I made this dish about a month ago and I was so excited with how great it turned out. My kids aren't always super excited to eat spaghetti squash as pasta but they did not even utter a groan once they tasted the amazing chicken mixture! Score! This dish has a lot of ingredients going on so if you are like me and want to get in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible to move onto the next item at hand, I would do all your prep work earlier in the day. (Chopping, cutting, measuring you know, exciting stuff ;))
Ingredients:
1 (3.5-pound) spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1.5 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/4 cup organic chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
*Optional* Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top if you desire or your kids are begging you :)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Brush on a coat of olive oil to inside and around the rim of the squash. Salt and pep generously. Place squash halves cut side down in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Check for tenderness and if not flaking with fork, cook another 10 min. until ready. Careful not to overcook or you will have mushy pasta. Cool. Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove strands and add to serving bowl. Keep warm.
3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Cool and crumble. Increase heat to medium-high; sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to drippings in pan and cook 4 minutes; remove from pan.
4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and cook 3 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, reserved bacon, garlic and Italian seasoning to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and cook 4 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add wine to pan and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute stirring constantly.
5. Add reserved chicken, chicken broth,and spinach to pan. Cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Place squash on individual plates and top with amazing chicken mixture...Delish!
Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com
