Chicken with Butternut Squash and Dates
Swimming Lessons for Chicken Lovers
Shalom from Israel,
We’ve had a couple of heavy weeks here in Israel. As I navigate the heaviness of what’s happening outside the safe walls of my home, I retreat to the kitchen. Both as an act of comfort and distraction. It grounds me amidst the chaos.
Some days you crave the simple perfection of a well-roasted chicken - just meat, heat, and maybe a shake of Old Bay seasoning or Lawry's Seasoned Salt if you're feeling fancy. That's my happy place. A crispy-skinned bird with nothing but its own juices? I'm set for life. Bring me a rotisserie chicken? I'll follow you into the depths of Valhalla.
But cooking for the family means you can't eat what you necessarily want for dinner, especially when everyone else in your house firmly believes that chicken should swim rather than fly.
In my home, I'm outnumbered by sauce enthusiasts three to one. And since my family's culinary happiness is more important than my stance on poultry preparation, I found myself staring at a butternut squash on our counter last week that my wife brought home from the grocer, plotting its transformation into a sauce. Not because I've changed my mind about saucy chicken - I haven't - but because sometimes love means letting your chicken take the plunge.
Besides, with dates, warm spices, and butternut squash that melts into something magical, even this dedicated chicken purist has to admit that maybe swimming in sauce isn't such a bad thing after all. Just don't tell my rotisserie chicken. It might break her crispy heart.
Chicken with Butternut Squash and Dates
This Moroccan-inspired dish combines tender chicken with butternut squash that melts into a rich, aromatic sauce, studded with sweet dates.
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the spice blend:
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cardamom
For the chicken:
2.2 lb (1 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs
3 Tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups (350 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
1 (15-oz/425 g) can crushed tomatoes (or 3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped)
1 medium butternut squash (about 1.5 lb/680 g), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 medjoul dates, pitted
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of the spice blend with salt and pepper. Rub this mixture all over the chicken pieces. Let the chicken marinate with the dry rub for at least 30 minutes (or up to a few hours in the refrigerator).
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in batches and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Stir in the remaining spice blend and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Be careful not to burn.
Pour in the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes (or chopped fresh tomatoes), dates, and butternut squash. Bring to a simmer.
Nestle the chicken pieces into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the squash is very tender, about 1 hour.
The squash should mostly disintegrate, creating a thick, golden sauce. If it seems too thick, add a splash more stock or water. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Notes
Add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end for brightness if desired.
For a smoother sauce, you can use an immersion blender to partially blend the sauce after the squash has cooked down.
Serve hot with couscous or rice
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