Chicken ala Pumpkin?

Ok. By now you have to know our affinity for pumpkin. Pie. Pancakes. Roasted. You name it. When I put together my menu for the week, I originally planned on Chicken ala Orange. This recipe was my inspiration.

When I put together the ingredients last night, I had a streak of creativity*. I saw some pumpkin puree in the pantry and had my inspiration. I subbed out the cream of chicken for pumpkin puree and whole milk. Instead of sweet potatoes, I used apples.

I was thinking about the meal all day today. It could be the next world-famous "soccer mom go-to dish." It could be a total disaster. When we got home, the house smelled great! The chicken: okay. I think the dish has great potential, but it just needed more flavor. I relied on seasoning on the chicken breast to flavor the whole dish. But, this dish needs some pizazz in the puree mix. The next time, I think I'm going to go for the whole cadre of pumpkin spices, but add some bite and heat. I'm thinking black pepper and fresh ginger.

Below is the recipe with the flavor kicked up.

Chicken ala Pumpkin Pie

3 apples, sliced
2 T brown sugar
2 chicken breasts
3 T flour
12 oz pumpkin puree
1/4 c whole milk
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/4 t cardamon
1/4 t garlic powder
1 t black pepper
1 T ginger root, minced
1 orange, zest & juice

1. Slice apples and place in bottom of Crock Pot. Sprinkle brown sugar over apples.
2. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken breast with flour mixture and place in Crock Pot.
3. Whisk together all other ingredients and pour over chicken.
4. Set Crock Pot to low for 8-10 hrs.


*Thank you, Mikey, for encouraging me to be creative with my cooking!