Chicken and chestnut stuffed squash

Roasted squash filled with chicken, chestnuts and sage.

By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes

What still needs a real kitchen

Confirm squash halves roast tender in 35 to 40 minutes
Photograph the finished halves

Time: About 1 hr 5 min; estimated
Serves: 2; see below
Energy: 395 kcal; per serving
Protein: 33 g; per serving

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Not yet photographed. The panel names the dish’s main ingredients rather than showing a picture we have not taken.

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 servings

Check off ingredients as you go.

500 g butternut squash, two halves, seeds removed, edible flesh weighed
5 ml olive oil
60 g onion, finely chopped
250 g chicken breast, skinless, boneless, cut into 1.5 cm pieces
80 g cooked chestnuts, roasted, vacuum-packed, roughly chopped
½ tsp dried sage
100 ml chicken stock, ready to use

Contains tree nuts. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:

chicken stock. Stock often contains celery, and sometimes gluten or soya; check the label.

Cooking steps

Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan). Put the squash halves cut side down on a lined tray and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife goes in easily.
Meanwhile, warm the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken, chestnuts and sage and cook for 3 minutes, turning. Pour in the stock and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the pan is nearly dry.
Cooked when: 74°C / 165°F in the thickest part. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Turn the squash halves over, scoop a shallow hollow in each if they need one, and spoon the filling in. Return to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

The useful detail

Choose small squash halves and state the actual edible portion. A squash weighed whole includes skin and seeds you will not eat; the 500 g here is the flesh.

Make it work for you

One serving is One filled squash half. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.

Pumpkin instead of butternut squash
Wetter and milder; it may need longer to roast.
Per serving: about 50 kcal less, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Turkey breast instead of chicken
Leaner, with the same safe endpoint.
Per serving: about 10 kcal less, about 1 g more protein, about 1 g less fat.
Walnuts instead of chestnuts
Use half the weight; walnuts are far richer than chestnuts and would double the energy at the same amount.
Per serving: about 35 kcal more, about 2 g more protein, about 12 g more fat.
Allergens: Both are tree nuts.

Estimated nutrition

Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.

A filled vegetable where the squash is most of the plate. Chestnuts are unusual among nuts in being mostly starch rather than fat, which keeps the energy moderate.

Nutrition per serving
Energy	395 kcal
Protein	33 g
Fat	7 g
of which saturates	1 g
Carbohydrate	54 g
of which sugars	11 g
Fibre	8 g
Sodium	260 mg

Show calculation notes

Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.

Calculation, whole recipe
Ingredient	Weight used	Source	Energy	Protein
butternut squash	500 g	FDC 169295Squash, winter, butternut, raw	225 kcal	5.0 g
olive oil	4.5 g	FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking	40 kcal	0.0 g
onion	60 g	FDC 170000Onions, raw	24 kcal	0.7 g
chicken breast	250 g	FDC 171077Chicken, broiler or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, raw	300 kcal	56.3 g
cooked chestnuts	80 g	FDC 170190Nuts, chestnuts, european, roastedCalculated with FoodData Central's roasted chestnut record, the closest match to the vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts sold in shops.	196 kcal	2.5 g
dried sage	0.5 g	FDC 170935Spices, sage, ground	1 kcal	0.0 g
chicken stock	105 g	FDC 174536Soup, chicken broth, ready-to-serve	6 kcal	0.7 g
Whole recipe		Divided by 2	793 kcal	65.2 g

Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.

Storage and reheating

In the fridge: Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days.
In the freezer: The FDA chart gives cooked poultry dishes 4 to 6 months in the freezer for best quality.
Reheating: Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.

Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.

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