{"id":185817,"title":"Creamy Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes","modified":"2026-10-06T06:54:14+02:00","plain":"Golden-brown chicken in a creamy tomato sauce, with wilted spinach and cherry tomatoes.\n\n\n\nChicken thighs are browned in a skillet before being coated in a velvety tomato and cream sauce flavored with garlic, paprika and oregano. The spinach wilts into the sauce, while the cherry tomatoes retain their juicy bursts. Allow 25 minutes for this dinner for two. One to add to my keto main dishes.\n\n\n\nWhat is creamy chicken with spinach and tomatoes?\n\n\n\nThe name sums up the dish: chicken, spinach, tomatoes and a creamy sauce, rich yet simple. Boneless chicken thighs are used here, as their tender meat holds up well to a good sear followed by a brief simmer. Red onion and garlic form the aromatic base.\n\n\n\nPassata, a strained tomato pur\u00e9e, blends with the cream to make a smooth sauce with a milder flavor than tomato paste. Paprika adds gentle warmth and an appetizing color, while oregano brings a herbal note that complements the garlic. The tomatoes and spinach go in toward the end of cooking, leaving the former juicy and the latter wilted without disappearing into the sauce.\n\n\n\nAlso try: Miso Eggplant.\n\n\n\nWhy this version works\n\n\n\nThe recipe follows a simple sequence: brown the chicken well, loosen the browned bits in the skillet, then build a quick sauce with tomato, cream and aromatics. The thighs stay tender after simmering, making them ideal for a creamy dish served straight away.\n\n\n\nPassata provides consistent tomato flavor and is available year-round, while fresh spinach and cherry or cocktail tomatoes make this a quick, colorful weeknight dish. Adding them at the end keeps the sauce from becoming too watery and helps the vegetables retain some texture. You can use dairy or plant-based cream, whether cooking cream, cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche, almond cream or soy cream, preferably unsweetened.\n\n\n\nThe main ingredients\n\n\n\nThe 2 large boneless chicken thighs form the base: juicy pieces that brown well and enrich the sauce with their cooking juices. A small red onion adds subtle sweetness and helps loosen the browned bits, while 4 garlic cloves, cooked briefly, add flavor without bitterness.\n\n\n\nAlong the same lines: Beef braised in red wine.\n\n\n\nThree handfuls of fresh spinach add a fresh green note and tender texture, while 10 halved cherry or cocktail tomatoes provide juicy bursts throughout the dish. The 100 ml of cream, dairy or plant-based, bring the sauce together and mellow the tomato flavor, while 2 tablespoons of passata provide a smooth base.\n\n\n\nA teaspoon of paprika for color and gentle warmth, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano for a herbal touch, a little salt, pepper and oil for cooking complete the list. Success then comes down to the order: sear the meat to create browned bits, saut\u00e9 the aromatics to loosen them, bring the sauce together over low heat, then add the fresh vegetables toward the end of cooking.\n\n\n\nCooking tips and serving\n\n\n\nBrowning the chicken at the start builds the flavor of the sauce; the pieces are not cooked through at this stage and will finish cooking in the sauce after a short rest under a sheet of foil. In the same skillet, the onion turns translucent and takes on the flavor of the browned bits, followed by the garlic to release its aroma. The passata, paprika, oregano and cream combine into a smooth sauce that simmers for about 15 minutes over low heat, so it does not thicken too quickly or cause certain plant-based creams to split. The halved tomatoes and spinach go in for the final 5 minutes, just long enough for the spinach to wilt and the tomatoes to soften without falling apart.\n\n\n\nAnother recipe in the same spirit: Thai chicken curry.\n\n\n\nAn overcrowded skillet prevents proper browning, and spinach that has not been dried well will dilute the sauce; a small splash of water will loosen it if it becomes too thick. To keep the dish low in carbs, serve it with riced broccoli; the dish has 5 g of net carbs per serving, excluding sides. Promptly transfer leftovers to a covered container in the refrigerator, then reheat gently in a skillet with a little water if the sauce has thickened.\n\n\n\nBrowse all my keto recipes.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tCreamy Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t2 large chicken thigh fillets (organic, free-range)1 small red onion4 cloves garlic3 handfuls fresh spinach10 cherry tomatoes or snacking tomatoes100 ml cream, dairy or plant-based (cooking cream, cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche, almond cream or soy cream)2 tablespoons tomato passata1 teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon oregano (dried)a pinch salt (Himalayan red or Celtic sea salt)a pinch pepper (black)avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil (for cooking)\t\n\t\n\t\tSeason the chicken with the paprika, salt and pepper.Thinly slice the onion and chop the garlic.Heat the frying pan and add some oil. Sear the chicken on both sides. Remove it from the pan briefly and wrap it in aluminium foil.Saut\u00e9 the onions until translucent. Then add the garlic and saut\u00e9 briefly with the onions. Return the chicken to the pan.Add the passata, oregano and cream. Simmer for another quarter of an hour.Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them along with the spinach. Simmer for another 5 minutes.Is the sauce getting too dry? Add a tiny splash of water.\t\n\t\n\t\tDelicious with broccoli rice (low-carb), pan-fried sweet potato chunks (moderate-carb), lentil pasta (moderate-carb) or soba noodles (gluten-free only).\nEquipment: frying pan for searing and simmering, a piece of aluminium foil.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tPlat principalFran\u00e7aise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}