Mr. Blue always says he married me for my cooking, and this Butternut Squash Chicken is one of his favorite recipes.  It takes about 10 minutes to assemble, cooks in one dish, and is delicious and fairly healthy.  It is a frequent flier on our dinner table!  The recipe comes from Cook with Jaime, which is one of my favorite cookbooks.  It’s great for beginners, those who want to fine tune their technique or learn more about how to choose great ingredients, or just those who want some fresh ideas.

I adjust this recipe slightly, mainly in preparation, herb choice, and skipping the olive oil, but I don’t mess too much with the creamy, sweet, tangy deliciousness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Here’s how I prepare this fall dish.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place 3-4 chicken breasts (depending on size) in 9×13 baking dish.  Butternut squash is a pretty hard-fibered squash, so sometimes I poke some holes in the squash and microwave it for 5-ish minutes to soften it just a bit.  Then, I peel the outside just like I would peel a potato.  Slice the butternut squash into thin slices, about 1/4-1/2 of an inch thick. Snugly position the butternut squash around the chicken. Slice two red fresno peppers and sprinkle the peppers, some fresh oregano or rosemary, sea salt, and ground pepper on top of the squash and chicken.  Pour some heavy cream around the squash, but avoid pouring it on the chicken. I put just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  This gives the dish a slightly creamy flavor and is a nice balance for the peppers.  Last but not least, sprinkle some ground nutmeg on the chicken.  Cook the dish for 25-35 minutes.

Enjoy!