Adapted from featured recipes atthriftyfoods.com
Cranberries and acorn squash. Two seasonal ingredients that make for an irresistible fall or winter meal – and this recipe’s got em both.
Fresh cranberries seem to be exclusively available at this time of year, so take advantage and stock your freezer up with them. Theyre often sold by the bag and will keep frozen for up to 6 months. Acorn squash can usually be found year-round, but its most suited to our tastes right about now (and is more reasonably priced).
The cold, grey weather gets us hibernating in our homes, craving carbs and warm, hearty meals. Instead of trying to fill up on refined and processed bread products, keep lots of natural options such as veggies and squash on hand for soups and stews, just like this one!
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 cups prepared chicken stock (or veggie stock)
cup apple juice
cup white wine
cup maple syrup (or brown sugar)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried sage leaves (or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb. cubed chicken (or tempeh)
salt and freshly ground pepper
cup spelt flour (or all-purpose gluten-free or whole wheat flour if youre ok with it)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 medium celery rib, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (we love Italian parsley)
1 medium acorn squash, cut lengthwise into quarters with the insides scooped out and discarded
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine the first 6 ingredients (chicken stock, apple juice, white wine, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, dried sage leaves) in a bowl and set aside.
3. Place the oil and butter in an ovenproof pot and set over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, coat with flour, and add to the pot. Brown the chicken, then remove from the pot and transfer cooked pieces to a medium-sized bowl.
5. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pot (same one in which chicken was cooked) and cook 3 minutes. Return chicken to the pot and mix in the chicken stock mixture and cranberries. Bring to a simmer.
6. Cover and cook in the oven about 60-80 minutes or until chicken is tender. (Make sure to check it at 60 and remove from heat if the chicken is done.)
7. 20 minutes into cooking the chicken mixture, place the squash skin-side down in a nonstick baking dish. Pour inch of water into the dish. Cover the pan with foil and bake squash until tender, about 30-40 minutes.
8. When the stew is ready, taste it and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Set a piece of squash in centre of plate or shallow bowl and top with the chicken cranberry stew. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
For those mainlanders unfamiliar withThriftyFoods, its a Vancouver Island grocery chain that is a mainstay for the all islanders shopping needs. Their online featured recipes are complete with suggestions for sides, options for ingredients to use and nutrition information.
