Garlicky Spaghetti Squash with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Kale is a squeaky clean and satisfying meal, loaded with zesty, rustic flavor! Perfect for those who love to eat clean, or folks who follow a ketogenic, whole30, or Paleo lifestyle.
I made this recipe for the first time back in 2014, and it has not only been a staple ever since, it has also inspired many-a-spaghetti-squash recipe.
For instance, my Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Squash, Mixed Vegetable Spaghetti Squash Marinara, and Spaghetti Squash Bolognese all employ the same concept: spaghetti squash + loads of saucy goodness.
It covers all the bases! It’s loaded with protein and antioxidants from the chicken and kale. The spaghetti squash provides a low-carb alternative to pasta and contains complex carbs and fiber, and the saturated fat content is low, which makes this healthy dinner recipe perfect for those who are mindful about their macros.
This clean and straight-forward recipe is marvelous for a myriad of eaters, as it is low-carb, paleo friendly and Whole30 compliant. It is ideal for anyone who loves a filling good clean meal!
Let’s discuss the basic ingredients for this easy spaghetti squash recipe. The great news, is you can find the full list of ingredients at any grocery store.
Ingredient Notes:
Spaghetti Squash: The star of the show! Pick up one medium-sized spaghetti squash for roasting.
Avocado Oil: For roasting the spaghetti squash and sautéing the onion and chicken. Olive oil works too.
Yellow Onion and Fresh Garlic Cloves: Bring big bold flavor to make the meal taste nice and inviting.
Baby Bella Mushrooms: A magical sidekick to chicken, fresh mushrooms add heartiness and earthiness to this savory meal.
Boneless Chicken Breast: A big boost of lean protein makes this easy dinner recipe so filling and satisfying! Chicken thighs work too. The chicken breasts get chopped into bite size pieces for quick cooking.
Chicken Broth: To whip up a light sauce, we need a little broth. Chicken bone broth or chicken stock work great.
Fresh Kale: Added fiber, antioxidants, and micronutrients!
Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: Lemon juice and zest add a burst of vibrant citrus.
Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Fresh Thyme: Our seasonings. Add them to your personal taste.
Recipe Customizations:
- Toss in cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes for a kick of tangy flavor.
- Serve the meal with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top.
- Swap the raw chicken out for rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Replace the kale with fresh spinach.
- Omit the onion and garlic to make recipe low-FODMAP.
- Replace the chicken with 1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey.
- Add more vegetables. Broccoli and/or cauliflower would be great!
- Stir 1/4 cup of dry white wine into the sauce for added flavor.
How to Make Garlicky Spaghetti Squash with Chicken:
Begin by roasting the spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet for 40-50 minutes at 400 degrees F. For a detailed tutorial, follow my instructions on How to Roast Spaghetti Squash.
While the squash is roasting, prepare the rest of the recipe. Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is deeply golden brown, and almost caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes.
If at any point the onion begins to burn, reduce the heat to medium heat and add broth to deglaze the pan. This allows the browned bits to be incorporated into the sauce for extra flavor.
Add the garlic, mushrooms, and chicken and continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened and the chicken has browned slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the chicken broth, thyme, sea salt, and lemon zest and bring to a full but gentle boil. Add the kale leaves and cover the skillet. Cook until kale has wilted and chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Once the spaghetti squash has finished roasting, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool enough to handle. Use a fork to release the spaghetti-like strands from the squash and place them in a large bowl.
Transfer the chicken mixture to the bowl with the squash and toss everything together until combined. Taste for flavor and add sea salt, and/or lemon juice to taste.
Serve in big bowls, and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The best part about this healthy dinner recipe is that it can easily be made in bulk for meal prep so you can enjoy it throughout the busy workweek.
If you enjoy spaghetti squash recipes, also try out some of my other favorites!
More Healthy Spaghetti Squash Recipes:
- Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls
- Creamy Tuscan Spaghetti Squash
- Spinach Artichoke Pesto Spaghetti Squash Bowls
- Roasted Garlic Kale Spaghetti Squash
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Spinach
Enjoy this squeaky clean spaghetti squash recipe!
Chicken Mushroom Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash roasted
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion thinly sliced
- 5 cloves large garlic minced
- 3 cups baby Portobello mushrooms chopped into sixths
- 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 2 large chicken breasts sliced into strips, about 1 to 1.5 lbs
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4 cups kale leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast the spaghetti squash using these instructions and set aside until ready to use
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the rest of the recipe. Heat the avocado oil to medium-high and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is deeply brown, and almost caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. If at any point the onion begins to burn, reduce the heat to medium-low and add broth to deglaze the pan.
- Add the garlic, mushrooms, and chicken and continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened and the chicken has browned slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, thyme, sea salt, and lemon zest and bring to a full but gentle boil. Add the kale leaves and cover the skillet. Cook until kale has wilted and chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once the spaghetti squash has finished roasting, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool enough to handle. Use a fork to release the spaghetti strands from the squash and place them in a large bowl.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to the bowl with the squash and toss everything together until combined. Taste for flavor and add sea salt, and/or lemon juice to taste.
Truly delicious …. loved this, such a flavorful dish – I didn’t have any kale so used broccoli and zucchini …. definitely do again 😋👍🏼
I wish you would allow us to send this recipe. Most all other sites do except you. I find it exasperating!!
Hi Kathy,
I’m not sure what you mean by sending the recipe. Could you please explain?
This sounds lovely, and I expect to make it within the week. However I no longer save recipes in bookmarks – too many to actually find anything, ditto my pdf “print” copies, so I finally started using Pinterest to keep them organized and accessible…..but suddenly no Pinterest access to this site?!? Neither a link, nor hovering over the photos opens access. Was this deliberate for some reason, or a glitch? Hoping for the best and bookmarking, but that has become a black hole :-/
Hi Sylvie!
Oh strange!! I don’t know what the situation is with pinterest. I’m getting traffic from pinterest and when I go on pinterest, I’m able to click through my pins to the site. Feel free to email me a screenshot if you’d like!: roastedrootfood@gmail.com
@Julia,
As of this evening everything is working properly again. The option shows up when I hover over a picture, and the new widget which offers sharing options is back as well (it was nowhere to be found as of my attempts this morning), so yay for things being back to normal <3
Am I to assume one onion 1/4 inch slice?
Thanks for catching that, Jean! Yes, that’s correct 🙂
Man this was so awesome! The boyfriend licked the plate when he thought I was looking….lol I would definately call this a 2 thumbs up! Thx!
Yaaaay I’m so happy to hear it, Colleen! It’s definitely one of those meals I can eat over and over again 😉 So glad you and your boyfriend liked it! xo
This look absolutely delicious! I am trying to find a Paleo Freezer Meal in a meal train for a lady at my church. Would you be able to freeze this meal?
Would it be okay to use the curly kind of kale instead of the dino kale for this recipe?
Absolutely! Enjoy!
It looks delicious! I really need to make this for my husband and kids, they love spaghetti and chicken and these pictures look so tempting 🙂
I am ALL over no tech Sunday – with football of course, and I am ALL over this squash!
I relate to how you feel.. I have encountered some tech issues lately too and it is just the WORST feeling in the world having to rebuild! On a positive note, this spaghetti squash dish looks so delicious and definitely one I can see myself making…
Thanks for the empathy, Thalia! We’ll keep our fingers crossed that both you and I don’t encounter tech issues in the future. EVER! Not ever. Hope you enjoy the sketti squarsh.
We just did an server update that crashed our whole site – as in ‘all files gone’! So of course we called the company and they wanted to charge us $80 to fix it – needless to say a whole day gone on their malfunctioning update – here’s to no tech, no high blood pressure Sundays! 🙂
Oh girl, so sorry to hear that! Tech issues are such a pain in the ass. And when issues come up, it seems as though it’s never a simple 5 minute fix…more like 5+ hours. Hopefully you got everything resolved! xoxo
Wow this looks so delicious! Definitely going to try this!
YIKES. This really now makes me wonder whether my back-up company is actually backing things up. Or just 50% of things. I think I should have a word with them.
Also, I never do tech things. Ever. I really just ignore them and keep hoping that my site won’t explode one day. Sigh.
so fun! I <3 spaghetti squash
I love the mixture of mushrooms, garlic, and kale! This is a really great take on spaghetti squash. xo
Thanks, Phoebe! I feel like the shroom/kale/chicken combo works so well together! Hope you try out the recipe!