This Keto Tuscan Chicken is super flavorful with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and a dairy-free alfredo inspired cream sauce. Serve over zucchini noodles to transform it into a to-die-for pasta dish.
If you love Italian food - you will LOVE this Keto Tuscan Chicken! It just might be one of the best recipes I've ever eaten!
Not only is it REALLY flavorful with sauteed garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and a dairy-free inspired alfredo cream sauce, but I like to serve over zucchini noodles transforming it into a fantastic pasta dish.
Plus, it comes together fairly quickly for an easy weeknight dinner.
The sauce
For the alfredo-inspired sauce, simply blend these ingredients:
- raw cashews
- water or chicken broth
- sea salt
- oregano
- basil
- pepper
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- red pepper
- nutritional yeast
If you don't have a high-powered blender, cover the cashews in hot water and allow to soak at least 30 minutes 1 hour before using. This softens the cashews before blending.
While the nutritional yeast is optional, it adds a cheesiness to the sauce that you don't want to miss! It's usually found in the spice aisle of most health food stores.
The chicken
For the chicken, season both sides of chicken tenderloins with salt, pepper, and paprika.
I highly recommend using chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts.
If you prefer to use chicken breasts, however, simply cut them half. If the halves are extra-thick, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a mallet and pound until they are no more than 1 inch thick.
If the chicken is too thick, the outside will start to burn before the inside finishes cooking.
Grill over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.
In the same pan as the chicken, saute some garlic and sun-dried tomatoes over medium heat. Once the garlic is nice and fragrant, around 30 seconds to 1 minute, add the cream sauce and cook until heated through.
Add the chicken and serve over zucchini noodles. Or, stir the zucchini noodles into the sauce then add the chicken. It's up to you!
Expert Tips
- I highly recommend using chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts. If you prefer to use chicken breasts, however, simply cut them half. If the halves are extra-thick, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a mallet and pound until they are no more than 1 inch thick. If the chicken is too thick, the outside will start to burn before the inside finishes cooking.
- If you don't have a high-speed blender, cover the cashews in hot water and allow to soak at least 1 hour before using. Then, drain the cashews and use them as directed.
- Be sure to use RAW cashews! The roasted and salted variety just doesn't taste the same.
Looking for more recipes? I think you'll love this Shrimp Pasta With Garlic-Tomato Cream Sauce!
If you’ve tried this Keto Tuscan Chicken or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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Keto Tuscan Chicken {Whole30 And Paleo}
Ingredients
- 8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins
- Salt to taste (around 1/2 to 1 tsp.)
- Pepper to taste (around 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.)
- Paprika to taste (around 1/2 to 1 tsp.)
- 2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil or oil of choice
- 3 Cloves Garlic minced
- 4 oz Sun-Dried Tomatoes chopped and drained
- 6-8 Zucchini Noodles optional, for serving
Alfredo Inspired Cream Sauce:
- 1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
- 1 Cup Filtered Water Or Chicken Broth
- 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil plus more for sprinkling
- 1/8 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- Dash of Garlic Powder
- 3/4 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
- Pinch or 2 or Ground Red Pepper add more if you want it spicy
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast optional but recommended, adds a "cheesy" taste
Instructions
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Set aside.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Heat the avocado oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Once heated, add the chicken and cook on both sides for 3 - 4 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.
- In the same pan add additional oil if needed (I didn't need to add any) and add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant - being careful not to let it burn! Stir in the cream sauce and cook until heated through. Add water to thin if too thick. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the chicken and sprinkle on extra basil to be pretty 🙂
- Serve over zucchini noodles or stir the zucchini noodles into the sauce before adding the chicken. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken can be stored in the fridge for 3 -5 days separately from the zucchini noodles. The zucchini noodles are best eaten the same day
- I highly recommend using chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts. If you prefer to use chicken breasts, however, simply cut them half. If the halves are extra-thick, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a mallet and pound until they are no more than 1 inch thick. If the chicken is too thick, the outside will start to burn before the inside finishes cooking.
- If you don't have a high-speed blender, cover the cashews in hot water and allow to soak at least 1 hour before using. Then, drain the cashews and use them as directed.
- Be sure to use RAW cashews! The roasted and salted variety just doesn't taste the same.
- Nutrition info does not include the zucchini noodles and is for 2 tenderloins with a generous amount of sauce.
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
This has my mouth watering!
Thanks Jen! Yeah, this is one of my favorites 🙂
-Cassidy
my sister made this and loved it, so I threw it on the menu too! Yum!! I decided to throw boiling water over the cashew directly, along with my sundried tomatoes (my were dry, not packed in oil), and a couple cloves of garlic. I then blended the whole thing. Really good dinner, thanks Cass!
YAY Tessa, I'm happy you and your sister liked it so much! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
This sounds delish! It's always nice to find dairy-free cream sauces 🙂 I swear I need to invest in a 100 pounds of cashews just to create all these dairy-free recipes!
Yeah, I buy a ton of raw cashews every time they go on special at Sprouts. I can usually get them for around $4 a Lb!!!
-Cassidy
This is a great recipe! I’d love it if you would share it on my new corn-free link party. http://www.creatingsilverlinings.com/corn-free-everyday-jan-20-15/
Looks like a great dinner Cass, featuring it this week!
Thanks so much Tessa 🙂