This Curried Butternut Squash, lentil and Chicken Stew is a warm and comforting one-pot dinner that comes together fast. It's low-fat, dairy-free, gluten-free and absolutely delicious!

With fall in full swing, it's a fine time for a soul-warming butternut squash stew. I developed this recipe in a flash of inspiration. It usually takes me days and sometimes weeks to develop a recipe. But it was five o'clock on Friday night and I suddenly knew what I wanted for dinner.

I was craving a satisfying (but healthy) stew with shredded chicken and butternut squash. I wanted creaminess without cream or fat. Red lentils were the answer.

I love how red lentils melt into soups and stews and make them thick and creamy. By 7:30pm I had been to the grocery store and back, and Eddie and I were digging into bowls of delicious curried butternut squash, lentil and chicken stew.

TIPS FOR QUICK AND DELICIOUS CHICKEN STEW

This is a great chicken stew for weeknights because it takes only 15 minutes to prep. Just sauté garlic, ginger and onions, add squash cubes and curry powder and simmer for a few minutes. Add red lentils and broth and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken, lime juice and cilantro and dinner is ready!

Look for butternut squash at the store that's already peeled. If you can find it already cubed, even better.
Use leftover chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken so all you have to do is shred the breast meat and toss it in the pot.
If you can't find cooked chicken, buy one pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts and follow this easy recipe for how to make perfect poached chicken. You'll have plenty of time to poach and shred the chicken while the squash is simmering.

Serve the chicken stew in bowls topped with chopped cilantro. Yum!

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

Make it a soup: If you're in the mood for soup rather than stew, add 2 additional cups of chicken broth.
Amp up the veggies: For a dose of healthy greens, add a few handfuls of chopped spinach or kale to the pot in the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Here's the recipe for Curried Butternut Squash, Lentil, and Chicken Stew. I love hearing from you and knowing how you're enjoying the recipes here on Panning The Globe. If you make this recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment to let me know what you think.

Curried Butternut Squash, Lentil and Chicken Stew

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

Author: Lisa
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 4-5 1x

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Description

This curried chicken, squash and red lentil stew is low-fat, gluten free, dairy-free and absolutely delicious! Plus you can make it with just 15 minutes of prep.

Ingredients

Scale

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped (1 ½ cups chopped onion)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (3 medium garlic cloves)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger root
1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more, to taste
1 tablespoon curry powder (preferably mild Madras Curry Powder)
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or ½ teaspoon Maras pepper or ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (use the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken or poach 1 pound of chicken breasts)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves, divided

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Instructions

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add squash and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes longer. Add curry powder and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, to toast the curry powder. Add lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 25 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken, lime juice and ¼ cup cilantro. Cook for another minute or so, just until everything is heated through.
Serve in bowls with a generous sprinkle of cilantro to garnish

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Category: Stew
Method: simmer
Cuisine: East Africa

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