Budget-Friendly, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Main Entree, Paleo, Recipes, Whole30

Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Name: Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 3-4lb spaghetti squash; 2 chicken breasts; 2 Tbsp avocado oil; 1 8 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes; 2-3 cups broccoli florets, frozen or fresh; 1 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

October 14, 2020November 7, 2020 by admin

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A delicious and Mediterranean flavored dinner, this Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is an easy dinner to make. Tuscan chicken spaghetti squash is filled with savory chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, Mediterranean herbs, and broccoli florets.

Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes in a spaghetti squash shell on two white plates

A delicious dinner for a hungry family

I don’t know about you, but I have a hungry family just about all of the time. Growing children and my husband and I work out all of the time so we are always hungry. My new Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes dinner is just the ticket to filling us up with healthy nutritious ingredients. This healthy dinner needs only 5 ingredients (not including sea salt and black pepper) and is nice and easy on the budget.

Mediterranean spaghetti squash with chicken, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes on a gold fork

Budget-friendly dinner that will satisfy

It’s true, this Tuscan chicken spaghetti squash dinner (or lunch) is a nice budget-friendly meal. With only 5 easy-to-find ingredients, this meal is budget-friendly. Here at our house, we have a grocery budget. So buying a long list of ingredients for one meal isn’t always conducive. Here’s the breakdown for this recipe:

Chicken breasts: (Sam’s Club) 2 lbs: $3.95

Spaghetti Squash: (Aldi) about 4 lbs @ $0.69/lb $2.76

Sun-dried tomatoes: (Walmart) 8 oz jar $3.38

Frozen broccoli: (Sam’s Club) 1 bag (about 2 cups) $1.62

So the total cost of this recipe is $11.71 and it makes 8 servings. Yes, 8 servings! Each serving is only $1.46. Now if that’s not a healthy budget-friendly recipe, I’m not sure what is!

Chicken spaghetti squash tuscan bake in spaghetti squash shells on white plates

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Ingredients:

Chicken breasts – can also use chicken thighs or canned chicken if you’re in a time crunch

Spaghetti squash – this squash is ideal for it’s ‘noodle-like’ texture

Broccoli florets – can use frozen broccoli or fresh broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces

Sun-dried tomatoes – an 8 oz jar is the perfect amount for this entire recipe. This is the brand I choose.

Sun-dried tomato oil – after you’ve taken the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar, use the seasoned oil from that jar. It’s so flavorful!

Avocado oil – just a drizzle of avocado oil for cooking the chicken breasts

Sea salt – this is my favorite sea salt

Black pepper – coarse ground black pepper such as this one is my favorite

Spaghetti squash with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and broccoli in a spaghetti squash shell on a white plate

How to make this spaghetti squash dinner

Step 1: Cook the spaghetti squash. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds.

Option one: In an Instant Pot place the trivet and one cup of water in the bottom of the pot. Place the cut spaghetti squash, cut side up, in the pot. Place the lid securely on and turn the valve to the seal position. Press ‘pressure cook’ and manually adjust the time using the +/- button to 20-25 minutes depending on the weight of your squash. Let cook. Once done, let sit for 10 minutes before turning the pressure valve to release the remaining pressure.

Options two: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×13 baking dish, place 2-3 cups of water (cover the bottom of the pan and 1” up the sides) and place the spaghetti squash, cut side down, into the dish. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a fork easily scrapes the squash from the shell.

Step 2: While the spaghetti squash is cooking, begin cooking the chicken. Cut the chicken breast into bite-size pieces. In a skillet over medium-high heat warm the avocado oil and add the cut chicken breast pieces. Cook for 7-8 minutes, turn pieces over, and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, about 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil, chopped broccoli, sea salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green.

Step 3: Remove the spaghetti squash from the Instant Pot or oven, and scrape the squash from the shell using a fork. Add the spaghetti squash ‘noodles’ to the skillet. Stir together. Serve.

Tuscan chicken spaghetti squash in the squash shell on a baking sheet

How to keep the Tuscan chicken spaghetti squash bake

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat the spaghetti squash bake, simply place the amount you want to be warmed up in a skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Or place the amount you want to be warmed up on a microwave-safe dish and warm for 45-60 second bursts.

Can you meal prep this dish?

Absolutely you can meal prep this recipe. Doing just a little meal prep will help get this dinner on the table in record time when you have a busy night. Up to 3 days in advance, cook the spaghetti squash, scrape the squash from the shell, and store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to make the dinner, cook the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and broccoli then pull the fully-cooked spaghetti squash from the refrigerator and add to the skillet. Stir into the skillet and let cook over medium-low heat until the squash is warmed all the way through.

Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain Free, Paleo, Whole30

Servings: 8 servings

Author: anaankeny.com

Ingredients

1 3-4lb spaghetti squash
2 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 8 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes
2-3 cups broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook the spaghetti squash. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
Option one: In an Instant Pot place the trivet and one cup of water in the bottom of the pot. Place the cut spaghetti squash, cut side up, in the pot. Place the lid securely on and turn the valve to the seal position. Press 'pressure cook' and manually adjust the time using the +/- button to 20-25 minutes depending on the weight of your squash. Let cook. Once done, let sit for 10 minutes before turning the pressure valve to release the remaining pressure.
Option two: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×13 baking dish, place 2-3 cups of water (cover the bottom of the pan and 1" up the sides) and place the spaghetti squash, cut side down, into the dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a fork easily scrapes the squash from the shell.
While the spaghetti squash is cooking, begin cooking the chicken. Cut the chicken breast into bite-size pieces. In a skillet over medium-high heat warm the avocado oil and add the cut chicken breast pieces. Cook for 7-8 minutes, turn pieces over, and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil, chopped broccoli, sea salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green.
Remove the spaghetti squash from the Instant Pot or the oven, and scrape the squash from the shell using a fork. Add the spaghetti squash 'noodles' to the skillet. Stir together. Serve.