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.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken 2

I have previously made Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken and it is still one of my favorite slow cooker meals.  This is version 2 of my original recipe since I made it for my mom-to-be friend as a make ahead meal/freezer meal.  I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs this time and left out the onions.  The sauce is basically the same, and since I froze this before cooking, I didn't add in the sesame seeds (which is for garnish).   My cousin made the first version with chicken tenders and she said it was "so delicious."  My friend is also allergic to nuts so sesame was on the safe food list, yay!  I hope she likes this dish as much as I do!


Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken 2

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken (I used 2 large chicken breasts)

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon ginger, minced

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and ginger.

Add chicken into a freezer bag and pour sauce into bag.  Mix together sauce and chicken in bag with hands.

Freeze until ready to cook in slow cooker.  I would suggest defrosting the night before to cook in slow cooker the next morning.

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 2.