Chicken in Squash-Onion Bisque

Warning: Highly Addictive!

This phenomenal dish that everyone in my family goes crazy for is very flexible in that I've done it in so many ways, depending on the available ingredients (see options in the ingredients section), and it always comes out delicious. After all, how can you go wrong when you put together a creamy squash, a sweet-pungent onion, savory cheese, and silky butter?

The squash, leeks, and chicken are all partly browned to add another flavor dimension and contrast with the spring onion that will start raw and be allowed to mellow towards the end. No need for chicken stock or a lot of salt because the cheese will bring the umami and creaminess that will complete this super satisfying sauce.

The best cheese to use in this dish is Parmesan by itself or halved with cheddar. By all means, avoid cheeses that are too stretchy and do not melt well into the sauce. Some cheeses like Edam and Halloumi will melt a bit, then form hard clumps that stick to your pan. Mozarella will make stretchy goo strips in your sauce. Feta will have a grainy, clumpy texture. You can experiment with different types like Romano and Gruyère, but avoid cheeses similar to earlier four I mentioned. Being in Spain, we have a lot of Manchego that would also melt well in sauces, and if you happen to buy one that is a bit too sheepy to eat by itself, then the fresh spring onion in this sauce would be the best cure that will get rid of that baa!

This recipe below serves 8-10 persons. There were only 4 of us when I made this batch but I cooked this much because I knew that the leftovers the next day would be even yummier as the chicken fully absorbs the flavors. You just have to store it in the coolest part of the fridge as soon as you're done with dinner since dairy-containing food can spoil easily.

Ingredients

• 1500 g chicken fillets, cut into approximately 4x4 cm sized pieces and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper (I prefer thigh fillets with skin on, but you do you)

• 800 g squash - peeled and chopped (sometimes, I substitute about 1/4 of the squash with carrot)

• 1 vegetable bouillon

• 6 cm of leek quartered vertically

• 1 spring onion bulb about 3-4 cm in diameter, diced (other kinds of onions will work too)

• 80 g savory cheese, shredded (I use random cheeses that don't stretch or form rubbery clumps when melted, and this time it was about half Parmesan and half Manchego - avoid Edam, Feta, Mozarella, or Halloumi)

• 2 tbsp butter

• olive oil

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• 1/2 tsp either turmeric or nutmeg - whichever direction you'd like to go (I used turmeric)

• 1/2 tsp of an herb - basil, thyme, sage or an Italian mix would work (I went with thyme)

• salt

• 1/2 tsp ground pepper - black or mixed peppercorns

• Greek yogurt or sour cream for accent

Optional: splash of milk and pinch of sugar

Special equipment: stick blender

Directions

1. Pan-roast the squash and leeks with a little olive oil, then boil in 1 liter of water with vegetable bouillon.

2. Add more olive oil in the roasting pan and brown both sides of the chicken then set aside.

3. Once the squash is tender, take it out of the water with a strainer and transfer it into a container where you can stick-blend it, like a deep mixing bowl. Keep as much of the water as possible and add just enough water to boil the chicken in it.

4. Add the raw spring onion, cheese, butter, and all the herbs and spices except for salt and pepper, and stick blend until it's a very smooth texture. If it needs help, splash a tiny bit of milk, not more than 50 ml.

5. Taste the mixture. The spring onion will make it very pungent but this will mellow as you cook it off. Ignoring the pungent part, adjust the taste for saltiness and balance using salt, a pinch of sugar, and/or the same spices used earlier, only if needed. I even used turmeric and paprika to color-correct the squash (not all of them are the ideal deep yellow-orange) but of course, don't overdo it! Flavor first before color.

6. When you are happy with the mixture, pour it over the boiling chicken and stir until the sauce is fully incorporated with the water.

7. Simmer while gently stirring to prevent the sauce to burn at the bottom. Do this until the onion taste is no longer raw and overly pungent, and the color intensifies (this happens when the oils in the bisque start to rise to the top). Stir in the ground pepper.

8. Serve in bowls with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

If you do try this recipe, please drop me a line and let me know what you think!