Pages

Monday, November 19, 2012

Fall Harvest Crockpot Chicken w/ Butternut Squash, Cranberries, & Pears


Only three days left until Thanksgiving, and I can't wait! This week has been so fantastic with visits from Kelsey (hadn't seen her in 13 years!), Sarah & Mark, Mal tonight, and the Rozier/Topche crew on Wednesday. So many wonderful people to see, so little time! I am very much in the Thanksgiving spirit and created this great Fall recipe with locally sourced ingredients. You can pick up all of these ingredients from your local farmers market and throw it together in no time in the crockpot. You can make this recipe with or without broth. I went with broth this time to get a slighty soupy experience. Next time I am going to make this as a roasted dish in the oven to get everything nice and crispy. The part II version will be after Thanksgiving (and after I buy myself a dutch oven!). This will be Mal's welcome meal when she arrives from Ithaca tonight after a six hour drive. A little fall harvest crockpot chicken and some wannabe rice pudding, and we will be back in business! Only four more hours to go...

Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash (1.5 lbs.), cubed
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 1 bosc pear, sliced
- 1 cup raw cranberries
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup veggie or chicken broth (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Layer squash cubes at the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Put half of the onions, pears, and cranberries on top. 
3. Add 1 bay leaf and some spices
4. Arrange a layer of chicken on top of the spices
5. Add another layer of spices and the second bay leaf on top of the chicken
6. Add the remaining onion, pear, and cranberries
7. Pour the broth over the mixture (this isn't necessary - I like it because it makes it a little bit soupy) 
8. Cook on high for 3 hours and then low for 90 minutes

    





15 comments:

  1. Tried this tonight. Says fall all the way! I did it all day on low, as I work and can't crock pot something for just a few hours. I also used chicken breasts as that's what I had. I wasn't sure there'd be much flavor with so few spices, but it was delicious! I did thicken with just about 1/4 c. apple cider mixed with about 2 teaspoons cornstarch...that made the "soupy" turn to "stewy" and we loved it over cooked noodles. I also upped the bay leaves by several as I love the flavor. It was very good. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I found this recipe on Pinterest, hoping for a nice fall meal, and it was delicious! My local supermarket didn't have fresh nor frozen cranberries in stock so I used whole berry cranberry sauce and I cut the broth down to 1/2 cup - perfectly sweet and moist! Thank you for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have you ever tried freezing leftovers of this recipe? If so, how did it turn out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have frozen the leftovers, and they defrost really well. The only difference is sometimes the squash becomes extra soft/squishy, but the taste is still great. Enjoy!

      Delete
  4. If you were doing the roasted version in a dutch oven, at what temp & for how long? Would you layer the ingredients in the same manner? (minus the broth, I'm assuming…) Thanks ~ this sounds sooooo delicious!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would start with sauteing the onions in some olive or coconut oil, and when soft, brown both sides of the chicken over medium/high heat for a couple minutes each. You could then add half of the broth along with the rest of the ingredients, bring to a bowl, and then simmer over medium-low heat for 1-2 hours. The longer you cook it, the softer the chicken will get. Enjoy!

      Delete
  5. My pears are not ripe yet. Will that matter?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem! They will soften and sweeten as they cook in the crockpot. Enjoy!

      Delete
  6. This was delish! Thank you for the recipe! My pears weren't ripe, but came out soft and tender! I may add more cranberries next time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you enjoyed it! My blog has moved, so be sure to check out all of these recipes (plus many new ones!) at intersectioncoaching.com

      Delete
  7. I made this tonight - AMAZING!! I used closer to 1.8 lbs chicken, diced into big cubes. I did add the 1 C broth cause I wanted a stew. I also added extra of all the spices and drizzled in coconut oil and honey. So many flavors...wow. This will definitely be added into rotation in my household. Thank you *so* much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon - So glad you enjoyed it! Your tweaks sounds wonderful, and I will give them a try. Just a heads up that my blog has actually migrated over to my new site, and you can check out this recipe (and all my others) at intersectioncoaching.com/blog

      Thanks again!

      Delete