Chicken, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash

I feel I am most creative on the edge of our budget. It’s that last day before you’re able to go to the store. You have miscellaneous things in your fridge that you don’t think can even make sense as a meal. What to do, what to do? Take it as a challenge. I’m all for positive thinking. Take it as a challenge and rise to the occasion.

Last night was that night. Now, I have to say it cooked for a long time and this shall go under, prep and fix early recipes. If you’re a busy mom, this may be a great fall dish to stick in the oven on a Saturday to make the house smell amazing. I thought that the smell and flavors that were here are very fall appropriate with squash, mushrooms, and rosemary. Rosemary is by far one of my favorite seasonings for chicken dishes.

Here’s what you’ll need for this great smelling dish:

• Chicken Breast Tenderloins (These are the strips of chicken breast. They cook much faster than a whole breast.)
• Half of a Very Large Butternut Squash, Diced
• Portobello Mushrooms, thinly sliced (A whole carton. I purchased Simple Truth Organic from Kroger.)
• Rosemary
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

The best thing about this dish, even though the cook time is long, is that you are putting it all in the oven! You have your veggies and your chicken. No need to work on anything else unless you want a fresh salad to go with it. They don’t hashtag Paleo Recipes with #MoreVeggiesThanAVegetarian for nothing y’all.

Start out by prepping your veggies. I happened to have half of a squash that was already sliced and the seeds removed. If you’re starting from point 1, start by cutting off the ends. You don’t need to cut a bunch off. Then carefully, with a large, sharp knife, cut the squash length wise in half. Remove the seeds. A spoon is helpful here. Then turn over each half and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Be careful though. If you have a peeler that the blade isn’t covered, these skins are tough and I have actually ended up with a blister on my finger from leaving it on the metal part for support of my cheap, but handy peeler. Next, rub your mushrooms on a paper towel. I do not wash them under water because mushrooms soak up plenty of water and it will lose flavor.

Add your chicken to a large bowl and add a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. If you’re using dried rosemary, be careful to not use too much because it can be quite powerful. If you’re using fresh, you still don’t want to go crazy, but in my opinion the dried form is almost concentrated. Mix it around. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, but please remember to constantly clean your hands and utensils when dealing with raw meats.

Line each piece of chicken in the bottom of a glass baking dish. This is just what I used, but feel free to use whatever casserole with deep edges that you have. Spread the mushrooms over the chicken, then the squash. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place it in the oven and set your timer for 60 minutes (or 1 hour). I found that only 30 minutes, the chicken was still pink and the squash wasn’t quite cooked. If you would like, take a few minutes under the broiler when it is done to brown the top vegetables. This is completely optional if you feel comfortable sticking around a few minutes and keeping the closest eye on it.

Pull it out of the oven. Put a few pieces of chicken on the plate and add some of the squash and mushrooms over the top. This was even great to cool down, store in the fridge, and reheat the next day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Even though it takes a long time to cook, it is tasty and easy to throw together. I’m sending you lots of love and warm fall dishes from my kitchen to yours. Come back next time and see what this Outside of the Box, Common Sense Cook will put in the oven next.

-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook