Spicy Chicken and Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Tasty, spicy, unusual and very beautiful! Sweet butternut squash stuffed with aromatic rice and chicken filling, covered with a delicious crust of melted golden cheese — the perfect combination that is definitely worth trying!
cook time: 1h 20 min
Nora Vaughn
Spicy Chicken and Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

69
Calories
3g
Fat
8g
Carbs
4g
Protein

Ingredients (4 portions)

Basic:

Onion (medium size) 1 pc
Garlic 2 clove
Salt to taste
Mozzarella 50 g
Bouillon (chicken or vegetable) 2 cup
Rice (long-grained) 90 g
Caraway 2 tsp
Tomato paste 2 tbsp
Chicken breasts 200 g
Vegetable oil 40 g
Paprika 2 tsp
bell pepper (approximately 50 gr.) 1 pc
Parmesan 3 g
Pumpkin (nutmeg) 1 kg
Allspice to taste
Zucchini (about 100 gr.) 1 pc
Cayenne pepper 0.25 tsp

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to bake butternut squash stuffed with savory chicken and rice? First of all, prepare all the products. Take a 1 kg butternut squash or two 500 grams each.

Step 2

Step 2
Wash the pumpkin and dry with paper towels. Cut off the places where the stalk was attached and divide each fruit into two parts (as in the photo).

Step 3

Step 3
Using a tablespoon, scoop out the core and seeds.

Step 4

Step 4
Lubricate each half with vegetable or olive oil; it is convenient to do this with a silicone brush. Sprinkle salt and allspice (or ground black) pepper on top.

Step 5

Step 5
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the pumpkin halves, flesh side down, and place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Use the "top-bottom" mode and bake for approximately 30 minutes (baking time may increase or decrease slightly depending on the capabilities of your oven). Check the pumpkin for doneness using a toothpick.

Step 6

Step 6
Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. Peel the onion, garlic and zucchini. Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds. Rinse everything under running water and dry.

Step 7

Step 7
Chop the onion and garlic finely using a sharp knife.

Step 8

Step 8
Cut the zucchini and pepper into small cubes.

Step 9

Step 9
Turn the finished pumpkin over and carefully scoop out the pulp using a spoon. You should end up with some kind of boats. Don’t throw away the pumpkin pulp, it will come in handy.

Step 10

Step 10
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Send the chicken breasts, pre-cut into small cubes, to fry. Over high heat, stirring constantly, cook the chicken until golden brown. Remove the breasts and add the onion and garlic to the pan. Fry until soft, a few seconds will be enough.

Step 11

Step 11
Add zucchini, pepper and softened pumpkin pulp.

Step 12

Step 12
Add also fried breasts, rice and tomato paste. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 13

Step 13
Mix everything well, add seasonings.

Step 14

Step 14
Fill the contents of the pan with broth. What is the best broth to use? Chicken or vegetable are ideal. If neither one nor the other is available, then you can use ordinary water, it will also turn out delicious.

Step 15

Step 15
Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the rice is cooked. I covered the frying pan with a lid, but every 2-3 minutes I opened the lid and mixed the rice mixture well so that it did not burn to the bottom. After 10-12 minutes (when the rice was almost ready), I removed the lid and cooked until there was no liquid left in the pan (about 3 minutes).

Step 16

Step 16
Stuff the pumpkin with the rice filling.

Step 17

Step 17
Sprinkle grated cheese and parmesan on top.

Step 18

Step 18
Place back in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Step 19

Step 19
Sprinkle the finished pumpkin with finely chopped herbs and allspice, if desired.

Step 20

Step 20
Ready! Serve hot.

Additional rubrics

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