Dairy-free never tasted so good! This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken with spinach is perfect with gluten-free pasta or rice pilaf. Even my husband, who loves cheese and all things dairy, didn't know this was dairy-free until I told him! Surprisingly, it's also low in fat and high in protein. We meal-prepped this for the entire week and did not get sick of it one bit. This dish would also make a romantic date night in, just half the recipe for three servings ;)
Did you know? Just 3 ounces of chicken contains over half your daily requirement for Niacin (Vitamin B3), which is essential for converting food into energy. (source)
Choosing the best chicken
When buying chicken, I always look for "organic" or "pasture-raised" with "no antibiotics ever." This ensures the chickens were raised in an open-air environment free of disease. Better yet, look for "Certified Humane" chicken!
I used lean boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but chicken thighs would work as well.
Dairy-free product recommendations
This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken is dairy-free, so I used a few dairy-free products here. First, I sautéed the chicken with this vegan buttery spread plus some extra virgin olive oil. The creamy sun-dried tomato sauce calls for unsweetened cashew milk and vegan parmesan. You can also use oat or rice milk, just make sure it's unsweetened!
And of course, if you don't need dairy-free you can just use low fat dairy milk, unsalted grass-fed butter, and natural shredded parmesan.
Gluten-free product recommendations
This recipe is also gluten-free since I used gluten-free pasta. Many gluten-free pastas just fall apart after cooking, but I've found a few winners over the years! My favorite brands are Barilla gluten-free, Jovial gluten-free, and Ancient Harvest gluten-free. Most of these I've been able to find at Walmart and Kroger stores.
This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken with spinach is perfect with gluten-free pasta or rice pilaf. Even my husband, who loves cheese and all things dairy, didn't know this was dairy-free until I told him! Surprisingly, it's also low in fat and high in protein.
Still on that soup kick and this one's a goodie! I made this Chicken Wild Rice Soup dairy free, gluten-free, macro-friendly, and loaded with flavor. It took several tries to perfect this soup, and it's a winner! It's got hearty wild rice, tender shredded chicken, delicious mushrooms and fresh herbs all in a thicker cream broth.
I am feeling in the Valentine's Day spirit a little already (and always craving chocolate) so I made some vegan Protein Ferrero Rochers! They have a chocolate hazelnut filling with a roasted hazelnut in the center, surrounded by crushed vanilla wafer and coated in vegan milk chocolate. You can also roll them in crushed hazelnut like I did for extra crunch! While these aren't super high in protein, they offer a little boost. These chocolates are also lower in sugar, higher in fiber, and overall BIGGER than the world-famous Ferrero Rochers.
I just love a good minestrone soup. However, minestrone is lacking in protein, at least not enough to make a balanced meal... so this High Protein Minestrone Soup was born! It's got Italian spices like basil and oregano, diced tomatoes in flavorful broth, tender pasta, kidney beans, chickpeas, carrots, celery, onion, fresh garlic, and Italian seasoned ground turkey for some extra protein. This soup is comforting, nourishing, and very filling! Bonus - it's also gluten free, dairy free, and macro-friendly.
