabocha, delicata—is a great complex carbohydrate to include in our diet. For one cup of butternut squash, you get about 3g of fiber, 16g of carbs and a great source of vitamin A and vitamin C at 63 calories. That’s a lot of nutrition for that much energy! Winter squash is also lower carb than potatoes for the same serving size, but it has a similar texture, making it a great choice for those who are watching their blood sugar. —Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, community nutrition educator, Tevis Center for Wellness
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds rotisserie chicken, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, medium, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 14-oz can petite-diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 2/3 cup uncooked whole grain or rice blend
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup kale, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, fresh, minced
- 3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into ½-inch pieces
Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400 until barely tender, about 15 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
Bake the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 15 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add salt, minced garlic, oregano, cumin and nutmeg. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute. To the pot, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash and stir to combine.
Stir in chicken broth, quinoa and kale (if using). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes. Stir the chicken, orange zest and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
Stir in parsley and serve. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 2 to 2.5 cups
Calories: 292
Fat: 11.6g
Sat. Fat: 2.8g
Carbs: 21.9g
Fiber: 2.6g
Protein: 26.7g
Sodium: 675.6mg
Adapted from:
https://ohsweetbasil.com/fall-chicken-stew-with-quinoa-and-butternut-squash/#recipe
