Welcome back from #AKCookieWeek! I hope you had a delicious weekend. Sarah was here and after 3 Chicago bridal shops, she finally found her perfect dress. So exciting!
I sent her home with today’s recipe and I can’t wait to share it with you too.
Here’s the deal. Tony and I were deliriously hungry one night but couldn’t make up our minds as to where we should go out to eat. Sometimes figuring out and agreeing on a restaurant is much like figuring out what we’re going to watch on Netflix. We just can’t decide.
After about an hour of going back and forth on which restaurant we were going to go out to, I opened the fridge and decided that I was simply going to whip something up. I pulled out chicken breast, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Then I peeked into the cupboard and found the last of my very favorite pearl couscous (which basically taste like mini baby gnocchi) and knew what was about to go down.
About 30 minutes later, Tony and I were having a fabulous, filling, veggie and protein-packed dinner while watching some weird documentary about Scottish wild cats on Netflix. Ha.
The next day there were leftovers, so I decided to roast some butternut squash that needed to used up and add it to the dish. OH MY GOSH, it was fabulous — sweet, spicy, cheesy, savory and SO good I knew I had to remake it for the blog.
I will say that the couscous really takes the dish to the next level. It’s slightly chewy and doughy, which gives it a pasta-like flavor/texture. Please note: It is important that you use pearl or Israeli couscous to keep the texture of the dish.
Not only is this recipe delicious, but also packed with lots of veggies, lean protein and FLAVOR! I also can’t forget to mention that it’s pretty easy to whip up. Basically this is like a healthy version of mac and cheese with veggies and protein. I’M SO INTO IT.
The broccoli florets actually steams in the pot with the couscous, then you add in your cooked chicken, roasted butternut squash and cheese. Stir it all together and you’ve got yourself an easy weeknight dinner. Tony says it’s delicious with a little hot sauce on top, if that’s your thing!
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to rate it below and leave a comment! You can also use the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. Enjoy – xo!
See how to make the chicken couscous:
More recipes with butternut squash:
Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Lentil Moroccan Stew
Spicy Butternut Squash Black Bean Enchiladas with Chipotle Greek Yogurt Sauce
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet
Winter Roasted Butternut Squash Black Lentil Salad with Grapes + Arugula
Spicy Maple Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Bacon
Roasted Butternut Squash Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Couscous
Ingredients
- For the butternut squash:
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash (from about 2 pounds butternut squash)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized chunks (can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the broccoli cheddar couscous:
- 1 3/4 cup water or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup israeli (or pearl) couscous
- 1 medium head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 3 ½ cups broccoli florets)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place butternut squash cubes on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle on chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Generously season with freshly ground salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss together so that the squash is well coated.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the squash is tender. Once done, allow to rest on baking sheet until you are ready to add to the rest of the dish.
- While the squash is cooking, cook your chicken breast. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add in chicken. Immediately sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper and generously season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 5-8 minutes until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set skillet aside or transfer to a bowl.
- To make the couscous: In this order add the following to a large pot or dutch oven: water, couscous and broccoli florets. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes total; check after 5 minutes and give everything a stir.
- Replace the lid and allow to cook for 3-5 more minutes to absorb the water. Stir again, and then add in cooked chicken and shredded cheddar. Stir to melt the cheddar.
- Finally fold in the roasted butternut squash. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Enjoy! Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
To make vegetarian: Instead of chicken, feel free to use 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or white beans. Add directly to couscous once it is done cooking.
To make gluten free: You can try using white basmati rice in place of the couscous, but please know that liquids and cooking times will differ.
To make vegan: Instead of using cheese, try using 1/2 Siete queso, a vegan queso. You can also make a homemade cashew cheese sauce and blend in.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen Photography by: Sasha of Eat Love Eat
136 comments
this looks amazing! totally going to have to make this!!! I just got gluten free orzo and ill try making it with that!
Perfect!! Hope you love this one 🙂
Came out amazing! Thank you!
Perfect! So glad.
sounds delicious – can’t wait to try it.
But, I am wondering… How you cut a butternut squash “Quickly”
It takes me forever to get one peeled and cut into cubes.
HELP !!!
It is delicious! Here are my best tips for cutting & dicing a pumpkin, which will work for the butternut squash 🙂 It can be fairly time-consuming but worth it!
This looks so tasty and filling!
It is! Such a great weeknight dinner.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Very easy to make and honestly delicious. Thanks 😊
So glad you liked it! Perfect for dinner 🙂
I love the combination you made here!! I cook something similar sometimes with rise. I call it quick weeknight risotto, but with cus cus looks amazing too!
thanks for the idea!
Great minds think alike! Hope you love this version too 🙂
I meant to say rice but I see you got the idea! LOL!!
Sooo… I made the cus cus version last night and was a winner! Much lighter dinner than the rice version, which is perfect for Spanish late in the night dinners, which was the case yesterday in our home. We sat at the table for dinner almost at 10PM! crazy! I know 🙁
Just made for dinner tonight. This is AMAZING!! The combination of sweet and spicy is perfect! My broccoli was a little too crunchy for my liking so I may steam that ahead before adding in. Thank you so much! This is a keeper.
So glad you loved it! Yes feel free to steam it a bit beforehand.
I saw this the other day, made it tonight with ‘Da Boss’s’ help, as I was working…she said it took about 40 minutes to ‘cut and prep’, it turned out Awesome and will definitely be added to the ‘eat this many more times’ category!
Amazing! Glad you and “Da Boss” both loved it 🙂
I’m sure my wife would enjoy this recipe! She’s been a big fan of squash lately! Thank you
Perfect! You two will have to give this one a try 🙂 Enjoy!
I have to say, hands down your recipes are always my husband’s favorite meals! I made this tonight and I added some leftover veggies from our meals this week and viola! The perfect meal. I did use the broccolini I had on hand (suppose to be used earlier in week) in place of broccoli. Worked great!
Thank you again for a wonderful, easy and quick recipe.
I’m so glad! LOVE the idea of using broccolini, too.
Could I substitute quinoa for the couscous?
Sure! The liquid + cooking times will be a bit different, so I might suggest cooking your quinoa and broccoli separately and then adding everything together at the end.
I made this today for tonight’s supper. I had a few bites while making it ,so yummy!!
Will definitely make again. We’re a retired couple , I follow your blog and have made many of your recipes . Great job !!
So happy to hear that, Alice! Glad you found my blog – tons of great dinner recipes for two 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! My husband was a huge fan as well! He’s lactose intolerant so I used Daiya dairy-free cheddar cheese and it was bomb. Already can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Thank you!!
Perfect swap! Glad you guys loved this one.
I made this last night and it was delicious, even my kids gobbled it up! Leftovers in my lunch were even better today. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you!
So happy to hear that! Best leftovers ever.
I made this for dinner last night and it was so good! My husband and I loved it and even our four year old ate it (semi-willingly, but he’s four so…)! I couldn’t find/was too lazy to climb up on stool to find my cayenne, so I used smoked paprika instead. I loved this lighter take on the classic chicken broccoli casserole. We’ll definitely have this again!
Amazing! Glad you all loved this one 🙂
Hey girl do you think this would freeze well? Looks awesome. Thanks in advance!
Also wondering if this would freeze well!
Yes I think it should!
I made this dish this week (with a couple of changes) and it was delicious! I used whole wheat orzo because I had that on hand (the liquid amount was the same), already cooked plain chicken (12 oz, added the spices called for after it was cooked except for cayenne because I thought the squash was plenty spiced), dairy-free cheddar (Parmela brand) and frozen broccoli (didn’t even have to thaw). The only two comments I would have: some kind of texture would be nice, maybe toasted bread crumbs? and my fridge reeked of butts between the chicken and broccoli. Ha! Obviously these are NBD. We loved this dish and I’ll definitely make it again. As a new mom I appreciate that I could make this dish in steps throughout the day. Thank you!
Glad those swaps worked out for you guys! Toasted bread crumbs would be delicious, too 🙂 And yes, broccoli can be an intense smell (haha) but is usually pretty mild as long as it’s not overcooked. So happy you liked this one!
Looks delish, planning to do it this week. Do you think frozen buttersquash will turn out good? I’m afraid it will become too «watery» ? Have you ever tried it with frozen ones before? Thanks 🙂
Hi! I have not tried it, but I think it would work well and still be delish 🙂
Made this today, delicious! Love your recipes, always so tasty.
I’m debating about trying this one for my family but my mom is picky about spice is this one a mild and sweet or more on the spicy side…after thought could I use acini de pepe instead of couscous?
Delicious!! I added a little more cheese and some milk to create more of a cheese sauce and my fiancee and I loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Perfect! Glad you both loved it 🙂
Oh wow this is so simple and amazing! I didn’t have butternut squash so I did sweet pots and added a little extra cayenne 🙂 thank you!
Perfect! Love that. Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing. I’m quite a simple cooker and this was one to satisfy my skill set! Excited to make and share with my partner.
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed – hope your partner loves this one too 🙂
I would have loved this more had I not followed the recipe precisely. The 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper was far too much on the chicken. My mouth is on fire!
I will definitely make it again but I may trade the cayenne on the chicken for chili powder or only use a 1/4 tsp. My husband loved it but he eats ghost peppers!
Sorry to hear that this one was too spicy! I haven’t found it to have too intense of a kick all together with the cheddar, couscous, etc. but absolutely feel free to lessen the cayenne next time or leave it out (everyone’s spice tolerance is different!)
Could this be substituted with sweet potato or something similar (any suggestions?) for summer time! I made this all winter and I’m craving it again but not so hip on using butternut squash into summer! 🙂
Yes, feel free to use sweet potato, or heck, even a mix of other roasted summer veggies, such as zucchini and corn. Absolutely delicious!
Loving all the recipes I’ve tried from this site so far. They are healthy, interesting and flavourful 🙂 Thanks Monique
So happy to hear that, Shay! I hope you keep finding new recipes you love 🙂 thanks for your note!
Your recipes are the best, thank you so much for making healthy, tasty dinners much easier! Another delicious find.
So glad you’re finding recipes here that you love! This is one of my favorite dinners 🙂
Sounds delicious! To my knowledge cous cous is Moroccan
It is delicious! Perfect weeknight dinner 🙂
This was so tasty and easy! I used orzo pasta instead of couscous and it turned out perfectly!
Thank you!
Love this recipe!
testing!
Loved this recipe! I added cauliflower with the broccoli and cooked the couscous in chicken broth instead of water. I’ve been trying one new recipe a week from your blog, and everything I’ve made has been a success. Thank you!!
Great idea with the chicken broth! So happy to hear you’re finding recipes you love 🙂
Just made this for the first time tonight, and it is awesome! I followed the recipe exactly. My husband said to bookmark this one, it’s a keeper 🙂
Amazing! So happy to hear that Megan 🙂
Omg, this is amazing. I’m vegetarian so I used white means instead of chicken. Yummmmmmmm. This will be a regular in the rotation.
Perfect swap! Glad you enjoyed!
I’m going to try this tonight with pearled barley. I might even roast the broccoli too. It looks so good!!
Perfect! Hope you love it!
Once again, I am never left disappointed and this recipe is terrific! So simple, so filling, so quick, so healthy. Thank you for always creating great recipes that allow anyone to make a meal, no matter the type of resources available!
Absolutely! Happy to hear that you loved this one.
LOVE this recipe as a sub to a typical Mac n’ Cheese in the fall time! Next time I make it I’m going to cook the squash for a little longer as this time around they weren’t as soft as I would like, but still so yummy!
The perfect fall “mac & cheese”! Feel free to cube the squash a bit smaller next time, too. Glad you love this one!
So delicious and easy!! Definitely going to be making this again in the future!
One of my fav dinners! So happy you liked it!
This is honestly so addicting. The combinations of flavors from the butternut to the cheddar to the chicken – unreal. The squash realllllly makes it though. What a flavor explosion!!! Let a couple friends sample and they stole all of my leftovers. Definitely going to try the vegan option next time!!
Isn’t the flavor combo amazing?? So glad you love this one!
This recipe was so good!! Creamy, cheesy, and slightly spicy with lots of veggies, while still being hardy. Would definitely recommend.
Absolutely! Such a great weeknight dinner.
Loved this recipe! So easy and tasty, reminded me of the cheesy broccoli rice casserole my mom used to make growing up.
I didn’t have couscous on hand, so I substituted 1 cup of quinoa and used 2 cups chicken broth. Let it simmer on low for about 15-16 minutes instead of 8-10 minutes and it came out perfectly! I’ll definitely be making this again 😊
Absolutely! So delicious and comforting. Glad the quinoa worked out well 🙂
loved this meal!! very easy and quick with minimal ingredients – tasted delicious and will definitely make again!!
So glad you enjoyed!
This mixture is so unexpectedly DELISH. I’ve made this multiple times now – always makes 5+ meals for me & is so filling. I just bought a large container of Israeli couscous so I can make it whenever I have the craving.
Absolutely! So glad you loved it!
We cooked this meal on a cold day. It had amazing flavour with the couscous absorbing all the ingredients from the cook. Was suppose to be for lunch the next day, but it all got eaten 🙂
Perfect cozy dinner! Glad you guys enjoyed 🙂
This is one of my favorite recipes! I love feeding it to my kids knowing it is packed with nutrients and it has amazing flavor.
Have you ever made this with quinoa? I’d love to know if it would work well.
So happy to hear that! And yes I think it would work and be delicious as the cook times are very similar.
tasty meal, filling and fairly easy to make. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed!
Flavors in this are amazing and the recipe makes so much food! I love the broccoli, but I also like to make this with brussel sprouts. I just roast them right along with the squash on a large sheet pan. Couple of things – I use at least 2 cups of liquid and I like to roast the veggies at 425. I like them to get a little black and crispy. Just my preference. Thanks for another great recipe!
Perfect! Love the idea of adding brussels sprouts – YUM.
It felt like I was doing 100 things at once but worth it! Very fresh kinda comfort food.
Definitely worth it! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Super delicious. I’ve also found that using pearl barley works as a substitute for pearl couscous. Definitely a favorite
Great tip! Glad you loved this one 🙂
Made this today and it is so good! Great flavours in one bowl. I used quinoa because that’s what I had on hand. Looking forward to enjoying this again tomorrow!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
How would you sub cauli rice for a low-carb option?
You can use approximately 2-3 cups of cauliflower rice.
Definitely something I need to make again. Made it for dinner tonight when visiting my mom and we both loved it. Buying precut butternut squash is helpful. This butternut squash would taste good with any fall meal!
Absolutely! Such a great, cozy dinner 🙂
Love this comfort food-esq meal. Delicious and easy.
Absolutely. Glad you loved it!
Delicious!! I used skinless thighs as I believe they have more flavor than breasts. I also only used 1/2 cup cheese and it was plenty! Delicious and plenty for leftovers!
Perfect! Glad you loved it!
Very tasty and super easy to make!
Glad you enjoyed!
Made this last night and it is a definite repeater!! Thank you for another great recipe. Everyone in the family loved it!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
I loved this and it was surprisingly easy! I had my husband cut the butternut squash because I honestly suck at doing it. I can’t have dairy or gluten so I substituted the Israeli couscous for quinoa and used Daiya shredded “cheddar.” I cooked the quinoa according to the package and added the broccoli florets in with the quinoa; worked just fine! My husband said it didn’t taste dairy free so that was great! I will definitely be making it again.
Perfect! So glad you both enjoyed!
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Yes I think it should!
I made this with brown rice to keep it gluten free and oh my word this was so insanely good!! Since the rice needs to cook longer than the couscous, I’d wait until the rice has cooked for ten or fifteen minutes before adding the broccoli. This is basically my new favorite recipe though, definitely gonna add this to my weekly rotation! 🙂
Perfect! I’m glad that worked out well!
This was so delicious and flavorful! We enjoyed how easy it was to make and how it came together so quickly. It’s got a kick to it with nice sweetness too and the couscous adds great texture. This is a great dish to add to your meal rotation. So yummy and cozy! Thanks. ♥️
Absolutely! Such a great combo 🙂 glad you liked it!
My husband and I loved this meal! The couscous was a bit soggy (I think since the broccoli I used was previously frozen), but once I laid it all out to dry off a bit everything was delicious! Can’t wait to make this one again!
I’m glad that worked out well! Perfect dinner 🙂
My whole family loved (including toddler)! I didn’t have cous cous so I used Arborio rice (risotto) instead. Upped the broth and cooked that part according to rice instructions as opposed to recipe instructions and it turned out so well. Definitely recommend!
Absolutely delicious quick weeknight dinner! I’ve subbed the squash with sweet potato before and it’s just as yummy!
This is so tasty! Love to whip this up when I have company over and it’s simple but always a hit. I add extra cheese because why not!
Love that!
I make this recipe at least once a month now, and my husband and I love it! It’s a perfect weeknight dinner for us, and we always have lots of leftovers for the rest of the week. Love the addition of the butternut squash for some sweetness too!
I love AK so much! I can’t thank you enough for all the fun and healthy recipes I’ve enjoyed.
So happy to hear that, Jamie! Hope you keep finding recipes here that you love 🙂
Delish recipe! I had a bunch of stuff in my fridge I wasn’t sure what to do with and of course, AK has a recipe that’s good and uses it all up! Even my toddler who will not eat broccoli ate it all up which is a huge win in this house.
Love it! Such a great dinner 🙂
This meal is hearty, comforting, and full of healthy foods. The seasonings are absolutely perfect!! This will be a definite repeat!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
This was my first time making it and I left out adding maple syrup, but it was still delicious! It was a big hit with the family and there was plenty of leftovers. Definitely will be making this dish again.
Perfect! So glad everyone loved it 🙂