Halloween has been and gone and we’re now unmistakably into the winter season, so it’s time to make the most of the veggie of the moment – butternut squash – with this rich and delicious Chicken Cacciatore.
For those of you like me and using Weight Watchers to manage your weight, this is the ideal warming dish for those chilly winter nights when you just want to crawl up under a blanket and eat comforting food. A steal at eight WW points, and under 400 cals, you can add some carbs like crusty bread or rice and still have a low point dish.
Ingredients (serves 2)
Time to make: 90 minutes
Half a butternut squash, chopped into chunks
Eight black olives, whole
One onion, roughly chopped
Two garlic cloves, finely chopped
One slice of pancetta, finely sliced
One leek, chopped
One sprig of rosemary, finely sliced
One bay leaf, whole
One tin of tomatoes
Splash of balsamic vinegar
250 mL chicken stock
Two small chicken breasts, chopped
150g mushrooms, whole
One deseeded chilli (if you want to add a bit of spice)
Olive oil
This delicious and simple dish can be made the night before because the flavours infuse overnight and make it even tastier to eat. It’s also three of your five a day, so you can feel totally virtuous eating this bad boy.
Instructions
- Set the oven to 190 C
- Add the pancetta and rosemary to a pan with the olive oil. Cook on a medium heat for two minutes
- To the pan add the onion, chilli (if using) and garlic and cook for ten minutes
- Once the onions are looking translucent, add the butternut squash, the mushrooms, the bay leaf and the chicken
- Add the chicken stock and balsamic and reduce down slightly
- Then add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer
- Add in the olives and stir
- Put the dish in the oven with the lid on, and cook for one hour
And added bonus, I washed off the seeds from the butternut squash, added them to the pumpkin seeds I’d saved from my Halloween display (#wholesome) and roasted them with salt and chilli powder – delicious! They tasted like popcorn, very very tasty and have since used them on salads to add a bit of crunch.
Have a great week everyone!
