16 Jul Garlic Chicken and Spaghetti

I’m not sure I can even call this a recipe, it’s really more of a meal idea for those nights when ingredients are limited and you need to throw something on the table in a timely manner. I always have organic chicken thighs in my freezer and in the fall and winters months at least 1 (if not 3 or 4) plump yellow spaghetti squash can be found in my pantry. As for the rest of the ingredients listed below, well, I just use what I’ve got on hand and usually have most of the ingredients listed below to throw together into this awesome spaghetti dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves of garlic (sliced in half)
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Chicken Thighs
• 1 whole Spaghetti squash
• 2 tsp avocado or coconut oil

Optional Add Ins:

• Greens of choice
• Kalamata or black olives
• Capers
• Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes whole or larger tomato sliced)
• Basil (fresh or dried)
• Himalayan sea salt

Steps:

1. Spaghetti Squash: I will often cook my spaghetti squash the day or night before I need it by simply putting it in the oven when I’m preparing my previous nights meal. This makes it easier to handle when I need it (it can be quite challenging to cut and remove seeds when it is blazing hot!). To bake, simply preheat oven to 350 and bake 35-45 minutes until squash is tender. Be careful! It’ll be HOT!
2. Sprinkle thighs with salt and pepper and place in a single layer in baking dish
3. Add garlic cloves
4. Bake chicken about 30 minutes or until juices run clear (if you haven’t already cooked squash you can add it to the oven about 10 minutes before putting chicken in and bake it with your thighs)
5. Slice squash in half, remove seeds and carefully pull noodles out with a fork
6. Now comes the fun part: add as much or as little of the remaining ingredients as you wish, omitting what you don’t want and adding any other add ins that appeal to you. 

Note: Those following the low FODMAP diet will remove garlic cloves prior to enjoying this dish. This is a great recipe as it allows you to have the flavor of garlic without the intestinal pain that often accompanies this flavorful, yet troublesome ingredient.