Chicken, pumpkin, spinach and white bean bake

Michael Craig

If you're cooking up on the stove top, make a bigger batch, like with this chicken, pumpkin, spinach and white bean bake. Think how leftovers can be remade into something different.

Chicken stock

1	Onion, roughly chopped
1	Whole boned chicken (Main)
2	Carrots, chopped
1 stalk	Celery, chopped
5	Peppercorns
1	Bay leaf
1 bunch	Parsley

Chicken, pumpkin, spinach and white bean bake

½	Crown pumpkin, diced
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, peeled and finely chopped
2	Garlic cloves, crushed
½	Chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped
125 g	Chutney, Vegetable Medley
1 can	Chopped tomatoes
2 ½ cm	Fresh ginger, grated
250 g	Cannellini beans, canned
½ bag	Frozen spinach, thawed
1 bunch	Fresh parsley

Directions

Chicken Stock

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

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. Use the meat from the poached chook, with the fat removed and shredded. Then 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.