Quick Look at these Easy Creamy Tomato Chicken Thighs
- Ready In: 30 minutes!
- Serves: 6
- Main Ingredients: bone-in chicken thighs, canned tomatoes, coconut milk, and garlic
- Protein: 25g/serving
- Dietary Info: Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free friendly
- Why You’ll Love It: Everyone loves a quick and easy weeknight dinner that only requires minimal ingredients! These creamy and flavorful chicken thighs are also dairy-free, which is such an amazing bonus. Serve over egg noodles or any way you want!
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Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Chicken Thighs – highly recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for the added flavor but boneless, skinless chicken thighs would work too (with a lower cook time).
- Coconut Milk – a great way to bring the creamy texture without the dairy!
- Egg Noodles – feel free to serve any way you want – I love egg noodles, but gluten-free noodles, rice, or cauliflower rice would work too.
How To Make A Creamy Chicken Skillet
Step 1 – Melt some ghee and sear chicken with skin-side down.
Step 2 – Flip and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Pro Tip
When searing the chicken thighs, they only need 5 minutes per side and don’t need to be fully cooked. They will finish cooking when added back to the pan with the sauce.
Step 3 – Sauté the onion and garlic in the same pan.
Step 4 – Add tomatoes, coconut milk, & salt, plus the chicken.
Step 5 – Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of all the chicken thighs reach 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
Best Way To Serve A Chicken Tomato Skillet
Our favorite way to serve this easy one pan meal is to place the chicken and sauce on top of your favorite variety of rice or noodles. To keep it Whole30/Paleo compliant, we love it over homemade cauliflower rice or coconut cauliflower rice. It would also be great on gluten-free noodles, regular noodles, or Instant Pot jasmine rice! Any way you choose to serve it, this quick and easy meal is perfect for busy weeknights.
Other Easy Chicken Recipes You Might Like
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Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons ghee, or coconut oil (divided)
- 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 15 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ can full-fat coconut milk, incorporate coconut milk prior to using
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Serving Suggestions:
- egg noodles
- parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
- Sear Chicken: Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons ghee. Season 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs with kosher salt and ground black pepper and place in the hot skillet with the skin-side down. Cook for 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté: In large cast iron skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon ghee and let melt on medium high heat. Add diced onion and 2-3 tablespoons garlic; move around until it becomes fragrant and softened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Make Sauce: To the skillet, add 15 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes, ½ can full-fat coconut milk, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer with Chicken: Return the seared chicken thighs (along with any juices on the plate) to the skillet. Let simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165℉ at the thickest part (use a meat thermometer).
- Serve: Enjoy the chicken and sauce over egg noodles and some parmesan cheese on top!
Notes
- Crockpot Method: you can easily make this in a slow cooker, but I would recommend using 3-4 whole chicken breasts instead. Cook the garlic and onions as directed and then add that, along with the remaining ingredients, to the crockpot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours (or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees F).
- Add a Veggie: option to add some fresh broccoli or cauliflower to this skillet meal. Just add for the last 5 minutes of cook time.
Emily says
Delightful! Made exactly as recipe stated and served over brown rice pasta.
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed this, Emily!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review – I so appreciate it!
Erica says
I made this with giant chicken thighs so had to add about 10 minutes to the cooking time. I also added a Japanese eggplant and green beans- it was delicious, and leftovers to take to work were perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
Erin says
Hi Erica! Thank you so much for the feedback! I am so happy you liked it – it is one of my favorites!! Love the addition of eggplant and green beans!
Jessica says
In the end this was delicious however, the cooking time was off and when the middle of the thighs reached 165 the top of the chicken was still raw…
Erin says
Hi, Jessica! I am glad that, in the end, you liked it! That’s so weird that the tops were raw – in step 4 it says to cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side before adding the fire-roasted tomatoes and the coconut milk – so the top really shouldn’t be raw. Did you do that step?
nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
This looks and sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing, Erin!
Erin says
Thanks, Nicole!!