Okay, so I’ve been seeing spaghetti squash all over my Instagram feed, and I finally decided to give it a shot. I paired it with some lemon chicken because, why not? Here’s how it all went down.
Getting Started
First things first, I grabbed a medium-sized spaghetti squash from the store. Honestly, I just picked one that looked good – not too big, not too small. Then I preheated my oven to 400°F (200°C). That’s the magic number, apparently.
Prepping the Squash
This part was a little tricky. I cut the squash in half lengthwise. This took a bit of muscle, I’m not gonna lie. Once it was halved, I scooped out all the seeds and the stringy bits inside. Just used a regular spoon for that. It’s kinda like cleaning out a pumpkin, but a bit smaller.
Next, I drizzled the inside of the squash with some olive oil – just a little bit, enough to coat it. Then I sprinkled on some salt and pepper. I like a lot of pepper, so I went a little heavy on that.
Roasting the Squash
I placed the squash halves cut-side down on a baking sheet. I didn’t use any parchment paper or anything, just straight onto the sheet. Then, into the oven they went! I roasted them for about 40-50 minutes. I checked them around 40 minutes by poking them with a fork. You want them to be tender.
Making the Lemon Chicken
While the squash was roasting, I got started on the chicken. I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I just cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Then, I heated up some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once it was hot, I tossed in the chicken. I cooked it until it was browned on all sides, and no longer pink inside. It will take about 6-8minutes
For the lemon flavor, I squeezed the juice of one lemon over the chicken. I also added some zest from that same lemon. Then, I sprinkled in some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Gave it a good stir to coat everything.
Putting It All Together
Once the squash was done, I took it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes – long enough so I wouldn’t burn my hands. Then, I used a fork to scrape the inside of the squash. It magically turns into these spaghetti-like strands! It’s pretty cool.
Finally, I mixed the lemon chicken with the spaghetti squash. You can either serve it straight in the squash “boats” or put it all in a bowl. I went for the bowl.
The Verdict
It was surprisingly good! The squash has a slightly sweet, mild flavor, and the lemon chicken added a nice tang. It’s definitely a healthier alternative to pasta, and it was pretty easy to make, even with the arm workout from cutting the squash.
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