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This creamy skillet chicken cooked in a garlic and basil sauce is a delicious one pot meal that’s ready in just 30 minutes. It’s Whole30 and keto-friendly, and packed with flavor!
I just love a quick and easy meal on busy weeknights and these one pot chicken thighs are perfect example of that. It’s a recipe that proves that chicken doesn’t need to be dry or boring, especially when coated and cooked in a delicious sauce. On top of being a simple recipe that anyone can follow, these Whole30 chicken thighs are a one pot meal. This means that cleanup is breeze as well!
Creamy Skillet Chicken with Garlic & Basil
This Whole30 and keto skillet chicken is dairy free, so creamy, and insanely flavorful. I like to use chicken thighs because they are more tender and harder to overcook than chicken breasts, but either will work! The sauce base is composed of coconut milk, bone broth, and lemon juice, and then simmered down to thicken and reduce. The thighs are coated in this sauce infused with garlic and basil, and the end result is this delicious and creamy garlic basil chicken dish!
How to Make Creamy Garlic Basil Chicken
This creamy garlic chicken skillet packed with basil is made all in one skillet and the instructions are easy to follow:
- Pan sear the chicken first. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then sear in a large skillet for 4 minutes on each side. Set aside to a plate while you make the sauce.
- Add onion, garlic, crushed, red pepper, salt, and pepper to the same skillet and cook stirring for 5 minutes.
- Pour in coconut milk, bone broth, and lemon juice, and simmer for 5 minutes until reduce and thickened.
- Stir in basil leaves and simmer for just a minute until wilted and cooked down.
- Add the chicken thighs back into the skillet to simmer in the sauce for a minute until heated through.
That’s it! You can serve these one pot chicken thighs right away with your favorite sides.
What to Serve with Garlic & Basil Creamy Skillet Chicken
You can serve this creamy garlic basil chicken recipe with various sides. To keep it Whole30 and keto, serve with:
- cauliflower rice
- zucchini noodles
- spaghetti squash
- roasted veggies like asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower
All of the above will work if you are following the autoimmune protocol as well. I actually included substitutions and omissions in the recipe box below for my AIP folks who want to enjoy this Whole30 and keto skillet chicken.
For anyone following a grain free, AIP, or paleo diet, I know Jovial Foods started making cassava flour pasta products that I’ve heard great things about. I think they would be fantastic with this creamy skillet chicken, so check those out here!
If you enjoyed these paleo and Whole30 chicken thighs, you might also like…
- Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
- Paleo Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Paleo Shrimp Alfredo with Artichokes Hearts (Whole30, Keto, AIP)
- Instant Pot Paleo Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto (Whole30, Vegan, AIP)
Creamy Skillet Chicken with Garlic & Basil (Paleo, Whole30, Keto, AIP Option)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee, or your favorite cooking oil, divided – use coconut oil for AIP
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper, to taste – omit pepper for AIP
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, or more to taste – omit for AIP
- 1 cup coconut milk, or any type of creamy milk (can use heavy cream for keto)
- 1/2 cup bone broth, or chicken broth
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken for 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee in the skillet.
- Add onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add coconut milk, broth, and lemon juice and bring to a boil while scraping the bottom of the skillet to deglaze. Reduce the heat to simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce is reduced and thickened, stirring often.
- Stir in basil and cook for a minute until wilted.
- Add the chicken back in the skillet and simmer for another minute to heat through. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I loved this! So good! I roasted some zucchini as a side.
Thank you so much!! Love the idea of zucchini along with it.
I almost never review recipes, but this seriously changed my life on AIP! I’m 28 days in, and everything has been so bland or just the same, that it’s been so discouraging to eat anything. Found your recipe this weekend, and me and hubby (non AIP) were obsessed. I had mine with spaghetti squash, and his was with rice. It was so remarkably good that he asked for it for dinner again tonight – never happens in our house! Tonight I served it with roasted butternut squash, and hubby had pasta. This has earned a spot in my recipe book, and I’ll likely make this once a week for forever now!
The only addition I make is 2 tsp arrowroot starch to help the sauce get super thick and creamy. Everything else I followed to a T and wouldn’t change! Thank you so much for this absolutely delicious recipe!! It’s turned AIP from disappointing and discouraging to delicious and hopeful. I’m going to look through your other recipes since this is such a winner!
Just saw this, and thank you so much!! I appreciate it so much, and it makes me sooo happy to read reviews like this one.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I often make with a whole can of coconut milk and a little more broth to use the sauce in other recipes. Tonight I put sliced Bella mushrooms in it. Tomorrow I will cook some Jovial cassava pasta and mix in the leftover sauce as a side dish. Yum!
Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it.
Looks good, do you think I could sub white wine for the broth? Thanks.
Yes!
Great tasting and easy recipe! Didn’t have crushed red pepper flakes so used ground cayenne pepper instead and it worked well.
My husband loved this recipe, had seconds, and usually doesn’t like coconut milk!
Thankyou! Looking forward to cooking your other recipes and love your IG account!
☮️❤️
Thank you so much, Debra! I’m so glad cayenne worked out. Makes me so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the recipe.
I was thinking about making this in the next few days, could I use breasts instead of thighs? Just asking because that’s what I have on hand.
Yes! You might have to cook a bit longer since breast meat tends to be thicker than thighs
I used breasts and they work out great! I recommend butterfly cutting them and using a meat tenderizer (if you have one). Cutting them helps get the meat a relatively even thickness that will help cook evenly.
Love this recipe and it was so easy to make! My husband loved it too and he does not like coconut milk at all.
I did mix up a little arrowroot and water to add to the sauce to thicken it and it worked nicely. I also used dried basil because I had it on hand but it would be even better with fresh.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
My whole family loved this meal! The sauce was so delicious and flavorful.
Thank you so much!!
I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken without using a ton of corn starch. I probably messed it up by increasing the measurements times 6. After I finally got it to thicken I thought it tasted good, not too overwhelming a taste at all.
The sauce won’t thicken that much for this recipe. You can try adding arrowroot and tapioca starch for a thicker sauce. I would starch with equal amount of water before adding it to the sauce.
Can I use something else instead of the coconut milk?
Sure! If you can do dairy, heavy cream will work. If you are dairy free, thick cashew milk can be used.