We had friends to dinner a few nights ago and I wanted something quick but tasty for dinner as we’d all had busy days around the Island – and I was cooking in a caravan with the help of my beloved TM31 Thermomix®, my trusty work horse. This creamy garlic chicken with sundried tomatoes and spinach a really easy recipe though and any food processor will do the trick. I suspect that if I had just used chicken fillets I could have done it all as a one pot meal, but I was cooking for a few people so I didn’t try that this time.
Substitutions and exact ingredients
I love these types of recipes because you don’t have to use exact ingredients and you can substitute as you require. If you have 6 mushrooms, add them, if you only have 4, that’s fine. If your pot of cream only contains 240ml, add a bit more water to the broth – it’s such a flexible recipe, you’re not going to hurt it. The only exception to that is don’t add too much sun dried tomato as it can overpower the other flavours and turn your sauce pink!
You can substitute the protein too, making the creamy garlic chicken as diced pork instead, prepared the same way you would the chicken, but I’ve also done it as a vegetarian recipe, with Quorn ‘chicken‘.
Freezing and storing
There are only three of us in the house, so when I make this as a quick mid-week dinner, there’s enough left over for two freezer portions (of the chicken and sauce.) This freezes very well, and three dinners for 30 minutes of cooking isn’t a bad deal!
Serve it with…
We often have this with rice or cauliflower rice, but it’s also really good with pasta. I also make this focaccia with it (just the plain bread, without the sauces) and no one leaves the table hungry.
- 8-10 chicken breast pieces
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ cup (about 100g) sun dried tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup (250ml) double/heavy cream
- ½ cup (125ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs (rosemary, thyme and basil all work well)
- ½ cup (100g) grated parmesan
- 5 medium mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 1 bag (125g) spinach
- Rice/ linguine pasta or cauliflower rice to serve
- Place the pork or chicken in a frying pan and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes till browned. Flip over about halfway through cooking.
- Meanwhile, grate 100g parmesan (Speed 10/ 10 seconds)
- Remove to separate dish.
- Add sun dried tomatoes and garlic to the bowl (speed ⅘ seconds)
- Add cream, mixed herbs, a hand full of parmesan and the chicken or vegetable broth to the bowl and mix, (30 seconds/speed 3)
- Turn the heat down on the chicken and pour the sauce over it.
- Add the sliced mushrooms.
- Mix well in the frying pan, and cover with a lid - leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Place the internal steamer in the bowl and fill with water till it's halfway covered. Add rice (I add 75g for adults and 50g for children).
- Cook Varoma/Speed 2/15 minutes.
- Drain the rice once cooked.
- Check that the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the spinach to the pan and cover again, leaving to wilt for about 5 minutes before serving over the rice.
- Pour two teaspoons of oil into a deep dish frying pan and place the chicken pieces in to start cooking.
- In a food processor, place the sun dried tomatoes and the garlic cloves. Chop quite finely.
- Add the cream, broth, herbs and a hand full of the grated parmesan and blend again till combined. Leave to rest.
- Flip the chicken over to brown the other side.
- Pour the cream mixture into the frying pan, mixing it all together gently. Add mushrooms if using.
- Cover with the lid and leave to simmer on low heat for 15 - 20 minutes.
- (Prepare the rice or cauliflower rice now according to product instructions.)
- Check to see that the chicken is cooked through.
- If it is, add the spinach and replace the lid, leaving the greens to wilt for a few minutes.
- Dish up the rice or caulirice and top with the creamy chicken and sauce.