Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash

This warm autumn acorn squash dish is the perfect recipe to pull out to impress the guests at your next dinner party. Serve each guest half of an acorn squash filled with shredded chicken, green chile enchilada sauce, dried cranberries, and pepitas, topped with just the right amount of shredded cheddar cheese. Your guests will be begging you for the recipe afterward.

There was a moment this morning as I was waking, that I really did believe that it was Saturday. For about five glorious seconds I turned over, smacked the alarm clock, and snuggled deep into the warm blankets. Then it hit me. It’s only Friday. Sure, Friday is better than Monday, but really folks, I just really needed it to be Saturday, and apparently so did Brenna, because she started howling her head off at the sound of the alarm clock. She’s been making weekday mornings pure hell around here lately and I’m not sure just how much longer B.O.B. Bob and I can handle her nightly/morning antics.

So just why am I all geared up for the weekend? Well, I’m ready to stash away Halloween and pull out everything Christmas. I need for there to be winter plaid in every room, trees sparkling from every corner, glistening baubles hanging over every inch of the house, and copious amounts of glitter wafting through the air. I want there to be cinnamon and burnt marshmallow scented candles burning in every room, all while Bing Crosby croons his little heart out throughout our entire house. I’m such an addict when it comes to Christmas music.

Along with Christmas music and decorations, this year our house will be filled with lots and lots of baked goods. I have four projects coming up alone, which involve cookies. Not so great for the diet, but hey, at least I know I’ll be keeping our co-workers and neighbors well fed throughout the holiday season. So, this weekend, while I’m elbows deep in garland and wrapping paper, I’ll be dreaming up cookie recipes to share with y’all over the next few weeks. Let’s just hope the glitter wafting through the air is gone by the time I finally get around to baking them or things could get ugly. Glitter cookies, while gorgeous, don’t tend to go over well.

Just because I’m all gung ho about Christmas doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten completely about Thanksgiving. I celebrate it. Just not in my own house. However, if I did, I think I would certainly choose to use Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts to make these Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash. Why slave over a big ol’ turkey with all of the trimmings, when I could make something just as tasty with one-tenth of the effort? If I really wanted to whoop it up, maybe, just maybe, I’d even serve my Crunchy Autumn Chicken Salad from earlier this week as an appetizer, just to ensure that everyone walked away from the table totally stuffed and ready for a nap. After all, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, giving thanks and feeling stuffed. Oh, and not having to go to work the Friday after. I really wish today was the day after Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts:

• 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Cups of Apple Cider
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 1 Acorn Squash
• 2 Cups Shredded Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts
• 1 (10-oz.) Can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, Divided
• 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 Cup Pepitas
• 4-oz. Freshly Grated White Cheddar
• Additional Dried Cranberries and Pepitas for Serving

Directions:

Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a crockpot on low heat for 8 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the crockpot, pick off any peppercorns that have become attached, and then serve as is or shredded or chopped in your favorite chicken dish.

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the acorn squash in half, top to bottom with a very sharp knife. Scrape out and discard the seeds and stringy squash guts with a spoon.
3. Place the acorn squash cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken with 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, the dried cranberries, and the pepitas.
5. Flip the acorn squash over, divide the stuffing between the acorn squash halves and then bake for 10 minutes.
6. Top each acorn squash half with cheese and bake for 5 to 8 additional minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
7. Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce over the acorn squash and top with additional dried cranberries and pepitas before serving.

Suggestions:

• Sprinkle the inside of the acorn squash with salt and pepper before adding the stuffing for more flavor.
• You don’t necessarily have to use Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts to make this enchilada stuffed acorn squash. You may choose to use shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken or even oven-baked chicken breasts instead. However, you will lose out on some flavor.
• These stuffed acorn squash are pretty filling; you may want to split them in half and serve them with a salad.

Improvements:

• Add a few tablespoons of chopped scallions to the chicken stuffing.
• Use a blend of Mexican cheeses in lieu of cheddar.
• Make Crunchy Autumn Chicken Salad with any leftover Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts you have on hand.
• Replace the chicken in this recipe with leftover shredded or chopped Thanksgiving turkey.

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Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts:
• 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Cups of Apple Cider
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash
• 1 Acorn Squash
• 2 Cups Shredded Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts
• 1 (10-oz.) Can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, Divided
• 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 Cup Pepitas
• 4-oz. Freshly Grated White Cheddar
• Additional Dried Cranberries and Pepitas for Serving

Directions:

Autumn Crockpot Poached Chicken Breasts:
1. Place all of the ingredients in a crockpot on low heat for 8 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the crockpot, pick off any peppercorns that have become attached, and then serve as is or shredded or chopped in your favorite chicken dish.
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash:
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Cut the acorn squash in half, top to bottom with a very sharp knife. Scrape out and discard the seeds and stringy squash guts with a spoon.
5. Place the acorn squash cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken with 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, the dried cranberries, and the pepitas.
7. Flip the acorn squash over, divide the stuffing between the acorn squash halves and then bake for 10 minutes.
8. Top each acorn squash half with cheese and bake for 5 to 8 additional minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
9. Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce over the acorn squash and top with additional dried cranberries and pepitas before serving.

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