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I am obsessed with easy skillet chicken recipes lately. There’s just something about an entree you can prepare in under 30 minutes with simple ingredients. Something ahhhhmazing.
Today’s recipe is Creamy Tomato Basil Skillet Chicken. My inspiration for this one is my 30 Minute Dairy Free Tomato Basil Soup.
It’s really all about this sauce, friend. It has the same layered richness of tomatoes, basil, and garlic that you’ll find in the soup.
Plus there’s a lot of it so I recommend serving this with pasta, zoodles (pictured below), or spaghetti squash. You can even serve it on top of simply prepared veggies. That way you take full advantage of the creamy tomato basil goodness.
I experimented with different kinds of tomatoes and even with using canned tomatoes. In the end fresh roma tomatoes won the day. I also toss in a few cherry tomatoes while the sauce is simmering. They’ll remain whole but soften and burst in the heat.
I use four chicken breasts sliced horizontal to create eight thin chicken breast cutlets. If you have a small skillet you can leave your chicken breasts whole. You’re also welcome to use chicken thighs if you prefer.
This dish is ready in under 30 minutes. Yes, ma’am! Who doesn’t appreciate a quick meal you can whip up on a busy weeknight?
If you love tomatoes and basil this one is going to be a favorite of yours. It’s quickly become a favorite of mine.
More recipes like this:
Beef & Veggie Bowls with Comeback Sauce
Skillet Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Sun-Dried Tomato Lemon Chicken
Easy Chicken Green Bean Stir Fry
Creamy Tomato Basil Skillet Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- salt & pepper
Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce
- 7 roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- 2 garlic cloves, or 1 tsp minced garlic
- 10 large fresh basil leaves
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
To Finish
- handful cherry tomatoes
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- chopped fresh basil
- 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Slice your 4 chicken breasts horizontally to create 8 thin breast cutlets. (If you have a smaller skillet you can leave the breasts whole. I like them thin to soak up more sauce and cook faster.)
- Add olive oil to skillet. Heat to medium high heat.
- Add chicken to hot pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and dried basil on top of each breast. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken. Cook until remaining side of chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. (It can take less time if you're using smaller cutlets so keep an eye on them.)
- Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Add all sauce ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour blended sauce into the pan. Add spinach and a handful of cherry tomatoes. Stir until spinach is mixed in with sauce. Add your chicken back to the pan. Reduce heat to medium low or low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes so sauce is heated through and cherry tomatoes are softened.
- To thicken sauce, turn off heat. Shake together 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour and 1 tablespoon cold water in a small jar. Pour flour slurry into the sauce and stir. Sauce will begin to thicken quickly as you stir. If you want an even thicker sauce, repeat steps with another 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot flour and 1/2 tablespoon water. (Be sure not to add the arrowroot flour directly to the sauce or you'll end up with clumps. It must be shaken with equal parts water before being added to sauce.) Sprinkle chopped fresh basil on top of chicken before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so delicious and comforting, right up my street!
Doesn’t using coconut milk make it taste coconutty?? What if you used cashew cream instead.. just wondering
The amount of canned unsweetened coconut milk in this dish doesn’t make it coconutty at all. I haven’t tried cashew cream but I imagine it would work.
First time making one of your recipes. Made last night but the sauce was really on the thin side. Had to add a little of tapioca flour to thicken. Flavor on point! Will definitely make again and again. Now I want to try all of your recipes!
So tasty! I only had 4 Romas so that’s what I used. And I added a touch of arrowroot to thicken the sauce up a bit.
Tasted great, but is a very thin sauce. Definitely needs to be thickened. Could probably use a few less tomatoes too as it made a lot of sauce.
Feel free to thicken with the arrowroot flour. It does a great job!
Made it today. Absolutely delicious! I added some deseeded chopped green chilli to add a bit of a kick and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe 🙂
Sounds awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
seriously so amazing!!! Better than eating at a restaurant. My kids and husband loved it.
Made this tonight. Super easy. Super delicious. Served it with cauliflower gnocchi and my husband gobbled it up! Will definitely be making again.
Hi there, this looks great and will definitely try it. I’m just wondering, do you put the whole tomato in the blender, or do you skin it at all or anything? Thank you!
I don’t remove the skin. It gets very soft as it simmers before blending!
So many comments about it “looking good”, however we actually made it. Thanks to everyone for your fluff comments. You’re all correct, it WAS delicious and my kids DID love it. Wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe. Doing whole 30, served over baked potatoes instead of pasta.