Total Time: 3.5-4.4 Hours
Prep Time: 30 min.
Cook Time: 3-4 Hours on High
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup quinoa
4 cups cut up butternut squash
1 can (15.25 ounces) kidney beans
1 can (15 ounces) corn or frozen corn
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced/pressed garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
5 cups of vegetable/chicken broth
1 tsp Salt and pepper to taste
Optional but HIGHLY recommended as toppings: Fresh cilantro, fresh squeezed lime, diced avocado, cojita cheese, and multigrain tortilla chips
Instructions
Remove the chicken from package and place in crockpot.
Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve (If necessary) and dump in crockpot.
Peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash into small bite-sized pieces (or buy pre-chopped butternut squash for an even faster prep -- I purchase mine precut from Costco.)
Rinse and drain the kidney beans and corn and dump in crockpot.
Add in undrained tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings.
Pour in the chicken/vegetable broth and give everything a good stir.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the quinoa is cooked through and the squash is very tender.
At this point you can remove some of the squash and mash it with a potato masher and then put it back in the soup. This is totally optional, but makes it a bit heartier. Pull out the chicken breasts and shred as you wish.
Add some salt and pepper to taste and any other seasonings desired.
Scoop in bowls and garnish with fresh toppings mentioned in ingredients. The fresh squeezed lime and cilantro totally make this stew so don't skimp out on those! We also love eating this with the multigrain tortilla chips!
NOTE: slow cookers are known for cooking at different speeds - if yours tends to cook faster your chicken and squash could be done even earlier than 3 hours and alternatively everything may take longer to cook in a cooler slow cooker. The longer this cooks the more liquid the quinoa absorbs - if you don't mind that's fine, otherwise you can always add some more chicken broth and seasoning.I thought it was delicious thick and chunky though!
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