#PumpkinWeek ~ Chicken Mushroom and Pumpkin Stew

Welcome to #PumpkinWeek day 3! Hosted by Terri from Love and Confections, 19 Bloggers will be sharing 65 pumpkin-filled recipes over the course of the week. Be sure to come back every day to see all the delicious creations - from muffins to cakes, cocktails, breakfast baked goods, savory pastas and stews, and gluten-free recipes too. You can also find these great recipes and more on Love and Confections' #PumpkinWeek Pinterest Board!

This is a wonderful, hearty, and rustic stew. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first decided to make this recipe but I knew I wanted to branch out at least a little this week from just my favorite baked goods with pumpkin.

I had the idea in my head to do recipes over the course of this week that added up to items you could eat over a day. Breakfast could be the Pumpkin Monkey Bread with the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, and a dinner could be this lovely stew with pumpkin focaccia bread (coming soon) along with the amazing pumpkin carrot cake (tomorrow, tomorrow) for dessert!

This stew has a thick and hearty base with the pumpkin as both a wonderful flavor ingredient and thickener too. I loved the meatiness of the mushrooms, and the carrot adds a touch of color and sweetness.

I came home from work early yesterday because I needed to be at the house for a couple appointments (getting HVAC and our water heater replaced / updated, and our garage door is in the process of being replaced and they had to come out for the lead test and measurements - owning an older home is OH so much fun!) so I grabbed a late lunch when I walked in the door. I knew all day that I was going to have a bowl of this stew as soon as I could - so that's exactly what I heated up and enjoyed. It's such a wonderful and unique combination of textures and ingredients - the spices are fragrant and really make this stew special; they work so well with the pumpkin!

#PumpkinWeek Day 3 Recipes:

• Chicken Mushroom and Pumpkin Stew from Making Miracles.
• Curried Pumpkin Waffles from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.
• Healthy Pumpkin Dog Treats from {i love} my disorganized life.
• Pumpkin Banana Biscotti with Maple Syrup Glaze from Kudos Kitchen by Renee.
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars from The Crumby Cupcake.
• Pumpkin Cobbler from Love and Confections.
• Pumpkin Curry Pizza from The Spiffy Cookie.
• Pumpkin Risotto from My Catholic Kitchen.
• Pumpkin Waffles from Recipes Food and Cooking.
• Pumpkin Yeast Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Chicken Mushroom and Pumpkin Stew adapted from BHG

Ingredients
2 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves and thighs), skinned
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups unsalted chicken broth
1 tablespoon honey
16-oz sliced white mushrooms
6 medium carrots, peeled and diced into bite sized chunks

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven heat the oil, when oil is hot add in chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt, red pepper, cloves, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper, Brown chicken on both sides for about 3 minutes per side.
2. Add in all remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. 
3. Bring the mixture to a low boil, cover with a lid and simmer for an hour.
4. Taste test, adjust seasonings if needed. Break chicken into desired sized pieces with a spoon, ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a loaf of crusty bread.