The fall and winter season is the best time to eat some comfort food to keep your body warm. This Chicken with Creamy Pumpkin and Chestnut Stew is rich and creamy, a great dish for a warm meal to store energy for winter. It’s best served over steamed rice or pasta or as a dip with bread. I usually make an extra portion for the next day’s meal or even for breakfast. A warm and quick breakfast I eat with rolls.
Chicken and pumpkin stew recipe
This is a very healthy pumpkin chicken stew. There’s not only chicken and pumpkin in this recipe but also onions, king oyster mushrooms, and chestnuts. It’s full of vegetables and nutrients, you just need this pot to have a delicious meal.
By the way, the secret to its deliciousness is that the pumpkin must first be fried in oil so that it becomes sweeter and doesn’t melt so easily and you can eat the whole piece of pumpkin. If you fry the king oyster mushrooms and onion in oil, the sweetness will be released and the whole pumpkin stew chicken will be even tastier and richer.
If you do it this way, your chicken and pumpkin stew will taste much more flavorful and buttery than if you put all the ingredients together once in a pot.
Ingredients:
- Chicken drumette – you can use boneless chicken thighs with skin or boneless chicken breast with skin. If you go with the chicken skin, put the skin down when you pan fry the chicken. This will push out the chicken oil, making the chicken stew more flavorful and rich. And the chicken won’t taste greasy.
- Pumpkin – You can use any kind of pumpkin, but they must be peeled and the seeds removed. They need to be fried first and then steamed. This will make the squash sweeter and buttery.
- Royal Oyster Mushrooms – You can also use any other type of mushrooms to add more vegetables and nutrients to the stew.
- Onion – Steamed onions can add sweetness and flavor to chicken squash stew.
- Chestnuts – In the fall and winter, it’s best to eat chestnuts to warm you up. If you don’t have them, you don’t need to use them.
- Chicken bone broth or water – If you can’t have chicken bone broth, you can just use water. Chicken, onions, king oyster mushrooms, and squash have a rich flavor when braised together. So you don’t need to add chicken broth, just water and it’ll be tasty.
- Cream – to make the stew creamier and more buttery.
How to make:
- First, peel the pumpkin and other vegetables and cut them into 3 cm pieces. Set aside.
- After you heat the pot, add the king oyster mushrooms (don't need to add oil) and stir fry them until they're golden brown on 2 sides to remove excess moisture. Then take them out and set them aside. PRO TIP: In this way, the mushrooms release polysaccharides that enhance the mushroom flavor.
- Heat the oil in a pan and put the squash in, don't turn it immediately and wait until the underside is golden brown. Turn it and wait until both sides are golden brown, then take it out. Set it aside. PRO TIP: All rhizomes (pumpkin) that have been sautéed or fried in oil before stewing enhance their own sweetness and make them more buttery in flavor.
- In the same pot, fry the chicken drumette until golden brown, add the onion and fry for 1 minute.PRO TIP: Stir-fried chicken can bind the moisture in it, making the chicken taste sweeter. Onions fried in oil make it sweeter and more aromatic.
- Add king oyster mushrooms, chestnuts, chicken broth (or water) and cream. When it boils, cover the pot, switch to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the squash and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until tender. You can add some chicken broth or water if the pot is too dry. Finally, add salt and black pepper to adjust the taste. Then you can serve.
Other comfort food:
Cream Of Broccoli Soup
Salmon Alfredo – Buttery and garlicky.
White Sauce Pasta – Creamy and garlicky.
Pumpkin Sausage Risotto With Curry
Chinese Noodle Soup – 10 Minutes
Easy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
One Pot Chicken And Rice – 20 minutes meal.
Watch how to make:
When autumn comes, it's the best time to eat pumpkin and chestnuts. This chicken with creamy pumpkin and chestnut stew can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. It's an excellent dish for a warm meal to store energy for winter. It's best eaten over rice or pasta or as a dip with bread.
Ingredients
- 10 pieces chicken drumette
- 1/2 onion, cut into irregular folds, about 3 cm pieces.
- 200 g pumpkin, cut into irregular folds, about 3 cm pieces.
- 100 g king oyster mushrooms, cut into irregular folds, about 3 cm pieces.
- 10~15 chestnuts, shelled and peeled.
- 250 ml chicken bone broth or water
- 30 ml cream
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- salt and black pepper, to adjust taste
Instructions
PREPARE VEGETABLES:
- Remove the pumpkin skin and pumpkin seeds. Peel and seed chestnuts. Cut onion, pumpkin, and oyster mushrooms into irregular pieces about 3 cm in size.
SAUTEED VEGETABLES AND CHICKEN:
- Heat the pan to medium heat, put the king oyster mushrooms in (you don't need to add oil), and don't turn them until the bottom is golden brown. Stir until they get smaller to remove excess moisture about 1~2 minutes. Then take them out and set them aside. (Note 1)
- In the same pan, heat the oil and put in the squash, don't turn it immediately and wait until the underside is golden brown. Turn it and wait until both sides are golden brown, about 1~2 minutes. Then take it out. and set it aside. (Note 2 & 3)
- Fry the chicken drumette until the skin is golden brown, but they don't have to be cooked all the way through. Again, don't turn it right away so you can sear it until nice and golden brown. Add the onion and fry for 1 minute more. (Note 4)
STEWED ALL INGREDIENTS:
- Add king oyster mushrooms, chestnuts, chicken bone broth (or water) and cream. When it boils, cover the pot, switch to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the squash and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until tender. You can add some chicken broth or water if the pot is too dry. (Note 5)
- Finally, add salt and black pepper to adjust the taste.
- Ready to serve over rice or pasta or as a dip with bread.
Video
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TlNPTElYjkA
Tips & Notes:
- When mushrooms are sauteed in this manner without oil, the mushrooms release polysaccharides that enhance the mushroom flavor.
- Need only golden brown color on both sides, don’t need to be fully cooked. All rhizomes (pumpkin) that have been sautéed or fried in oil before stewing enhance their own sweetness and make them more buttery in flavor.
- To adjust the pumpkin when it’s soft. You can pierce the squash with a knife or a chopstick. When the chopstick comes through, the squash is soft.
- Stir-fried chicken can bind the moisture in it, making the chicken taste sweeter. Onions fried in oil make it sweeter and more aromatic.
- When you braise chicken, add salt at the end, because salt has a dehydrating effect. And the chicken itself has high water content. If you add salt at the beginning, the stewed chicken will become tough.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 300g Calories: 5715kcal (286%) Carbohydrates: 1268g (423%) Protein: 51g (102%) Fat: 45g (69%) Saturated Fat: 10g (63%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g Monounsaturated Fat: 17g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 14mg (5%) Sodium: 96mg (4%) Potassium: 14243mg (407%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 7995IU (160%) Vitamin C: 1158mg (1404%) Calcium: 588mg (59%) Iron: 28mg (156%)
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love hearing how it turned out! Leave me a comment and make sure to leave a rating below.
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