This chicken stew recipe is packed with fantastic flavor and health benefits, thanks to the butternut squash and quinoa. Comfort in a bowl! 330 calories and 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
I was patting myself on the back for this hearty chicken stew recipe all day long. Tasty? Oh my, yes. Healthy? You better believe it. Aroma? I'd say it gets a "15" on a scale of 1 to 10. This recipe formed in my head slowly, starting with some chicken thighs sitting in the fridge. Then I picked up a butternut squash at the grocery store, with the thought of making soup. Instead, I cubed and steamed the squash, mashing half of it to help thicken the stew. In went the quinoa, one of my favorite grains, for an extra punch of protein and fiber. The topper was a kick of briny flavor from some kalamata olives and a burst of freshness from a handful of chopped parsley.
While low in calories and fat, a bowlful of this chicken stew recipe easily satisfied my craving for comfort food. Also, butternut squash is high in Vitamins A and C, as well as fiber, so I knew I was getting a well-rounded meal to keep my body healthy for my daily workouts. One can not keep up with a high-energy "power pump" instructor without some decent fuel from which to draw. Seriously, this woman makes the Energizer bunny look like a total slacker. And she has about a dozen grandkids! Inspirational? Yeah, I'd say so.
This stew can be made in advance, but you may need to add a little more chicken broth before serving because the quinoa will expand as it sits. Either way, the flavors and textures are fantastic and it is sure to become a cold-weather favorite.
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Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded & chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- â…” cup uncooked quinoa
- Âľ cup pitted & quartered kalamata olives
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ÂĽ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
- Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
- Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
- Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
- Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the salt, minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
- To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
- Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
- Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Other healthy stew recipes:
Left to right: Italian Split Pea Stew with Cauliflower, Spiced Mushroom, Chickpea & Tomato Stew, and Curry Red Lentil Stew with Tomatoes
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Tina
Just came across this recipe yesterday while I was looking for something to make for dinner. Didn't put the olives, but added kale in with about 10 minutes of cooking time left. Sprinkled some crushed red pepper on mine too. It was delicious!
Kristine
How could I make this vegetarian? What is a good substitute for the chicken?
StaceyL
I found this recipe on pinterest and it inspired me enough to make it for dinner tonight. I've been looking for recipes with quinoa to try, and this was THAT recipe which got me cooking with it, and I'll never look back! I had an acorn squash that desperately needed to be used, so I substituted that for the butternut squash and was very happy. I just came off of a week being pretty sick, and what a dinner to treat myself with. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
Susie
Hi - I made this recipe and although delicious, found it a bit too watery. HOWEVER, we did have leftovers and I ate it cold as a salady-type meal for lunch a day or so later and it was REALLY delicious. I did boil off a fair bit of the liquid on the first night, but it benefited from steeping (as do just about all casserole-type meals) as the flavours infused and it was truly scrumptious as a 'salad'. Worth a try!
Alyssa
Do you think I could add a bean of some kind to this? Like kidney beans, or black beans, instead of the olives...I don't particularly like kalamata. However, I do like green and black ones. Any suggestions of a substitute?
Julie
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I made a few changes to the cooking method to simplify and only use one pan, so I thought I'd share them here...I just sauteed the chicken in olive oil (with salt and pepper) until it was cooked on both sides. Then I set the chicken on a plate while I sauteed the onions, garlic, and butternut squash. I used a wooden spatula to smash up some of the squash once it got soft, and left some of it whole. Then I added everything else directly to the pot and cooked until the quinoa was done. I didn't have kalmata olives on hand, but my husband tasted it and suggested a little paprika. I added the smoked kind, and it was great (wouldn't use it if I were using the olives though!).
Rachel
I'm on the hunt for new chicken ideas and I love butternut squash and quinoa. This recipe is perfect!! It's going on my menu plan next week. Woot!
Janice
I made this tonight and it is DELICIOUS! The only thing I changed is that I used chicken breasts instead of thighs (my husband won't eat dark meat). I am hoping we leave enough for tomorrow night!
Leanna
Wow...this looks like the ultimate comfort food! It's kind of a mix of all the foods I regularly eat at home 🙂 I'll have to combine them all like this for sure!
Alesia
I made this last Saturday, and not only did the grown ups love it, but the kids ate it, too! And I'm having it for lunch today. This is definitely going into rotation at our house.