Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken Skillet

aka The Florentine Sunset Skillet

There’s this tiny trattoria I stumbled into years ago on a backpacking trip through Tuscany — no menu, just whatever Nonna felt like cooking that night. She brought out this skillet of chicken swimming in a creamy, garlicky sauce loaded with sun-dried tomatoes and wilted greens, and I swear I thought about it for months after. This is my clean, dairy-free take on that dish, and honestly, the coconut cream makes it even silkier than I remember. My wife says it’s the one dinner she never gets tired of, and it comes together in about 30 minutes flat.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6 thighs), patted dry
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed in EVOO), drained and roughly chopped
• 1 cup full-fat coconut cream
• ½ cup chicken bone broth
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken: Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides with ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
2. Sear the chicken: Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken thighs and sear undisturbed for 5–6 minutes until deeply golden on the bottom. Flip and cook another 5 minutes until cooked through (internal temp 165°F). Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
3. Build the sauce: Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced garlic to the same skillet and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant — don’t let it brown. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and stir for another 30 seconds.
4. Add the cream: Pour in the coconut cream and bone broth, scraping up any golden bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the nutritional yeast, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Let the sauce simmer for 3–4 minutes until it thickens slightly.
5. Wilt the spinach: Add the baby spinach in handfuls, stirring until each batch wilts down — about 1–2 minutes total.
6. Finish and serve: Stir in the lemon juice. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the sauce and spoon some over the top. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve over cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or on its own.

Tips

• Don’t skip patting dry — moisture on the chicken prevents that beautiful golden sear. Use paper towels and really press.
• Sun-dried tomato quality matters. Look for ones packed in extra virgin olive oil without citric acid or “natural flavors” in the ingredient list.
• Coconut cream vs. coconut milk: Use the thick cream from the top of a chilled can of full-fat coconut milk, or buy coconut cream specifically. Regular coconut milk will make the sauce too thin.
• Make it a meal prep winner: This reheats beautifully. Store sauce and chicken separately for best texture — the chicken stays juicier that way.
• Swap the protein: This works just as well with wild-caught salmon fillets or shrimp — just reduce the cook time accordingly.