The way you make this recipe is very similar to the way you make my paleo chicken spaghetti. The major difference is here you’re making a creamy pumpkin sauce vs. a creamy mushroom sauce. The creamy pumpkin sauce is made with ingredients like cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, cumin, and coriander powder. This recipe also includes eggs. So the steps are: You can use leftover chicken for this dish or cook your own. I prefer to boil an organic chicken cut into pieces so that I can also make a nice chicken stock. It’s easy and inexpensive. Ask your local farmer for an organic fryer or broiler chicken – or see if you can buy one from your local grocery store. Kroger (the main grocery store where I live) will sometimes have these organic griller packs with 4 drumsticks and two chicken breasts. When you boil/simmer your chicken, be sure to add some spices. I’ll use whatever I have on hand – salt, pepper, thyme (sometimes I’ll throw in a couple of carrots). When the chicken is done, remove the meat from the bones for this creamy pumpkin chicken casserole. If you are using local or organic chicken, save your bones in the freezer until you have enough to make a bone broth. Whatever you do, don’t throw away your stock. There’s a reason it’s called liquid gold. When you make the pumpkin sauce, you’ll first want to blend your onion, garlic, and Serrano pepper in a food processor. This will create a smoother sauce. Once you do this, heat oil in your saucepan and sauté until the onions are very soft (about ten minutes). You’ll add your spices and let them bloom and then you’ll pour in your tomato paste and pumpkin puree. After you mix that all up, add the coconut milk and simmer until the pumpkin absorbs all the milk. There are a million ways you can cook your spaghetti squash. I usually suggest the oven method (see below) because I think that gets you the best flavor. Truthfully though, if I’m feeling lazy and I’m making a casserole, I just stab my spaghetti squash in several places with a fork and then pop it in the microwave until I can poke through it with a knife. It’s faster and this way I don’t have to struggle with cutting it in half. If you’re making a dish where you need your squash to stay somewhat crisp, then the oven is your best bet. I’ll still put the directions for the oven in the recipe below – because that’s ideal. While I like sweet pumpkin dishes, I think I like savory pumpkin recipes more. Pumpkin is good for you and when you eat it as a meal, you know you’re putting something good into your body. For some reason, I just don’t feel that way when eating pumpkin pie (gentle sarcasm) – even if it is paleo. This creamy pumpkin chicken casserole is both filling and flavorful. If you like it, try another savory pumpkin recipe: Thai Pumpkin Chicken Curry. Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board now so you will remember to make it later!
