This tasty chicken and butternut squash stew smells like fall. It sits on a bed of fluffy whole‑wheat couscous. If you want, you can swap the squash for sweet potatoes.
Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes
One‑Pot Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1‑inch cubes
- 1 medium onion (about 110 g), chopped
- 2 teaspoons ras el hanout spice blend*
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 cups low‑sodium chicken broth, divided
- 4 cups (560 g) butternut squash, diced 1‑inch cubes
- 1 14.5‑oz can fire‑roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1½ cups (260 g) whole‑wheat couscous
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large non‑stick skillet over medium‑high heat. Add the chicken and onion. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes until the chicken gets a light brown color and the onion looks clear.
- Sprinkle in the ras el hanout and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir for 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup of broth, the diced squash, and the tomatoes. Bring the mix to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 °F and the squash is soft. Add the cilantro at the end.
- While the stew simmers, bring the remaining 2 cups of broth to a boil in a separate saucepan. Whisk in the couscous and the other ¼ teaspoon salt. Remove from heat, cover, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Spoon the couscous onto plates or a serving bowl. Top with the chicken‑squash mixture and spoon any extra pan juices over the top.
*Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mix. If you don’t have it, mix ¾ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp ground coriander, ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground allspice, and a pinch of ground cloves.
Serves: 6 (about ¾ cup couscous + 1 cup stew per serving)
Nutrition per serving: 319 kcal; 5 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 55 mg cholesterol; 567 mg sodium; 47 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 26 g protein.
Additional nutrients: 1008 mg potassium; 13 % iron; 307 % vitamin A; 36 % vitamin C; 8 % calcium.