Our Creamy Tuscan Chicken Bowl is an exquisite restaurant-quality meal made in under 30 minutes. This yummy chicken dinner has the most divine parmesan cream sauce made with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and tender chicken on top of brown rice.
This is one of our family's favorite creamy chicken recipes. With the right ingredients, the creamy Tuscan chicken bowl is an excellent, flavorful, and healthy dinner option for the whole family.
I love creating clean eating recipes from classic favorites. It goes to show that eating healthy still tastes good! It's all about the quality of the ingredients.
You'll also love our Cajun Smothered Chicken, Keto Chicken Alfredo, or Keto Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole!
Before we gather your ingredients, let's set some healthy intentions. Learn more about setting intentions here.
🍝 Quick Look: Tuscan Chicken Bowl
- 🥬 Key Ingredients: Chicken thighs, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, coconut milk or cream, parmesan, and your choice of rice or cauliflower rice
- ⏱ Time: ~10 min prep | ~20 min cook | ~30 min total
- 🍽 Serves: 4-6
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Creamy, savory, and rich with bright pops of tomato and herb flavor
- 🌿 Benefits: Protein-rich, veggie-forward, naturally gluten-free, and easy to make dairy-modified or low-carb
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💛 Why You'll Love It
- Feels like a cozy, restaurant-style meal made with simple, whole-food ingredients
- Quick enough for weeknights but nourishing and satisfying enough for leftovers
- Easy to adjust: use cauliflower rice for low-carb or white/wild rice for a heartier bowl
- Creamy, comforting, and full of flavor without being heavy
- Family-friendly and meal-prep friendly
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs: Thighs are flavorful and perfectly matched with Tuscan flavors. Choosing grass-fed, pasture-raised chicken is best.
Sundried Tomatoes: Organic is best, but may be hard to find. If so, look for a minimal and natural ingredient list. Be sure to drain the oil.
Artichoke Hearts: Check the ingredient list. Quartered artichokes are what you want to find.
Canned Coconut Milk: Full-fat and organic are best. This creamy coconut milk replaces heavy cream, which is commonly ultra-processed. Hot tip: You can shake it up and use the whole can or just scoop out the top cream after putting the can in the fridge for an extra creamy sauce!
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs can be used interchangeably.
For a vegan alternative, consider using tempeh in place of chicken and leaving the Parmesan out. The parmesan can be replaced with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.
For lower carb and grain-free, consider substituting rice with cauliflower rice or spaghetti squash!
How to Make a Creamy Tuscan Chicken Bowl
Step 1: Cook the rice first. I like to use an instant pot using a 1:1 cup water: rice ratio using the rice setting or 12-minute manual pressure, then natural release. Fluff and set aside.
Step 2: Preheat the skillet with avocado oil. Cook the chicken on the stovetop for 5-7 minutes per side. Set aside to cool and shred.
Step 3: Sauté the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Then, stir in coconut milk, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and one cup of chicken broth and bring to a low boil, stirring periodically for 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add shredded chicken to the sauce, and periodically add in handfuls of spinach and stir until it wilts nicely.
Pour creamy Tuscan chicken mixture over rice in a bowl and serve while hot! Enjoy!
Hint: Once you drain the artichoke hearts, roughly chop them so they will blend effortlessly with the sauce.
Expert tip
Cook rice and chicken at the same time in separate pans to cut down on cooking time. Likely, they'll be ready around the same time! While the chicken is cooling, use the same pan to saute the onions and garlic.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken FAQ's
Tuscan chicken pairs well with wild rice, cauliflower rice, asparagus, French green beans, or a side salad. Honestly, when packed with vegetables and in a rice bowl, it doesn't even need a side!
Tuscan chicken is made with tender chicken cutlets, chicken broth, artichoke hearts, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and full-fat coconut milk for a rich, creamy texture.
Many people will use heavy cream or cream cheese for a creamy Tuscan chicken recipe. However, we use full-fat coconut milk for a rich, luxurious, creamy sauce. It's easier to find a product with a shorter ingredient list with coconut milk rather than heavy cream. Plus, it tends to be less expensive.
More Healthy Dinner Bowls
Do you love our Creamy Tuscan Chicken Bowl? Give it a 🌟 review and let us know how it went in the comments 👇! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to never miss a healthy recipe! If you love this bowl, try our Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl!
Recipe
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Bowl
Equipment
- large skillet
- Large pot or instant pot (if cooking rice at the same time as the chicken! Otherwise, you can use the same pot one after the other)
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Cooking Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken thighs
- 7 oz Sun-dried tomatoes julienne cut drained
- 12 oz Artichoke hearts quartered drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup canned full fat Coconut milk or coconut cream organic and unsweetened
- 1 TB Basil minced
- 5 oz fresh spinach more if desired
- 2 cups brown basmati Rice or wild rice blend
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried
- 1 teaspoon Avocado oil
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 yellow Onion minced
- 1 cup broth
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Himalayan Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In an instant pot, add 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of water or broth. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. cook on manual high pressure for 12 minutes, then allow to naturally release. If cooking on the stove, use 2 cups of rice and 3.5 cups of liquid. Allow it to cook for 20 minutes or until water is evaporated. Fluff with a fork
- Add ½ teaspoon avocado oil and chicken thighs to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Season with salt pepper and garlic powder. Cook approx 5-7 minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches 165.
- Remove chicken from heat and let cool a moment on the cutting board before cutting into small pieces or shredding
- Add ½ teaspoon avocado oil to the skillet on medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until softened (approx 2min)
- Add coconut milk, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and one cup of chicken broth and bring to a low boil, stirring periodically for 2-3 minutes.
- Return cooked chicken to pan and simmer for 5-10min or until the creamy Tuscan sauce is slightly reduced and thickened while periodically scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Add handfuls of spinach while stirring as it wilts. Remove from heat once all spinach has been added to the sauce mixture and is wilted.
- Pour over rice in a bowl and serve while hot! Garnish with fresh basil.
Video
Patricia Willbanks says
Wow, absolutely delicious!!
Natalie Perry says
I am thrilled you enjoyed this!
Nancy says
Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe. It made my week a lot easier.
Natalie Perry says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Nora says
I love this quick and easy recipe! Perfect for busy workdays!
Natalie Perry says
Happy you enjoyed it!
Mary says
I didn't have coconut milk so I used light whipping cream. Luscious!
Andréa Janssen says
This healthy Tuscan Chicken Bowl was so rich and delicious. The Creamy Parmesan sauce made it really good. The whole family loved this recipe!
Natalie Perry says
so glad to hear that everyone loved it. It is one of our family favorites too!
Tiann Jackson says
This looks yummy! I want to try this dish!
Natalie Perry says
It is divine! Let us know how you like it
Melissa says
This looks so good! I love that you have dietary options swaps. I'm going to make this soon!
Deanna | Life By Deanna says
looks delicious!!!
Kirsten says
I can’t wait to make this. Looks delicious!
NCP says
So rich and decadent, Tuscan chicken is to die for