Pasta with Chicken and Squash

One week until Sarah and the family arrive. I've been preparing in the way that you prepare for something you've been anticipating for months: unhurriedly but thoroughly. The guest bedrooms have been aired and made up. The long porch table has been set up and tested. The garden has been walked and mentally inventoried. I know exactly which tomatoes will be ready, which beans are at their peak, which squash has gotten too large and will need to be harvested before they arrive.

I made a big pot of stock from the chicken carcasses I'd been saving in the freezer — a kind of clearing out, making space for what's coming. The stock will become soup in the fall. Right now it's just the satisfaction of the process, the long simmer, the house filling with that deep golden smell.

Teddy's cooking lesson this week was focused on knife skills, which felt appropriate given that he's going to be in this kitchen for real next week. We talked through the proper grip, the rocking motion, why the fingertips curl back. He practiced on a pile of onions that made his eyes water through the video call. He was stoic about it. Thirteen in September — he's developing a certain dignity about these things.

I am sixty-seven years old and I have been alone on this farm since November and next week my daughter and her family will be here for seven days. I keep finding small things to do to feel ready. The real preparation is just that I've missed them, and all the cooking and cleaning in the world is just a way of having something to do with that feeling until they arrive.

The stock I made this week was really just a rehearsal — a way of putting the kitchen to work while I waited. But it reminded me that all that golden, slow-cooked effort wants to go somewhere, and this pasta with chicken and squash is exactly where it should land. The squash is ready in the garden right now, earlier than I expected, and it would be a shame not to use it while it’s at its best. This is the dish I’ll make the first night they arrive, when I want something that feels like the farm without asking too much of anyone after a long drive.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups butternut or yellow summer squash, cubed (about 1 medium)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley or basil for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining, then set pasta aside.
Season and sear the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook another 2–3 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes if using; cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Cook the squash. Add the cubed squash to the skillet and stir to coat. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is just tender and beginning to color at the edges.
Build the sauce. Pour in the chicken stock and add the cherry tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 4–5 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly and the tomatoes to soften.
Combine and finish. Return the chicken and any resting juices to the skillet. Add the drained pasta and toss everything together, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce needs loosening. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning.
Serve. Divide into bowls or pile onto a large platter. Finish with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley or basil.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pasta with Chicken and Squash — Making Space for What’s Coming