Stovetop Butternut Squash and Chicken Stew with Quinoa

I really dislike quinoa, so I confess I didn't make this recipe as written. However, I did really like the combination of vegetables and spices. I would make it again.

Instead of quinoa, I used couscous. It irked really well.

My husband, who is not a fan of quinoa, liked this very much. I would probably add more apple and herbs next time, it's a definite keeper.

Titis recipe did take more timed or me to prep and cook. The flavor was very good and it was a complete warm meal on a cold winter night.

I just cut my chicken into pieces from the get go. I found that when the 20 minutes was up, there was still far too much liquid left so I cooked quite a bit off. The apple had totally disappeared in the dish; I think it disintegrated during the 20 minutes. I really had to adjust the seasonings. It needed more salt, pepper, garam masala. I think this was a nice way to use up both the leftover squash I had in the fridge and the apple sausage links that I had in the freezer.

Definitely has potential! It took way more prep time for me, also more salt, pepper, and Gara Masala. The apples disappeared and I didn't taste them much, so maybe I will try more and larger chunks next time? Lots of little variations and tweeks I want to try. I also had to simmer at the end for about 10 minutes longer than recommended.

This recipe is healthy and easy to prepare, which I appreciated. I doubled all the spices, added an additional 6 oz of chicken (it's what I had in the freezer), and used half as much butter as it called for. Maybe it's just my unfamiliarity with tarragon and sage, but I thought the flavor of this dish was a bit odd. It's too sweet for the squash. I've tried adding red pepper flakes and rosemary to the leftovers and it does help a little.