Chicken Ragu with Marsala

Here's a tasty way to serve up roasted chicken breast...

Today's recipe is a hearty ragu filled with roasted, shredded chicken breast. This is a wonderful dinner recipe for those busy weeknights, and it a fantastic method for serving yesterday's cooked chicken in a brand new flavorful fashion.

A ragu is what the Italian's call a meat-based sauce that's simmered with vegetables and wine and served over pasta. I chose to serve my ragu over roasted spaghetti squash, nestled on a bed of fresh arugula. You could do the same, or opt to serve it over zucchini noodles, butternut squash noodles, sweet potato noodles, or simply over some sautéed veggies, cooked quinoa or fresh greens. The key is that you are avoiding those traditional, starchy, grain-based noodles.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 4
Here’s what you need

For the Spaghetti Squash

• 2 spaghetti squash
• dash of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

For the Ragu

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• ⅓ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• sea salt and black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• ⅓ cup Marsala wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• ⅔ cup coconut cream
• 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
• 2 cups baby arugula

Instructions
For the Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
2. Rub the inside of each spaghetti squash half with coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Place, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.

For the Ragu

1. In a large skillet place the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and brown. Add the onions, garlic and thyme. Sauté for 4 minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Mix in the tomato paste and sauté for another 4 minutes.
2. Deglaze the skillet with the Marsala. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and coconut cream. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer. Add in the shredded chicken and continue to simmer for 5 minutes as the sauce thickens. Serve over a bed of arugula and roasted spaghetti squash. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

348 calories, 9g fat, 21g carbohydrate, 11g sugar, 956mg sodium, 6g fiber, and 25g protein.