Chicken Thighs with Peanut Butter Sauce and Butternut Squash
Delicious, baby-friendly recipe that the whole family can enjoy!
Equipment
- 1 Slow cooker
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 mixing bowl (small)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
- 2-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp coconut aminos
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add the chicken thighs to the crockpot along with chicken broth (enough broth to cover the chicken thighs by about 2 inches). Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is tender and moist. Chicken should reach an internal cooking temperature of 165°F.
- About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place the squash on a cutting board and slice off both ends. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler. Slice the butternut squash in half horizontally. Then slice both halves vertically down the center. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy parts in the center of each of the 4 individual pieces. Slice each of the 4 pieces into half-moon shapes/wedges, approximately 1 inch thick.
- Place the butternut squash on a lined sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until it’s soft enough to squish between your fingers.
- Remove the thighs from the slow cooker and rest on a chopping board for 5-10 minutes, so the juices have time to reabsorb, keeping the chicken juicy.
- While the chicken rests, make the peanut butter sauce by adding peanut butter, water, apple cider vineger, coconut aminos, and garlic powder into a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, and well combined. It should drip easily off of a spoon. If the consistency is too thick, add more water.
- Plate the chicken and squash together, drizzling the sauce on top of the chicken. See the notes section below for how to serve this to babies depending on the texture phase your baby is ready for.
Notes
- Storing leftovers - Chicken, broth and sauce can refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
- Substitutions - If your baby has a peanut allergy, swap peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or omit the sauce. Swap the chicken thighs for chicken breast.
- Adult meal - Add salt to your chicken after cooking. Serve yours over a bed of rice, cauliflower rice, asian slaw or stir-fried veggies
- Option 1: Shred the chicken thighs into wide finger-length pieces with a fork or between your fingers then drizzle 2 tsp peanut sauce on top. Serve alongside leftover roasted butternut squash. If you feel the chicken is hard to chew or needs more moisture, top up each piece with more chicken broth (can do this multiple times throughout the meal).
- Option 2: Shred the chicken into tiny pieces between your fingers or finely chop it with a knife. Mash the roasted butternut squash well and mix together with the chicken shreds and 2-3 tsp of peanut sauce, providing added moisture and a way for the chicken to stick to a spoon. Add broth as needed to the mixture for even more moisture. Serve on a pre-loaded spoon and let baby self-feed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!