Mexitalian Chicken Spaghetti

I'm just going to put this out there: I love butternut squash. You will see it used in recipes around here a lot this fall.

What started years ago as an innocent chicken spaghetti recipe using a light cream sauce and chunks of vegetables, has evolved into this delicious creation as I became more familiar making sauces with different combinations. I love preparing this dish when I need to feed a large number of people, either for group dinners or when taking food to others. It re-heats beautifully and gives you a nice power punch of vegetables and protein. I have done this recipe with spaghetti squash and zoodles, but sometimes... carbs y'all. When making as a pasta, I typically use a linguini noodle. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Yields 10-12 servings

• 2-3 chicken breasts 
• 1 cup salsa of choice
• 1.5 cups butternut squash cubed
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes and green peppers
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. Adobo sauce (from a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce)
• 6 oz. cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz. Neufchatel cheese
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• Parmesan or cheese of choice for garnish
• Parsley for garnish
• 1 box of your Pasta of Choice 
• Red Pepper Flakes (only if you want to kick the heat up more!)

First, place the chicken in a crock pot and top with salsa. Let cook on low heat for 6 hours. I do this on a Sunday to use throughout the week, or in the morning before I leave for work.

Once you have shred the chicken, it's time to create the sauce. I've dubbed this a Butternut Squash Arrabbiata. In Italian, arrabbiatta means angry sauce, or a sauce with spice or heat, so it felt like a good name for it. To start, heat the oven to 375. I always buy the pre-cut, cubed butternut squash at the grocery store but like to cut those into small chunks. This allows them to roast faster and it is easier for the puree. Toss in olive oil and then bake for 20 minutes, or until soft.

As this cooks, you can shred your chicken, soaking up the salsa juices to add flavor. Add the rinsed black beans and the shredded zucchini to the chicken, stirring to combine. Let this remain in the crock pot on a low setting.

Once squash is roasted, puree 1/4 of the squash in a food processor, then add the vegetable stock slowly, alternating more squash cubes and thinning with the vegetable stock as needed. Once all squash has been pureed, add the tomato sauce and adobo sauce and puree until all is blended. I always like to have a can of this sauce on hand. It is a great way to put a kick of smokey heat into a dish but just adding a tbsp. of the sauce. If you really want to heat things up, you can use an actual pepper, done it, and it's too much for me to handle.

Now, boil your chosen pasta noodle, prepare you spaghetti squash or your zoodles.

In a large chef's pan/saute pan (large surface space with sides, higher than a skillet), saute your garlic in a little olive oil on a medium heat. Once fragrant, add the Neufchatel cheese to melt down, followed by the cream of chicken and the diced tomatoes. When well combined, add your butternut arrabbiata, stirring well to fully blend.

Once the pasta is cooked, reserve a cup of the pasta water when you drain. Add the chicken mix, to the pan of sauce, folding the sauce into the mix, then do the same with the pasta. If needed, use the pasta water to thin the sauce just a bit. If you do not use pasta for this dish, you can do the same with vegetable stock to thin out the sauce if needed.

Plate it up, then top with parsley and choice of cheese.