Healthy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Name: Healthy Tuscan Garlic Chicken With Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 8 chicken thighs, skin on, no bones ((you can also use chicken breast or skinless thighs if you prefer)); 2 cloves garlic, pressed; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; ⅓ cup mix of almond and coconut milk ((I use Nutty Bruce milk) If not using a blend of milk, make sure to choose good quality coconut milk. Do not use coconut cream. Coconut milk from the fresh milk section would be your best choice.); ⅓ cup chicken stock; 100 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil ((drained)); 2 handful baby spinach; salt and pepper

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This delicious Tuscan chicken is cooked with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. It is packed with flavours and even though it is made without cream and parmesan cheese, it is still creamy and dreamy as the good Tuscan chicken should be. Everything is done in one pot - in 30 minutes!

Let me introduce you to my healthy take on the much loved classic chicken recipe which is usually drenched in a creamy sauce and loaded with parmesan cheese.

I know you probably go like - Mmm! Yum! Sounds so good! But wait, this recipe is all you want the Tuscan Chicken to be - hearty, comforting, and loaded with flavors like garlic and sun-dried tomatoes! However, all of this comes with much less fat content and fewer calories. Full flavor AND low calories. That's what I call a win-win. And it is naturally gluten-free of course.

Healthy Tuscan Garlic Chicken, Fried chicken thighs with sundried tomatoes in a pan — Healthy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Reasons to make this recipe

It is quick and easy. You will be done in 30 minutes from start to finish.
All cooked in one pot. Less cleaning up.
No heavy cream, but still nice and creamy. I used a mix of chicken stock, almond, and coconut milk.
Rich Italian flavours, thanks to sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
Very family-friendly, aka little fuss-eaters will eat it too.
It is healthy. As mentioned above, I made it without heavy cream and parmesan, added fresh baby spinach so it is not only delicious but is also nutritious.

This is one of those dishes where your whole family agrees - it is GOOOOOOD! Both of my kids absolutely inhaled their dinners. A tasty, healthy and quick family dinner in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, skin on, no bones. You can use chicken breast if you prefer, but I find thighs to be juicier and more tender.
Garlic. Fresh is the best. Only subtitute with galic paste if absolutely neccessary.
Extra virgin olive oil
Mix of almond and coconut milk (I use Nutty Bruce milk) If not using a blend of milk, make sure to choose good quality coconut and almond milk. Do not use coconut cream. Milk from the fresh milk section would be your best choice. Only coconut milk will end in too strong coconutty taste.
⅓ cup chicken stock
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
Baby spinach
Salt and pepper to season

Tuscan sauce

I created this recipe to be low carb. If you prefer the classic version, simply replace coconut-almond mix with fresh cream, but if you are on the lookout for a healthier version, this is your go-to Tuscan sauce. I used fresh garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to get all the Mediterranean flavours. The sauce might be not as creamy as the original version but nevertheless is absolutely delicious.

How to make it

Heat the olive oil in the large frying pan and add garlic. Sautee for a couple of minutes on low heat, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the chicken thighs to the frying pan, skin down. Season with salt and pepper.
Let the chicken brown a little, but keep moving the chicken thighs around so the garlic doesn’t burn. You don’t want the garlic to burn, it will ruin the taste.
Once the skin is nice and brown turn the thighs over and let the other side brown a little too. It will take about 2-3 minutes.
Now turn the chicken skin facing up and add sun-dried tomatoes, milk and the chicken stock. Bring to simmer, and let it cook for about 15 minutes, with the lid on.
After 15 minutes, take the lid off and add the spinach. Give the spinach a minute or two to wilt and gently combine the spinach with the sauce.
Your chicken is ready to be served. Enjoy!!

How to serve

This dish is very versatile and can be served with a variety of sides.

You can serve the traditional way over your favourite gluten-free pasta.
I personally love it with freshly cooked basmati rice. Rice absorbs the sauce and tastes absolutely delicious.
To add a healthy twist, try it with zucchini noodles.
Oven-roasted potatoes is a good choice too.

How to store

This chicken dinner can be prepared in advance. Cook it, cool it down, and once cooled to room temperature, refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat it on the stovetop.

Love this recipe? Try these my Baked Salmon With Creamy Sauce or the Easy One-Pot Sticky Chicken.

Q and As

What can I use instead of sun-dried tomatoes? I don't like them.

Try using grilled capsicum or artichokes hearts from the deli instead. They usually have the same herbs, which will give you Mediterranean flavour.

I don't have spinach, what can I use instead?

Spinach is optional in this recipe, and if you don't have it on hand, you can still go ahead and cook this dish. If you don't like baby spinach try adding some shredded kale leaves instead.

What can I use instead of chicken?

While this is a chicken recipe, it works very well with fresh salmon too.