Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Cabbage and spinach is a luscious high protein meal that’s full of rustic flavors. Easy to prepare for weeknight meals, and ideal for meal prep!
If you’re a seasoned consumer of The Roasted Root content, you may be familiar with my Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup, Thai Ground Turkey and Cabbage Bowls, or my Teriyaki Chicken and Cabbage Bowls.
These are just a few of my personal favorites from my extensive archive of cabbage-forward meals.
At first glance, cabbage may seem boring. Blasé. Well, I’m here to tell you cabbage can be the ultimate comfort food if you allow it to be!
This easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken with Cabbage is a great option for those who are looking for flavorful, energizing healthy comfort food.
It includes 43 grams of protein per serving and 36 grams of carbohydrates. Pretty impressive at 652 calories for a bowl of bliss! The remaining nutrition information is in the recipe card below.
Because I’m all about my slow burning carbs, I enjoy the meal over a bed of brown rice, but it can easily be enjoyed as is or served with extra veggies.
If you’re a big fan of spaghetti squash, make my Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti Squash with Chicken. Pasta lovers, enjoy my Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta! It is both gluten-free and dairy-free.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this creamy chicken and cabbage recipe.
Ingredients for Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Cabbage:
Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs: Pick your favorite cut of chicken for this simple recipe! I go with boneless skinless chicken breasts for more protein and fewer calories. Boneless thighs are ideal for those who love tender chicken.
The amount of chicken can easily be doubled if you’re looking for more protein per serving.
Large Head of Cabbage: The bulk of the volume here! Cabbage transforms into a soft lower-carb source when cooked and gives any meal a heartiness. I love it in pretty much any application, particularly during the times I want to eat a large volume without going crazy on calories.
I use basic green cabbage, but truly any kind of cabbage works, including napa cabbage or purple cabbage.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: What a magical ingredient, no? Sun-dried tomatoes add a fresh, tangy flavor. They do contain carbohydrates for those who follow a low-carb diet!
To lower calories, buy sun-dried tomatoes that come in a pouch rather than a jar, preserved in oil. I go with the oil option because I think they have better flavor.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: The sauce is mostly comprised of delicious full-fat coconut milk. Can you taste coconut? In my opinion, no.
The sun-dried tomatoes and lemon zest mask the flavor of coconut; however, if you’re ultra sensitive to the flavor, I recommend going heavier on the lemon zest, garlic, and/or onion.
Yellow Onions and Fresh Garlic: Listen, these two ingredients are deal makers. When they are present, you know you’re in for a good time.
Lemon Zest: I like adding fresh lemon zest to bring some acidity to the otherwise rich sauce. Feel free to go heavier on the zest!
Fresh Spinach: Here for the Vitamins and minerals! Spinach cooks down to an almost imperceptible texture, yet adds a great deal of nutrition. I like adding it to all sorts of recipes.
Avocado Oil: Used for sautéing the onion and browning the chicken. Swap it out for olive oil if you prefer.
Sea Salt, Black Pepper, and Paprika: The simple seasonings here.
Recipe Customizations:
- Feel free to add fresh herbs or dried herbs to boost the flavor. Italian seasoning, fresh parsley or fresh basil, and dried oregano are all excellent options.
- Swap the chicken for any kind of ground meat or shrimp. Chopped pork tenderloin or pork chops work too.
- If you’re a big sauce lover, consider adding a second can of coconut milk, or add 1 cup of chicken broth.
- Add artichoke hearts, capers, and/or kalamata olives for a bigger boost of flavor.
- Serve the meal with a shower of fresh grated parmesan on top.
- Toss in any additional fresh vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, brussels sprouts or bok choy.
- Red cabbage contains more nutrients than green cabbage, but doesn’t cook to as soft of a consistency. Feel free to use it if you prefer.
- Drizzle in 1 to 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for more citrus flavor. A splash of apple cider vinegar is lovely here too.
- Add a few strips of bacon to the recipe, cooking the onions and chicken in bacon fat.
- Skip the animal protein to make this a cabbage side dish instead of a main dish.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make this easy chicken and cabbage recipe!
How to Make Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Cabbage:
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the chopped chicken to the skillet and arrange it in an even layer. Cook for a few minutes, untouched, then give it a big stir.
Add the sliced raw cabbage, garlic, can of coconut milk, paprika, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot.
The pot will be very full and difficult to stir at first. This improves over time as the meal cooks.
Cover the pot and bring to a full boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted to a tender texture, about 10-12 minutes. This is going to feel like chaos at first. I promise, it will all work out.
Stir in the gluten-free all-purpose flour, followed by the lemon zest and baby spinach. Cover the pot again and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Taste the chicken and cabbage for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste. Serve in bowls and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze this meal in a large freezer bag or freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
The next time you’re craving some creamy dreamy sun-dried tomato concoction, give this hearty low-carb meal a try for your main course!
Meal prep it for easy weeknight dinners!
If you enjoy one-pot meals like this one, also try out these gems.
More One-Pot Meals:
- Thai Turkey and Cabbage Bowls
- One-Skillet Ground Turkey Thai Curry with Rice
- One-Pot Shrimp Gumbo Pasta
- Thai Zucchini and Chicken Skillet
- One-Pot Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
May your life be infused with magnificent cabbage recipes!
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Cabbage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 1.25 to 1.5 lbs chicken thighs chopped into bite sizes*
- 1 large head cabbage cut into thin slices
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1 (8.5-oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 1 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chopped chicken to the skillet and arrange it in an even layer. Cook for a few minutes, untouched, then give it a big stir.
- Add the sliced raw cabbage, garlic, can of coconut milk, paprika, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot. The pot will be very full and difficult to stir at first. This improves over time as the meal cooks. Cover the pot and bring to a full boil.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted to a tender texture, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the gluten-free all-purpose flour, followed by the lemon zest and baby spinach. Cover the pot again and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Taste the chicken and cabbage for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste. Serve in bowls and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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