Tuscan Chicken with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in coconut milk sauce made in just one skillet! This easy paleo-friendly recipe is dairy-free, low-carb, keto, and whole30 compliant. PLUS it has show-stopping flavor!
Crispy yet tender chicken cooked to perfection in a creamy sauce with cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil? Throw in perfectly toasted gluten-free bread with a slathering of butter and a self-driving vehicle, and our lives are complete!
This is where dreams come to flourish.
For those of you who love your animal protein, this simple, straight-forward skillet chicken recipe is crazy easy to prepare and results in mouth-watering rustic flavor. One bite, and you’ll be transported to the romantic rolling hills of the Italian countryside.
Recipe Highlights:
- Made in one pot or skillet
- Dairy-free yet creamy
- Crispy, finger lickin good tender chicken
- Gluten-free, grain-free
- Paleo
- Keto
- Low-Carb
- Low-FODMAP
- Whole30
Let’s stop talking about it and make it already!
How to Make Creamy Tuscan Chicken:
Heat the avocado oil in a cast iron skillet to medium heat.
Sprinkle the chicken with sea salt, paprika, and oregano. Place chicken on the hot skillet skin-side down. Cook 7 minutes, flip, then cook another 7 minutes, until both sides are crispy and browned.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate. Drain the fat from the skillet.
Add the coconut milk, spinach, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped basil and sea salt. Stir well and bring mixture to a full boil. Cook 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the chicken back into the skillet and return to a full but gentle boil. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook 35 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!
Recipe Adaptations:
- If you don’t follow a Low-FODMAP diet, add ⅓ cup chopped onion and 4 cloves garlic. If adding onion and garlic, saute them in the skillet after browning the chicken and before adding the coconut milk.
- Don’t like coconut milk? Swap it out for heavy cream or half & half.
- Add your favorite herbs, like parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme! And oregano 😉
- Add ¼ cup dry white wine if you enjoy cooking with alcohol!
More Healthy Chicken Recipes:
- Orange Ginger Grilled Chicken
- One Pot Indian Chicken Biryani
- Grain-Free Pretzel Crusted Baked Chicken
- Lemon Rosemary Braised Chicken Thighs
- Keto Chicken Parmesan
- Basil Crispy Baked Chicken
I hope this easy chicken recipe is as much of a staple in your household as it is in mine! Enjoy!
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Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or boneless thighs
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a cast iron skillet to medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with sea salt, paprika, and oregano. Place chicken on the hot skillet skin-side down. Cook 7 minutes, flip, then cook another 7 minutes, until both sides are crispy and browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate. Drain the fat from the skillet.
- Add the coconut milk, spinach, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped basil and sea salt. Stir well and bring mixture to a full boil. Cook 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet and return to a full but gentle boil. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook 35 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!
Nutrition
This dish is so delicious! It’s quick and easy to make and has incredible flavor. A new favorite in my house!
I love hearing that! Thanks, Anita!
If I am using boneless thighs, how long do I sauté the thighs and how long to cook? Thanks
Hi Karen! Sear the boneless thighs for 3 minutes per side (instead of 7), and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. I’d use a digital thermometer to check the thighs for doneness after 10 minutes and go from there. For thighs, I aim for 180 to 200 degrees for the best texture. 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions! xo
I’m a little confused, I assumed this went into the oven after searing the meat and boiling the other ingredients, but now realize there are no oven instructions. So it cooks on the stovetop for 35-45 minutes? How high would the heat need to be?
Hi Stephanie! I keep the heat on medium-low so that the sauce is bubbling but isn’t boiling out of control. The best bet is to use a meat thermometer to keep tabs on the doneness of the chicken 🙂 It is considered safe to eat once it reaches 165 degrees F, but I usually cook chicken thighs to a higher temp (175 to 200 degrees F).
The oven works too if you’d prefer that method over the stove top. I would cover the skillet with an oven-safe lid or foil and bake at 375 for 35 minutes, then test the chicken with the thermometer to see if it needs longer.
I made this yesterday and my husband actually slept through the night without a single stomach ache! I substituted Greek yogurt for the coconut milk, as neither one of like coconut in anything but desserts/sweets. Even though I watered down the yogurt, it still split. The dish itself was absolutely delicious and I will make it again but will use unsweetened almond milk instead and see how that works.
I made this with the Lemon Garlic Rosemary rice and that was delicious as well and paired perfectly with the chicken. So glad I found your site! Thanks your all your information and great recipes!
Shay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and that it made you feel well – that’s a big win! Thanks so much for sharing your substitutions, as that’s very helpful to others who want to try the same thing. Much love to you! xo
I’m trying to make a lot of this for a crowd … after browning the chicken on the stove top, do you think I could put the sauce and the chicken in a large casserole dish and cook it covered in the oven until done?
Hi Ashely!
Yes, absolutely! That would be the perfect way of going about it. I’m not sure how long it would need in the oven (my guess is 30 minutes?), but you can keep an eye on it by checking the internal temperature of the chicken to check for doneness using a thermometer if you’d like. Hope you and your guests love it! xoxo
I tried this and there wasn’t as much of the yellow sauce that was in your picture. In fact there was none of it by the time I got done cooking lol maybe I need to use a smaller pot or something.
@Ken Warren, Yes, I think a smaller skillet would be better. I made mine in my 10″ cast iron and there was a perfect amount of sauce. I only used a 1 lb. breast but used the full amount of everything else and a bit less spice.
This is my favorite recipe of yours. I’ve already made it 3 times! I’ve made it without the sun dried tomatoes and it still tastes great. It goes really well with arborio rice cooked in chicken broth and a side of lacinato kale.
I just made this, it wasn’t that hard and it tastes delicious. Thank you so much I’m so glad it is FODMAP as well.
I’m so happy you like it, Margaret! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
If using chicken breasts, would anything in the recipe change?
Hi Mike!
Yes, chicken breasts won’t require as much cook time. I would brown the breasts for 3 to 5 minutes per side (just until it begins turning golden-brown), and cook it covered for 20 to 30 minutes, as opposed to the recommended 35 to 45. The chicken is cooked through when it reaches 165 degrees F 😀 Let me know how it turns out!