Winter Soup: Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

I must say i’m absolutely in love with this soup recipe. This stew is so hearty, flavorful and very healthy (which is especially helpful during the holidays when i’m surrounded by sugar cookies). It also includes one of my favorite foods ever, olives. I’ve simply died and gone to soup heaven. 

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (Trader Joe’s sells a pre-cut bag of butternut squash)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:
Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, roughly 10 minutes. Remove half the squash and set aside. Steam the remaining squash until very tender. Mash this squash with the back of a for until smooth, then set aside. In a soup pot or dutch oven, set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Add chicken thighs, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower the heat to medium. Add olive oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring for 1 additional minute. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent ( I used tri-color quinoa, so keep an eye on the lighter pieces to indicate if they are cooked). Cook for about 15 minutes. Shred the chicken with a fork. Stir the chicken, olives and black pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and serve.