Italian Chicken And Squash Recipes

CHEESY CHICKEN AND SQUASH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.
• Bring about 5 cups of lightly salted water to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add squash, onion, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring back to a boil and cook over medium heat until squash is fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf. Lightly press squash to remove additional liquid, then set aside.
• Wipe out the saucepan and return to the heat. Melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir, working out any lumps, until flour and butter start to bubble, about 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk and heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until sauce thickens, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and stir in seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, and nutmeg. Drizzle 2 tablespoons into the egg yolks, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Repeat with 2 additional tablespoons. Drizzle warmed eggs slowly back into the saucepan and stir until sauce is smooth. Stir in 1/2 of the Gruyere cheese and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place well drained squash and onion into the prepared baking dish. Top with chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and squash and stir gently to coat.
• Combine 2 teaspoons butter, remaining Gruyere cheese, and bread crumbs for the topping. Spread evenly over the casserole.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is browned and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

CHICKEN & SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 14-16 minutes or until tender., Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the tomatoes, pesto, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Cover and process until blended; set aside. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; set aside., In a large skillet, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, chicken and reserved tomato mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes., When squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to separate strands. In a large ovenproof skillet, layer half of the squash, chicken mixture and reserved crumb mixture. Repeat layers., Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

ITALIAN CHICKEN PESTO WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sprinkle squash with Italian seasoning and place upside-down on a rimmed baking tray. Add about 1 inch of water.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes; strands of squash should easily pull away when scraped with a fork.
• Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage, uncovered, in the hot skillet until mostly browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low and add squash strands. Sprinkle basil, rosemary, and Italian seasoning, on top and drizzle with olive oil. Stir in 2 big spoonfuls of pesto, adding more to taste, followed by sun-dried tomatoes. Let simmer over low heat for 2 to 5 minutes. Serve.

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND SQUASH

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter over medium heat until no longer pink. Add yellow squash and zucchini; cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions., Stir broth and lemon juice into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture and tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheeses.

ITALIAN CHICKEN & BUTTERNUT PIE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole and cook the chicken over a medium to high heat until lightly browned. Lift out on to a plate with a slotted spoon. Tip the pancetta, squash and onion into the pan and cook over a high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown. Return the chicken to the pan, add the garlic and marjoram and cook for 1 minute. Keep back 2 tbsp of the wine then pour the rest into the pan and let it bubble for 5 minutes.
• Blend the flour with the reserved wine until smooth. Stir this into the pan with the tomatoes and their juice, the jelly and some salt and pepper. Lower the heat, half-cover with a lid and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until the squash is just tender. (To prepare ahead, cool then chill at this point up to a day before. You can also freeze it for up to a month. To serve, heat through in the casserole, then continue with step 3.)
• Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Cut the ciabatta into very thin slices and arrange on top of the casserole, so they casually overlap. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the ciabatta and sprinkle with the parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve straight from the casserole.

TUSCAN BEAN, CHICKEN, AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP

Steps:

• Cook sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat until cooked through and completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
• Cook and stir onion with the sausage until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add squash and garlic; cook and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Pour chicken broth, white beans, and diced tomatoes into the pot; stir. Add spinach, red wine, and Italian seasoning; bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until hot, about 15 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Pecorino-Romano cheese to serve.

CHICKEN AND SUMMER SQUASH

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter in the oil over medium high heat. Season chicken with half of the salt and half of the pepper, and add it to skillet. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to large plate or platter, and cover to keep warm.
• Pour off fat from skillet, and add squash, zucchini, and tomato. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until squash is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and return chicken to skillet. Cover partially. Cook until squash is soft, and chicken is white throughout but still juicy, about 5 minutes longer.
• Transfer chicken to platter, and cover with foil to keep warm. Raise heat to high. Cook vegetable mixture, stirring often, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Arrange vegetables around chicken, and serve.