Paleo & Whole30 Chicken with Butternut Squash Carbonara

Totally craving a creamy Italian dish right now.  Since I’m not up for a cheat meal I figured I’d come up with a clean equivalent.  This dish absolutely hit the spot!

Whole 30 Chicken with butternut squash carbonara

Ingredients:

10 oz. uncured nitrate free no sugar added bacon

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups cubed butternut squash (I cheated again and bought a big back of cubed butternut squash from BJ’s Wholesale and measured out 3 cups.  If buying fresh, whole squash a 2 pound squash should be the right amount: peel, seed, and cube)

2 cups organic low sodium chicken stock or broth

5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

1 pound thin sliced chicken breast

2 eggs

Olive oil

Kosher or sea salt

Pepper

5 zucchini, peeled and julienned (julienne until you reach seeds then stop, do this on all sides of zucchini)

Italian nutcrumbs

1 cup almond flour

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. kosher or sea salt

2 tsp. pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Lay bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F until crisp, about 20 minutes.  When bacon is cool to handle brake into tiny pieces.

For the sauce, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium heat.  When hot add onion and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes.  Add butternut squash and sauté 5 minutes.  Add chicken stock or broth and bring mixture to a boil.  Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender.  If you don’t have an immersion blender transfer to a regular blender.  Once sauce is smooth season to taste with salt and pepper and add bacon and sage.

Whisk eggs together in a large bowl.  Combine the nutcrumb mixture on a large plate.  Dip the thin chicken breasts in the egg then coat with the nutcrumb mixture.  Shake off any excess nutcrumbs from the chicken.  Coat a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  When oil is hot add the chicken, you should be able to fit 3-4 pieces at a time, and cook up to 3 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes.  This is sufficient cooking time for THIN sliced chicken breasts.  If you are using regular chicken breasts you can finish them in the oven at 350-375°F for 10 minutes.

Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add the zucchini “noodles” and sauté for approximately 3 minutes until they are crisp tender.  Toss the noodles with the butternut squash sauce and serve with chicken.

Tags: Paleo chicken with butternut squash carbonara, Whole 30 chicken with butternut squash carbonara