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Slow~Cooked Butternut Squash & Chicken Stew…

November 11, 2012 by Natalie

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-36

I like to call this dish Bowl of Fall.  Look at that thing.  It’s earthy, it’s hearty, it’s orange, it’s cozy.  It’s all things fall.  It was actually one of the first Crock Pot recipes I ever created for this blog, years ago.  Now, fall of 2015, I’m making it again… and this time, it’s getting a facelift!  It was time for a spruce-up… plus I wanted to add in a new variation I recently started making.  Oooh, it’s a goodie. 

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Believe it or not, the three pictures you see here are all the same soup.  Same recipe, each with slight variations.  I first started with the original version of this recipe (image below).  It’s a simpler stew- a brothy veggie soup with butternut squash and chicken.  I altered a few things from the version I made years ago- I added some cumin and thyme to give it a little more flavor.  It’s a nice simple soupy stew.  The original recipe got positive feedback, especially for kids, so feel free to use this one if you’d like to keep things simple!

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-7

This version below is the new twist.  It’s packed with spinach, zucchini, and white beans.  It makes it even stewier.  Yes, that’s a word.  It means more of the stewy nature, in Natalie.  πŸ˜‰

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-42

The top and the bottom images are actually the same soup, but the one up top was my breakfast… the same soup the very next morning.  As it sat, it turned into an even more flavorful and thicker stew overnight.  I love leftover soup- it’s the best!

If you’d like the soup to have that effect the night-of, just cook it an hour or so longer… and stir it well, so it all breaks up the squash and veggies a bit.  If you like it more chunky, like the one pictured below, just serve it up and let it be!  I love when one little recipe can offer so many options… it’s like three soups in one.  πŸ˜‰

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-34

For friendly digestion, it’s best to soak beans overnight.  If you have the time, you can buy some dry Great Northerns or other white bean and give them a soak.  If you’re more into whatever’s quick and simple, a can will do just fine too.

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-45butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-44

Other than possibly soaking some beans, if you choose to go that route,  this guy takes absolutely no cooking prior to putting it in the Crock Pot.  You just chop, measure, and pour.  Cover, cook, then voila… dinner is done.  Gotta love that.  
butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot bean-20
I’m a big fan of using what you have on hand.  I love butternut for this, and it’s everywhere this time of year, but you could use acorn or pumpkin or another hard squash if you’d prefer.  If you’re opting for some greens, you could try kale instead of spinach, and could certainly use fresh tomatoes or canned/jarred.  Don’t want to use wine?  No biggie, just use extra chicken broth instead.  That’s what I love about Crock Pot stews… you can play around and it almost always works out well.  
butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot-1 butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot-2

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (approx 2 lb)

3 cups butternut squash, chopped (1 small-medium squash)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh, or one 15 oz can unsalted diced, with juices)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium store-bought)

1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works well)

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 bay leaves

1 tsp herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

 

optional variations:

2 cups spinach

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 1/2 cups Great Northern beans (or other white bean)

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DIRECTIONS

Prep squash…

Chop the ends off, then slice it halfway down the

middle so you have two smaller pieces to work with

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Slice the halves in half once again, then scoop out all seeds

Slice off the skin, then chop the squash into bite-sized cubes, approx an inch or so

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot-4

Chop onion, carrot, celery, and mince the garlic

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot-7

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker

I usually start with the chicken so it’s immersed in the liquid

(If you’re adding in spinach, zucchini, or beans, DON’T add those now.. they go in later) πŸ™‚

butternut squash chicken stew crrock pot-8

Stir it all together, mixing it well

Keep the chicken towards the bottom so it remains immersed in the liquid

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Cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or on low for 5 to 7 hours

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For the original simpler version, you’re done!

Taste, adjust seasonings as desired, and serve it up

Top with some parsley if wanted and dig in 

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For the spinach, bean, and/or zuke version, you have one more step to go…

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Add them in now

Cook for approx 30 more minutes on high, or 1 hour on low

(If beans were uncooked first, cook until beans are done- canned will take less time)

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Taste and adjust seasonings as desired

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I usually add in a good pinch of salt and some crushed red pepper flakes πŸ™‚

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That’s it!

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Serve up, garnish, and devour!!

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Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Comfort Food, Fall & Winter, Gluten Free, Recipes + More, Slow-Cooker & Crock Pot, Soups & Stews Tagged With: Autumn/Holiday, chicken, Gluten-free, paleo, Poultry, Slow-Cooker/Crock Pot, Soups & Stews, squash

Previous Post: « Apple Cranberry Mulled Cider (Slow-Cooked)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. amberkinzie@sbcglobal.net'Amber

    November 4, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    Butternut squash chicken

  2. danielle.schofield21@gmail.com'Danielle

    November 5, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    very good! I skipped the wine and added some extra chicken broth and turned out great! Thanks πŸ™‚

    • Natalie

      November 5, 2013 at 9:22 pm

      Yay, love hearing that! Glad you liked it!! πŸ™‚

  3. boroth@comcast.net'bo

    January 4, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    This looks awesome. I don’t actually have a slow cooker, but sometimes I’ve tried slow cooker recipes where I bring the stuff to a boil, then turn it all the way to low and put the lid on. (This is a cast iron le cruset pot). Do you think that will work for this? After all, it’s just low, slow heat? I’ve never done it with raw chicken and wanted to check….

    • Natalie

      January 5, 2014 at 2:06 pm

      I do! I would just cook it, as you said, over a low heat for a long time in a Dutch Oven or L.C. pot of some sort. Let me know how it goes if you try it out! πŸ™‚

  4. sesquipedalian_tendencies@yahoo.com'Erica

    January 5, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    Made this tonight so my BF and I will have lunches for a few days. Very happy to add a new recipe to the rotation, as I was getting bored with the usual fare. I did find that it needed something to balance the sweetness of the butternut squash, so I added a few shakes of crushed red pepper. Perfect!

    • Natalie

      January 5, 2014 at 8:29 pm

      Great suggestion! When creating slow cooker recipes, I always try to play it on the safe side with seasonings… not only can you not taste them throughout the cooking process as you can with stovetop cooking, but people have such varying tastebuds, too! Figure it’s always better to adjust at the end than regret what was done in the beginning haha. Anyways, happy to hear you enjoyed it (with a little heat!) and thank you for the idea!! It will surely help others who check this out πŸ™‚

  5. tashareitz@yahoo.com'Tasha

    January 11, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    Natalie your recipes look amazing! Are there printable versions?

    • Natalie

      January 12, 2014 at 8:43 pm

      Hi Tasha!
      I don’t currently have a print button installed, but you can easily copy and paste them into either a word doc or your email… just select the recipe (it may look like the sidebar is highlighting too, but if you highlight to the bottom of the post, just the recipe itself will copy) and paste!! Hope that helps! πŸ™‚

    • Natalie

      November 17, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Hi Tasha,

      Just was going through my old comments- wanted to let you know they’re all prinatable now! πŸ™‚

  6. mlmcguire08@yahoo.com'Mary

    February 17, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    This sounds yummy & I look forward to trying it. One question, top says chicken thighs but near bottom it says breasts. Which do you use? Thanks!

    • Natalie

      February 17, 2014 at 7:16 pm

      Great question! And sorry about that confusion!! You can use whichever you prefer more. I really like breasts in this personally. Hope that helps! πŸ™‚

  7. kerrymarraffino@gmail.com'kerry

    February 23, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    I made this in my pressure cooked. Cooked for 10 minutes then let sit for 5 minutes before I opened the cover. Even the kids liked it – that never happens! I threw theirs over some pasta.

  8. kerrymarraffino@gmail.com'kerry

    February 23, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    I made this in my pressure cooker. Cooked for 10 minutes then let sit for 5 minutes before I opened the cover. Even the kids liked it – that never happens! I threw theirs over some pasta.

    • Natalie

      February 23, 2014 at 8:58 pm

      So happy to hear it was a success! πŸ™‚

  9. kdhorner@telus.net'Kim

    March 24, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    Hi there! We have really been enjoying your recipes! So happy I stumbled onto your site πŸ™‚ Just wondering what size can of diced tomatoes I should be using…? thank you!

    • Natalie

      March 24, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Kim,

      Thank you! I love hearing that πŸ™‚
      Standard size (15 ounces), or you can just chopped up two cups of peeled fresh tomatoes.
      Hope you like it!

  10. Yourenotacook@hotmail.com'Bad

    November 17, 2014 at 4:59 pm

    I had a feeling the tomato base would not blend well with squash and I was right. Will go back to cookbooks and steer clear of blogs. Photos are pretty. Recipe is dreadful.

    • Natalie

      November 17, 2014 at 5:57 pm

      So sorry to hear this wasn’t something you liked… please don’t let this one recipe turn you off from blog recipes all together. There are really some fabulous ones out there! This one may have not been your cup of tea, but there are bound to be some out there that will be. πŸ™‚

  11. edjulie5@gmail.com'Julie

    May 5, 2015 at 10:54 am

    Recipe looks good so I printed it and am going to make it now. Just wish that all recipes printed on one page. This one went a little over 2 pages which is not necessary.

    • Natalie

      May 5, 2015 at 8:00 pm

      Hi Julie, thanks for you message! I chose this print add-on because it allows the reader to adjust the settings to match their needs… so you can shrink the text, choose to either have or not have the photos, and even choose to print, email, or save a PDF. Next time, try shrinking the text, or maybe even emailing! Hope that helps!! πŸ™‚

  12. dena.jones78@gmail.com'Dena Jones

    July 8, 2018 at 11:14 am

    I made your original recipe multiple times.. it was a hit.
    I actually was just looking for your 1st recipe and I can’t find it, anyway we can see the original you shared
    SLOW~COOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKEN STEW?
    Thank you

    • dena.jones78@gmail.com'Dena Jones

      October 5, 2021 at 7:10 pm

      Help… HELP….again!! Please..I can’t find your original recipe SLOW~COOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKEN STEW?

      I liked it better and will tattoo it on me this time if I have too ?

  13. dena.jones78@gmail.com'Dena Jones

    October 5, 2021 at 7:11 pm

    Help… HELP….again!! Please..I can’t find your original recipe SLOW~COOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKEN STEW?

    I liked it better and will tattoo it on me this time if I have too ?

  14. dena.jones78@gmail.com'Dena Jones

    October 5, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    HELP HELP AGAIN PLEASE .. Your original was ahhhmazing and I need it again for the winter coming and sharing.

    I made your original recipe multiple times.. it was a hit.
    I actually was just looking for your 1st recipe and I can’t find the original you shared
    SLOW~COOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKEN STEW?
    Thank you

  15. dena.jones78@gmail.com'Dena Jones

    October 5, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    HELP HELP AGAIN PLEASE .. Your original was ahhhmazing and I need it again for the winter coming and sharing.

    Thank you

    I made your original recipe multiple times.. it was a hit.
    I actually was just looking for your 1st recipe and I can’t find the original you shared
    SLOW~COOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKEN STEW?

Trackbacks

  1. 20 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes I Love - The Lyons' Share Wellness says:
    April 25, 2019 at 7:58 am

    […] Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Chicken Stew (gluten-free, dairy-free) […]

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