Fall Hen Stew with Quinoa and Butternut Squash

This “New American Heartland” fall hen stew recipe is bulked up with quinoa and butternut squash. The dish is hearty and filling, and an ideal fall or winter dinner recipe.

When the chilly climate units in, I at all times wish to make cozy, heat consolation meals, however these are sometimes not essentially the most wholesome recipes (i.e. beef stew, I like you eternally, however you’re not wholesome haha!). This seasonal dish is wholesome, stuffed with greens, protein and nutritious grains and it’ll heat you up from the within out.

I’m making a loaf of straightforward herbed focaccia bread to dip on this delicious fall hen stew!

What Do I Have to Make Fall Hen Stew?

You’ve heard of kitchen sink cookies, and I significantly thought of naming this kitchen sink stew since you significantly add nearly every little thing however the kitchen sink! Ha! However kitchen sink stew doesn’t sound appetizing in any respect. Listed here are the substances you will have:

• Hen Broth
• Rotisserie Hen: I like to make use of rotisserie hen simply to maintain issues fast and easy, however you possibly can undoubtedly prepare dinner your personal hen if you’d like. Grilled hen breasts or left over roasted hen would work nice. I desire to incorporate for hen breast and hen thigh meat if I can for essentially the most taste.
• Greens and Herbs: Butternut Squash, Yellow Onion, Diced Tomatoes, Kale, and Flat-Leaf Parsley
• Taste, Seasonings & Spices: Garlic, Kosher Salt, Dried Oregano, Floor Cumin, Nutmeg, Orange Zest and Black Pepper
• Grains: Quinoa (Dealer Joe’s Harvest Grains Mix)
• Olive Oil

The measurements for all of the substances could be discovered within the recipe card down beneath. Hold scrolling for all the main points!

Substitutions and Variations

One of many issues I like about stew recipes is how customizable they’re! This recipe is ideal for including to or swapping out. Listed here are a number of concepts:

• You’ll be able to add cubed potatoes (purple potatoes or yukon gold) or candy potatoes or swap them for the butternut squash.
• Use couscous or orzo as a substitute of the quinoa.
• Should you aren’t a kale fan, strive spinach as a substitute!
• After all the veggies are completely as much as you – peas, carrots, celery, and many others.
• If you wish to make this stew vegetarian, omit the hen and use vegetable broth as a substitute of hen inventory.

Easy methods to Make This Hen Stew Recipe

To get the depth of taste you crave in an excellent stew, it takes a few steps beginning with roasting the butternut squash. You additionally wish to caramelize the onions a bit of bit after which let every little thing simmer so the flavors can come collectively. Listed here are the essential steps:

1. Roast: Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 levels F till it’s tender. Take away half of the squash and set it apart after which roast the remaining squash till tremendous tender. Mash this squash with a fork.
2. Sauté: Warmth a big dutch oven over medium warmth and add olive oil. Sauté the onion till translucent. Add the garlic and all of the seasonings and spices. Stir till bloomed.
3. Mix: Add the tomatoes, butternut squash items and mashed butternut till mixed. Stir within the hen broth, quinoa and kale.
4. Simmer: Convey every little thing to a light-weight boil after which cut back the warmth to a simmer till the quinoa turns translucent.
5. Stir: Add within the hen, orange zest and pepper and simmer for one more 5 minutes. Stir within the parsley and serve in giant soup bowls.

Hold scrolling all the way down to the recipe card for a whole have a look at the entire recipe.

Easy methods to Make Hen Stew Thicker?

In case your stew finally ends up extra like soup and also you need that thick, gravy-like stew consistency, there are a number of choices to thicken it up. For this explicit recipe, the mashed butternut squash will likely be key to getting it thick. Have you ever tried our traditional butternut squash soup? We use the identical method in that recipe too.

An alternative choice for thickening it’s to combine equal components flour and fats (i.e. a roux), often butter, and whisking it in.

You too can make a slurry by mixing equal components cornstarch and chilly water and whisking it in to a scorching stew till the specified thickness.

I’ve just lately develop into obsessive about Cornaby’s merchandise, particularly their EZ Gel, for thickening. You’ll be able to observe the directions on the bag, however mainly you simply sprinkle within the gel and let it do its factor. If I used to be going to decide on between all these choices (except for simply utilizing the mashed butternut), I’d go along with EZ Gel.

Can I Make This Soup in a Sluggish Cooker? Instantaneous Pot?

For the sluggish cooker, you would need to prepare dinner every little thing first (roast the butternut squash, sauté the onions, and many others.) so it form of defeats the aim of utilizing a sluggish cooker.

For the Instantaneous Pot, you’ll wish to prepare dinner the butternut within the oven first to get that wealthy roasted taste. Should you wished to strictly use the stress cooker, add a cup of water after which put the cubed butternut squash in a basket and prepare dinner for 4 min on excessive. Drain and take away. You’ll be lacking that scrumptious roasted taste although. Then sauté every little thing in batches. Then add every little thing again to the Instantaneous Pot and prepare dinner for 5-7 minutes after which do a pure launch.

What to Eat with Fall Hen Stew

Once I eat stew, there have to be a scrumptious bread to dip in it! It’s an absolute should! Listed here are some concepts for breads:

Storage Ideas

This hen stew will retailer properly in an hermetic container within the fridge to as much as 5 days.

This stew freezes extraordinarily properly. Place it in a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag and place it within the freezer. It’ll maintain for as much as 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter or within the fridge and reheat.

To reheat the stew, you need to use the microwave of the range high. If I’m simply heating up a fast bowl for myself, I’ll zap it within the microwave. If I’m reheating a number of servings, I’ll heat it up in a big saucepan till heated by way of.

Want a heat, comforting meal to get you thru the chilly winter months? This hearty autumn hen stew recipe is full of taste and nutritious substances that can go away you feeling glad and comfy.

Extra Hen Soups and Stew Recipes:

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