Butternut Squash Stuffed Chicken Breast

Seriously… I think I might need an intervention. I’m addicted to butternut squash. It’s so good. So, so good. My family always makes fun of me for it. I don’t care.

Tonight I needed to do something with the giant package of chicken breast that was sitting in the fridge. It’s not that I don’t like chicken, I just don’t really like cooking it, and I never usually find it that good, so I tend to avoid making it. But my boyfriend is a big fan (I mean it is good, cheap, and easy) so he always insists that we buy the family pack when we’re grocery shopping. There is therefore usually a lot of chicken sitting in my freezer.

So in an effort to not let perfectly good food go unloved, I grabbed the butternut squash from the counter and decided to make something up.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• olive oil
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 large carrot, chopped
• about 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable)
• about 1/2 cup half and half
• salt, pepper, dried parsley flakes, crushed red pepper

What to do:

• Clean chicken breast, slice through the center (to make it thin), and pound out with a meat mallet until very thin. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
• Peel and cut squash into small cubes. I find it easiest to do this by cutting the squash in half, removing seeds, cutting into cubes, and then cutting the skin off of each piece. Place squash in skillet.
• Peel and chop onion, garlic, and carrot. Add to squash.
• Season mixture with salt, crushed red pepper, and parsley. Cover skillet and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until softened. Add about 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock and a splash of half and half. Turn heat to high and let cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. (As usual, I didn’t measure the liquids. Just use your judgment. Start with a little bit and that way you can always add more. The liquid should be about half as deep as the squash mixture.)
• Place mixture in a food processor (or a large bowl and then use an immersion blender) and blend until it is roughly pureed, but there should still be some chunks.
• Return empty pan to heat, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Turn heat to medium-high.
• Season chicken breasts with a bit of black pepper. Spread squash mixture onto each piece of chicken with a spoon. Roll the chicken breasts and secure with a toothpick (optional). Place in hot pan (with the seam facing down if you’re not using a toothpick) and let it brown on all sides.
• When chicken has browned, add about 1 cup stock to pan (again, I didn’t measure, but the stock should almost cover the chicken breasts), season with salt (if desired) and parsley flakes.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
• Remove chicken from pan and keep warm on a plate (I covered mine with another plate and put in the convection oven on holding mode).
• There should be a good amount of stock left in the pan. Add 1/4 cup half and half, re-season if desired, and turn to high heat. Let the sauce cook until reduced to about half of the original amount.
• When the sauce has cooked down, spoon over chicken and serve.

(I was hesitant at first, but I held on tight and iPhone stayed out of the food this time.)

Creamy Chicken Chili

I have a confession to make: I’m kind of a Halloween Grinch. Yeah, it’s fun and everything, and I really do enjoy dressing up… But I never think about it until the last minute, so I never give myself enough time to come with a creative costume. And now that I’m an adult, I think I’m just jaded because as a twenty-something female, I’m expected to dress as some sort of sleazy, skin-revealing version of something.

Growing up, my family had the BEST Halloween costumes. I’m the oldest of seven cousins (eight now that I have a baby sister), and we’d always have a big group theme with homemade costumes.

Every year, my mom would make a giant pot of chili, we’d take it over to my grandma’s house, do our trick-or-treating, then come back and have chili before bartering our shares of Halloween candy.

This year, although I would have loved to be at home trick-or-treating with my two-year-old sister (she was a giraffe!), I was three hours away and decided to make my own chili (while wearing my pajamas and an apron… pretty much the opposite of a skanky Halloween costume).

I dug through some of my bookmarked recipes, and borrowed this one from Eat, Live, Run, making changes according to what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

• olive oil (about 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 large (or 1 medium) onion, diced
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 or 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I used one, but it could definitely use more chicken)
• 2 cans (or about 3 or 4 cups cooked) beans (I used black beans and navy beans. Drain canned beans as best as you can, but it’s OK if there is still liquid in the can)
• 2 cups chicken broth or stock
• salt, crushed red pepper, oregano (you can also use chili powder, cayenne pepper, or other seasonings, to taste)
• hot sauce, to taste (or finely diced chili or jalepeno peppers)
• 1/2 cup half and half
• about 1 cup Greek yogurt (to desired creaminess)
• mozzarella cheese and tortilla chips, for garnish

What to do:

• Dice onions and mince garlic. Set aside.
• In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, clean chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• When oil is hot, add onion and chicken to pot. Stir and let cook for a minute or two, until onions are translucent.
• Add garlic and cook another two or three minutes.
• Now add beans, broth or stock, spices, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in half and half and Greek yogurt, one spoonful at a time (hint: the trick to blending it in smoothly is to use a wire whisk, not a spoon!).
• Serve immediately with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of cheese, some crushed tortillas, and extra hot sauce (I love hot sauce), or keep warm on low heat until ready to serve.

Though it wasn’t the prettiest chili, it was definitely delicious. Mine was very liquid-y because I used too much half and half (I used closer to one cup originally) and only one chicken breast. After letting it sit over low heat for a while longer, however, it thickened up. And it was even better the next day as leftovers!

Also, note to food bloggers: when taking photos of your food with your iPhone, please (I’m begging you!), hold onto it. Very tight! Mine decided to go for a swim in the bowl during the photos. Lucky for me, the Greek yogurt broke its fall and saved it from complete submersion. My phone seems to be OK but needless to say, I might go easy on the food photos for a while.