Recipe: Chicken, pumpkin, spinach and white bean bake

White bean, pumpkin and spinach braise with shredded chicken. Photo / Michael Craig

Chicken Stock
• 1 boiler fowl
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• Chopped celery
• Chopped carrots
• A few peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• Parsley

1. Cover all ingredients with cold water in a big pot, bring to boil and simmer for a couple of hours, topping with water to keep the bird covered.

2. Leave fowl to cool in the water.

3. Take the skin off the bird, shred off the meat.

4. Add the bones back to the water, simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Stain bones and veges. Allow to cool.

6. Skim off any fat. Place in a container and freeze for your next
batch of soup.

Chicken, Pumpkin, Spinach and White Bean Bake

• Half a crown pumpkin, diced
• Olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• ½ chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 125g Vegetable Medley Chutney
• 2½ cm of fresh ginger, grated
• 250g canned cannellini beans
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• Half a bag of frozen spinach, thawed
• Meat from the poached chook, fat removed and shredded
• Fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to medium.

2. Toss pumpkin pieces in a roasting dish with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Place in the oven and roast 20 minutes.

4. In a medium-sized pan, warm 2 tbsp olive oil and gently cook the onion and garlic. Chill.

5. Add the can of tomatoes, including juice, half the chutney, fresh grated ginger, roasted pumpkin chunks, beans and 2 cups of chicken stock.

6. Season with salt and pepper and gently stir to mix.

7. Cover with tin foil or a lid and cook in oven for half an hour.

8. Remove from oven, check the seasoning and that everything has heated through.

9. Add spinach, lemon zest and juice.

10. Sit the shredded chicken on top of the whole dish. Add more chicken stock if needed. Re-cover and cook in oven for another 15 minutes.

11. Scatter with chopped parsley before serving.