We actually had some cooler weather this week. Scratch that—we had cooler weather and RAIN. And I love a bit of rain, especially after 11 years of living in the UK, I’m happy when it rains here because it feels like it only happens for five minutes at a time. In England, jeez, it would literally rain non-stop for a month or more. I do think it actually rains more in Seattle than London, but I can’t tell you for sure—but that was a heck of a lot of rain.
And here it seems to only rain at night, which was irritating me this year. I like to be all cozy inside watching the rain on the windows, cup of tea in hand and, if I do go out, I break out the wellies and an umbrella. It’s hard to watch the rain in the dark, so I was very disappointed that the rain was so shy during the day. Which made Thursday morning’s events even more perplexing.
Undeterred by the weather forecast of thunderstorms this past Thursday, I got up early and drove myself up to my favorite running path by the sea, at Crystal Cove. The clouds looked amazing, like what you see in the Caribbean, and although I could see that there was rain out on the horizon, there was also blue sky behind me, over the land. With my extensive knowledge of both meteorology and seafaring, I decided that the rain was over with, to stop being a ninny and get my four miles in.
Off I started. It was a bit blustery, sure, and there wasn’t anyone else out on the path. Hmmm, that looks pretty dark up ahead, I thought. Should I be worried about that lightning? Long story short, at one mile I turned around when big, quarter-sized drops of rain started falling, and by the time I was halfway back to the car, the heavens had literally opened. I could barely see where I was going, and I was absolutely soaked to the bone.
The drive home combined all the fun of driving while leaning over to see through the only part of the windshield that had gotten defogged in time with hydroplaning, but I managed to get home alive. Luckily for me, the thunder had woken up The Husband, who greeted me at the door with a big beach towel and a hot cup of coffee. Don’t we love him?
All this rain and chill made it the perfect opportunity for me to turn the sad and neglected oven on and bust out the Le Creuset pot. I had one of our organic, free-range chickens in the fridge, and threw in some bacon, onions, garlic, Braeburn apples and butternut squash slices. The house soon smelled delicious, and one taste made up for running through the morning’s weather that I’m pretty sure was similar to what Noah dealt with as he was loading the ark.
And yes, this is a totally paleo dish, but you could leave out the meat and have a great side dish for your favorite meat alternative. The butternut squash and apple together were divine!
One-Pot Chicken with Butternut Squash and Apples
1 whole chicken, cut up into pieces (or use just chicken thighs)
4 slices of bacon, or 2 oz. salt pork, chopped
2 Braeburn apples, cored and cut into thick slices
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and sliced
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle your chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. Heat up your Le Creuset on the stovetop and cook the bacon until crispy. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside. Make sure the bacon fat is nice and hot; add the chicken pieces, skin side down. Brown all over and remove; set aside. Add the onions to the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes; add the garlic. Stir and cook for another minute. Add the apple and squash slices plus the reserved bacon, stir to coat.
Put your chicken back on top, cover the pot and stick into a 350° oven for about an hour. Check to make sure your chicken is cooked through before serving.
tinykitchenstories 
Yummmmm! Looks absolutely amazing!
Thank you! It was delicious! Can’t wait for leftovers… 🙂
Love the pictures, girl! How about contributing a paleo-vegan dish for the Virtual Vegan Potluck? I want to see your blog on the list!! http://virtualveganpotluck.com
Thank you! And I have definitely been thinking up something for the VVP, I’ve just been so behind on my blogging. Thank you for the personal invite! [And did you notice I’m running again!? Yay!!]
Yay! Glad you’re on board! I saw that you are running and in the rain no less! Once I got caught in a hail storm while running. I was seriously praying that someone would stop and give me a ride home, but no such luck. Drivers just stared at me as the drove by. When I got home, I had golf ball sized welts all over me and was bruised for a week. I think it took me nearly that long to warm back up as well!
Geez! I’ve been caught in a hailstorm on a motorcycle, but at least I had a helmet! I was actually afraid the rain would turn to hail, but thank goodness it didn’t. Running-always an adventure, eh? And I’m so glad I’m back on track (literally) and in with the VVP! 🙂
Can’t wait to see what you come up with! It’s gonna be radical!
Thanks! And right back atcha!
Oh that’s a beauty! I’m totally gonna make that!! The weather has finally taken a turn here too. Yesterday was the first rain since June!! But it’s good cause everything was getting a dusty and a little sticky!!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. And our rain was very cleansing too–a little more for me than I expected! 😉
Oh dear! All I can imagine is your poor wet feet, sodden and very tired after a big run…three cheers for your hubby though, warm fluffy towels and hot coffee, no doubt very much needed.
Love a one pot winter warmer (or cool/rainy weather warmer.) Chicken and apples is a great idea, David Liebovitz has one recipe for a patê in his book with those very same ingredients. I have me some butternut pumpkin at the moment (looks very similar to your squash) must make something soon! 🙂
Wow, chicken pate with apple and b’nut squash? Yum! And yes, three cheers for The Husband–I was so happy to see him with that big fluffy towel! Unfortunately it’s back in high 80s/low 90s this week. SO ready for fall weather! Happy cooking. 🙂
a) The Husband is awesome for blanket/coffee greeting. b) I’m already missing the cooler weather. Come back! c) This dish looks amazing. I’ll have to spring this on The Boyfriend.
A) Totally agree! B) Double totally agree! C) This recipe is so easy and tasty, it should definitely be sprung on The Boyf! P.S. if you don’t have a Le Creuset, use a roasting pan, and it will work just as well. 🙂
What a beautiful dish! I love the combination of apples and butternut squash, must be delicious with the chicken!!
Thank you Anne–we had leftovers last night, and it was just as delicious as the first time we ate it!