My son Chris is a professional squash player. This post is about the other kind. This butternut squash sauce recipe came about by accident — too much squash, a well-stocked larder, and a poached chicken that needed something interesting alongside it.

Francisco at Frutas Mati — my village fruit and vegetable man — chopped a very large butternut squash in half for me, and even then it was too much for one cook. After making soup and roasting some with olive oil and black pepper, I still had enough left to make a sauce. It turned out to be one of the better accidents of that summer.

Poached chicken with butternut squash sauce recipe and couscous at Casa Adora.

Butternut squash has a dense, deep orange flesh with a slight sweetness that makes it perfect for roasting. Score the cut surface in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast in a hot oven until the edges caramelise and the flesh softens. It is good on its own, excellent in soup, and very good indeed in a salad with feta and toasted pine nuts.

As a sauce, it is something else. The turmeric gives it warmth and deepens the colour; the white wine lifts it, and blended smooth, it coats poached chicken beautifully - vibrant, slightly sweet, and completely unexpected.

The chicken is poached, tightly wrapped in food-grade cling film, which keeps it moist, holds its shape, and produces neat rounds when sliced. Serve with couscous and a generous pour of the sauce.

Butternut squash sauce recipe

For the butternut squash sauce:

• ½ butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• ½ tsp turmeric
• A large splash of white wine
• 1 ladle chicken or vegetable stock
• Sunflower oil
• Salt and black pepper

For the poached chicken:

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and white pepper
• Food-grade cling film

To serve:

• Couscous, prepared according to packet instructions

Method

Make a mirepoix by finely chopping the onion, celery and carrot. Sauté gently in sunflower oil over a low to medium heat for a few minutes until softened. Add the diced squash and continue to cook, then add the garlic, tomato purée and turmeric. Stir until everything is coated and beginning to soften.

Add the white wine and turn up the heat. Once the wine has cooked off, add the stock. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is completely tender and most of the liquid has reduced.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool before blending until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Once blended smooth, the butternut squash sauce should be vibrant, slightly sweet and completely unexpected. Season with salt and pepper.

For the chicken, season the breasts lightly with salt and white pepper. Wrap each one tightly in several layers of food-grade cling film, twisting the ends firmly to form a neat cylinder. Poach in gently simmering water for 18 to 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove, allow to rest for a few minutes, then unwrap and slice into rounds.

Serve the chicken rounds over couscous with the butternut squash sauce poured generously over. Any leftover sauce freezes well.

For a filling, stand-alone way to use squash, try my Baked Stuffed Butternut Squash.

This recipe is part of my Chicken Recipes collection — every chicken recipe from Casa Adora and the road, organised by cut and cooking style. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef