Creamy Chicken with Pumpkin and Mushrooms

When you are finally through making the difficult choice of tempting pumpkin desserts, you can use the leftover pumpkin for your entrée. After all, if you cannot finish the food on your plate, then the dessert will just have to wait. There are always exceptions to the snacking rule, however, if you want to stay healthy and fit, better eat a proper dinner before you indulge in the goodies.

So, on with the dinner preparation. It is a one-pot meal, which makes clean up nice and easy, not to mention that it simmers patiently on the stove while you make the accompanying pecan and endive salad. This recipe is also a wonderful incentive to eat more mushrooms in your diet, and wild mushrooms are about as Paleo as you can get! Forage out in nature if you know exactly what kind of mushrooms you are looking for, otherwise forage at the market and diversify the flavor of this dish with some fall-harvested shrooms such as hen of the woods, puffballs, oysters or wood-ear mushrooms. From store-bought varieties – button, portobello, shiitake or enoki mushrooms will do nicely.

When all is said and done, this dish epitomizes the abundance of fall. When the pumpkin harvests are bountiful, grab a bunch and store them for later in the season, as you never know when the craving for a Paleo pumpkin pie will arise. In the meantime, if you haven’t chosen a dessert yet, perhaps a pumpkin spice cashew latte will hit the sweet spot – after dinner, of course.

Creamy Chicken With Pumpkin and Mushrooms Recipe

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Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 2 cups pumpkin, diced (sugar or pie pumpkins work best)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp. ghee or coconut oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then slice into strips.
2. Melt cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Brown the chicken on both sides until nicely colored, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
4. Add the diced pumpkin to the skillet, stirring until perfectly cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, onion, and mushrooms, cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.
6. Pour in the stock, bring the chicken back to the pan, sprinkle with the thyme, cover and simmer over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Pour in the coconut milk, adjust the seasoning, and serve topped with fresh parsley.