Already Better Chicken with Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Wild Rice Bake

 

While this recipe takes some prep work, it is so Good. Perfect for a chilly night when you have some time or a busy night when you can do some prep work earlier in the day and then finish the cooking process when you get home. Chicken, wild rice, butternut squash and cranberries give you all the fall feels with healthy ingredients. The wild rice gives you a whole grain so this recipe is already Better.

Ingredients

1 cup of wild rice blend

Chicken broth

4 Tbs olive oil (divided)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

1/2 onion minced

1 small butternut squash (peeled and cubed) about 4 cups

Dash of kosher salt

Dash of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup parmesan cheese divided

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cook wild rice according to directions substituting the water for chicken both. This step is not necessary if you don't have any chicken broth, but using the broth will give the dish a Better flavor. 

-Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

-In a skillet, heat half the olive oil in a pan. Add diced chicken to the pan and cook until tender and cooked through, this should take about 7 minutes. Once cooked remove chicken to a separate bowl or plate, you will add back in during a later step.

-Add the additional 2 Tbs. of olive oil to the skillet. Add the squash, onions, salt and pepper and cook about 2 minutes. Cover and cook about another 7 minutes until the squash is fork tender but not mushy, stir occasionally during this process.

-Add cranberries and poultry seasoning and then add the cooked rice and chicken to the skillet. Add 1/4 cup parmesan and stir all ingredients.

-Transfer to the baking dish and cook for 20 minutes. Pull out the dish and then add the additional 1/4 cup of parmesan to the top and bake another 5 minutes. 

I served this with steamed green beans and it was the perfect dinner. Running Daddy and I enjoyed a glass of Sphere Chardonnay from Trader Joe's and it was a really Good compliment to this meal. 

This dish would be a really Good option for a family party when we can have those again or to bring to a pot luck...again when we can have those again.

Because the wild rice is a whole grain, this recipe is already Better. To make Best, add use organic chicken, chicken broth or organic or farmers market squash.