Fall Chicken Stew with Quinoa and Butternut Squash

This “New American Heartland” fall chicken stew recipe is bulked up with quinoa and butternut squash. The dish is hearty and filling, and a perfect fall or winter dinner recipe.

When the cold weather sets in, I always want to make cozy, warm comfort food, but those are often not the most healthy recipes (i.e. beef stew, I love you forever, but you’re not healthy haha!). This seasonal dish is healthy, full of vegetables, protein and nutritious grains and it will warm you up from the inside out.

I’m making a loaf of easy herbed focaccia bread to dip in this scrumptious fall chicken stew!

What Do I Need to Make Fall Chicken Stew?

You’ve heard of kitchen sink cookies, and I seriously thought about naming this kitchen sink stew because you seriously add almost everything but the kitchen sink! Ha! But kitchen sink stew doesn’t sound appetizing at all. Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Chicken Broth
• Rotisserie Chicken: I like to use rotisserie chicken just to keep things quick and simple, but you can definitely cook your own chicken if you want. Grilled chicken breasts or left over roasted chicken would work great. I prefer to include for chicken breast and chicken thigh meat if I can for the most flavor.
• Vegetables and Herbs: Butternut Squash, Yellow Onion, Diced Tomatoes, Kale, and Flat-Leaf Parsley
• Flavor, Seasonings & Spices: Garlic, Kosher Salt, Dried Oregano, Ground Cumin, Nutmeg, Orange Zest and Black Pepper
• Grains: Quinoa (Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend)
• Olive Oil

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below. Keep scrolling for all the details!

Substitutions and Variations

One of the things I love about stew recipes is how customizable they are! This recipe is perfect for adding to or swapping out. Here are a few ideas:

• You can add cubed potatoes (red potatoes or yukon gold) or sweet potatoes or swap them for the butternut squash.
• Use couscous or orzo instead of the quinoa.
• If you aren’t a kale fan, try spinach instead!
• Of course the veggies are totally up to you – peas, carrots, celery, etc.
• If you want to make this stew vegetarian, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock.

How to Make This Chicken Stew Recipe

To get the depth of flavor you crave in a good stew, it takes a couple of steps starting with roasting the butternut squash. You also want to caramelize the onions a little bit and then let everything simmer so the flavors can come together. Here are the basic steps:

1. Roast: Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees F until it’s tender. Remove half of the squash and set it aside and then roast the remaining squash until super tender. Mash this squash with a fork.
2. Sauté: Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. Sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and all the seasonings and spices. Stir until bloomed.
3. Combine: Add the tomatoes, butternut squash pieces and mashed butternut until combined. Stir in the chicken broth, quinoa and kale.
4. Simmer: Bring everything to a light boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer until the quinoa turns translucent.
5. Stir: Add in the chicken, orange zest and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve in large soup bowls.

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a complete look at the whole recipe.

How to Make Chicken Stew Thicker?

If your stew ends up more like soup and you want that thick, gravy-like stew consistency, there are a few options to thicken it up. For this particular recipe, the mashed butternut squash will be key to getting it thick. Have you tried our classic butternut squash soup? We use the same technique in that recipe too.

Another option for thickening it is to mix equal parts flour and fat (i.e. a roux), usually butter, and whisking it in.

You can also make a slurry by mixing equal parts cornstarch and cold water and whisking it in to a hot stew until the desired thickness.

I have recently become obsessed with Cornaby’s products, especially their EZ Gel, for thickening. You can follow the instructions on the bag, but basically you just sprinkle in the gel and let it do its thing. If I was going to choose between all these options (aside from just using the mashed butternut), I would go with EZ Gel.

Can I Make This Soup in a Slow Cooker? Instant Pot?

For the slow cooker, you would have to cook everything first (roast the butternut squash, sauté the onions, etc.) so it kind of defeats the purpose of using a slow cooker.

For the Instant Pot, you would want to cook the butternut in the oven first to get that rich roasted flavor. If you wanted to strictly use the pressure cooker, add a cup of water and then put the cubed butternut squash in a basket and cook for 4 min on high. Drain and remove. You’ll be missing that delicious roasted flavor though. Then sauté everything in batches. Then add everything back to the Instant Pot and cook for 5-7 minutes and then do a natural release.

What to Eat with Fall Chicken Stew

When I eat stew, there must be a delicious bread to dip in it! It’s an absolute must! Here are some ideas for breads:

Storage Tips

This chicken stew will store well in an airtight container in the fridge to up to 5 days.

This stew freezes extremely well. Place it in a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator and reheat.

To reheat the stew, you can use the microwave of the stove top. If I’m just heating up a quick bowl for myself, I’ll zap it in the microwave. If I’m reheating multiple servings, I’ll warm it up in a large saucepan until heated through.

Need a warm, comforting meal to get you through the cold winter months? This hearty autumn chicken stew recipe is packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients that will leave you feeling satisfied and cozy.

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