Pumpkin Chicken

Pumpkin chicken?  Yup!  I needed to use up some leftover pumpkin puree so I thought why not.  I adapted this pumpkin chicken recipe from Witty in the City (original recipe here).  I had to use honey instead of maple syrup since I didn't have any.  This pumpkin chicken was actually a little on the spicy side, so if you like a kick, this is your type of chicken dish.  Serve this pumpkin chicken over rice or egg noodles and definitely spoon some of that extra sauce on top.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless (4 pieces)

1 cup pumpkin (plain puree)

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

½ teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Place in baking dish.

In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, chicken stock, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, red chili pepper flakes and garam masala.

Pour pumpkin sauce over chicken.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Rotate baking dish halfway through baking and baste chicken with the pumpkin sauce.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Butter Chicken

My best friend Sarah has shared this butter chicken recipe with me a long time ago and I haven't been able to make it since I could never find the Indian spices at the grocery stores around me.   I'm finally going to try to make it since Sarah got me the spices at the Indian store near her.  This butter chicken is amazing, and it smells so good when cooking.  It is a little bit spicy, but has just enough kick that it's not overpowering.  You can always add more or less spices to adjust to your taste.  I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do, thanks for sharing Sarah!

   

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, divided (equals to 1 ½ sticks)

1/2 onion, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 ounce can tomato sauce (equals to 1 cup)

2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons tandoori masala

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in minced onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then stir in caramelized onions. 

While the sauce is simmering, toss cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil and tandoori masala until coated.  Spread out onto a baking sheet. 

Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving. 

This is great served over plain, white rice. I always have rice available, its a staple in a Chinese kitchen :)

Serves 4-6.  FYI,  the sauce is so good, I could just eat it alone with rice ;)

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Ellie.  She tends to follow me around and she fell asleep in the dining room, which is right next to the kitchen.  How cute is she?