Recipe Background
Since this is the season of "put pumpkin into everything," it's the perfect time to bring pumpkin to the slow-cooked, welcome-home-after-a-long-day meal of your dreams! Punkin Chicken uses the autumnal flavor of pumpkin to accent a delicious, tender chicken dish bursting with floral-sweet apricot flavor and warming seasonal spices. Savory, vibrant, and easy to whip together, Punkin Chicken proves once and for all that pumpkin can improve anything! Have a bite and see for yourself!
Since this is the season of "put pumpkin into everything," it's the perfect time to bring pumpkin to the slow-cooked, welcome-home-after-a-long-day meal of your dreams! Punkin Chicken uses the autumnal flavor of pumpkin to accent a delicious, tender chicken dish bursting with floral-sweet apricot flavor and warming seasonal spices. Savory, vibrant, and easy to whip together, Punkin Chicken proves once and for all that pumpkin can improve anything! Have a bite and see for yourself!
Ingredients
- 3 pie pumpkins peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 8 (4-ounce) chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup dried Turkish apricots diced
- 1/2 cup apricot nectar
- 1/3 cup apricot preserves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
- rice optional, cooked and hot
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds optional
Directions
- Place the pumpkin in a 5-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker.
- In the same skillet, sauté the onion and the garlic until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add the dried apricots, the apricot nectar, the apricot preserves, the lemon juice, the ginger, the cinnamon, the salt, and the pepper to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender, about 4-5 hours. About 1 hour before the end of cooking time, transfer the pumpkin from the slow cooker and keep it warm.
- Return the pumpkin to the chicken and stir to combine.
- Top with the parsley and serve with the rice and the pomegranate seeds.
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