Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Braised Chicken with Butternut Squash and Cranberries

Plated and ready to be devoured!
Every fall, recipes containing butternut squash can be found anywhere. As crazy as this sounds, I've never even had butternut squash! After 2 years of blogging and scanning fall recipes, I had change that today! 

As you know, chicken is a favorite in my household so combining my go-to protein with a new seasonal veggie only made sense. 

I have to say, I've been missing out! Butternut squash added an amazingly sweet and nutty flavor to the dish. Paring them with the cranberries tasted like a little bit of Thanksgiving in every bite. Yum!

Recipe:
4 chicken leg quarters, split into 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs
1 1/2 lb butter nut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut into 1 inch wedges
1 tbsp ground sage
4 tsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1) In a large Dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook skin side down, until skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. This works best by doing so in two batches. Transfer chicken to a plate and pour off fat.
2) Add remaining tablespoon of oil to same pot along with butternut squash and onion to pot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add sage, coriander, nutmeg and flour cook until fragrant, stirring continuously. Add broth and stir, scrapping browned bits for about 1 minute.
3) Nestle chicken, skin side up in squash mixture. Add cranberries and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through and squash is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

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