30 Minute Fall Dinner: Chicken in Pumpkin Sauce

Chicken in Pumpkin Sauce is cheap, easy, nutritious, and delicious. You saute chicken--you can use chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips about 1 1/2-inches wide--for a few minutes on each side then build a savory sauce with canned pumpkin. The sauce is velvety smooth and rich tasting without a lot of fat. Because the dish cooks quickly, you can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. The saucy chicken is great atop noodles, rice, or the grain of your choice. I like the chicken with polenta or just with fresh french bread to soak up the sauce. If you have leftovers, they make great lunches during the week. Enjoy!

Chicken in Pumpkin Sauce -- Serves 4+

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips (or use tenders)

2 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon of salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 14.5-15-ounce can of solid-pack pumpkin

2 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth (or 2 teaspoons of reduced sodium chicken Better Than Bullion" dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water)

4 ounces of light cream cheese

Fresh chopped parsley or dried parsley flakes (optional)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add the flour and chicken to a plastic bag, seal the bag, and shake it to coat the chicken with the flour. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and saute it for five minutes or until it starts to soften. Add the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle it with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and saute the chicken for a few minutes on each side until it has browned a bit. Remove the chicken to a plate (don't worry if it hasn't cooked through, it will go back in the pan later). Add the pumpkin and chicken broth to the pan and stir them together. Add the garlic powder, thyme, remainder of the salt, pepper, and cinnamon and stir them into the pumpkin mixture. Partially cover the pan and let the sauce cook for 6-8 minutes. Add the chicken back to the sauce and let it cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Chop the cream cheese into chunks, drop the chunks into the sauce, and stir the sauce until the cream cheese melts and blends into the sauce. Just before serving the dish, stir in some chopped fresh or dried parsley flakes and garnish the top of the dish with parsley, if you like.