Butternut Squash, Quinoa, & Black Bean Chicken Stew - RECIPE!

This stew is yummy, healthy, and pretty easy! I ran across THIS recipe on Pinterest and felt a little intimidated at first... but I decided to switch up a few ingredients, and had a butternut squash I wanted to use. I loved how it turned out! 

So don't feel overwhelmed with all those healthy ingredients. Give it a try! I am sure the original recipe would be excellent too, but here is my version:

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

4 Cups Chicken Broth

1 lb Chicken Tenderloins

1 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Medium yellow Onion, finely chopped (OR 1 Tbls Onion Flakes)

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp dried Oregano

1 Can (14 oz) Petite Diced Tomatoes 

2/3 Cup Quinoa

8 oz Black Beans

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

1 tsp Dried Parsley 

1. Steam Butternut Squash until tender. Remove half the Squash and set aside. Continue to steam the remainder of the Butternut Squash until very tender (another 5 minutes). Mash this squash with the back of a fork and set aside.

2. In a large pot bring the Chicken Broth and Chicken Tenders to a boil over medium-high heat until chicken is fully cooked. 

3. Transfer Chicken to a plate to cool and pour remaining broth into a bowl and set aside.

4. Return your pot to the stove, add in olive oil, onion. Saute until translucent. Add in Garlic and Oregano. Cook an additional minute, stirring constantly. {If using Onion Flakes, saute onion flakes, garlic, and oregano all together for a minute or two only.}

5. Add in Tomatoes, Butternut Squash pieces, and smashed Butternut Squash. Stir to combine. 

6. Stir in the reserved Chicken Broth and Quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until Quinoa is translucent {About 15 minutes}. 

7. Shred the cooked, and cooled Chicken. 

8. Stir in Chicken, Black Beans, Pepper, and Parsley. Simmer, uncovered for several minutes until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!