Healthy Chicken Florentine

It continues to be a busy time for my family as the house we are building is almost complete and we’re getting ready to move. Yipee!! Daily, I’m monitoring my stress levels, aiming to get 8-9 hours of good quality sleep, and trying to keep my neurological symptoms at bay. Nourishing our bodies with good, wholesome food is so important for good health and sometimes you just need comfort food! This dish hits the mark as it’s easy, “creamy” and delicious!

Last month, I was in Calgary helping a friend out after surgery and her friend, Lorene, brought this wonderfully “creamy” dish over for dinner one night. I say “creamy” because the cream is actually coconut milk! I hadn’t had a cream based dish since I ditched dairy 5 years ago and this was such a treat. It’s packed full of goodness with greens, parsley, chicken, tomatoes and just the right amount of seasoning. Serve it with mashed cauliflower for the most alkaline option, or mashed potatoes for the ultimate in comfort food (Lorene uses bone broth in her mashed potatoes - yum!). A green salad or steamed asparagus is the perfect side dish. Thanks Lorene, for creating this wonderful meal!

Lorene’s Healthy Chicken Florentine

Ingredients:

6-9 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

1/3 cup of gluten free oat flour + 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper

1 yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic

Pint of cherry tomatoes

Small jar of sundried tomatoes

Two handfuls of spinach, arugula or kale

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 can of full fat coconut milk

1 and 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 C and line a baking tray with unbleached parchment paper. Pound chicken flat, dredge in oat flour plus salt and pepper. Lay chicken on baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, finely dice the onion and fry in a saucepan in some avocado oil or coconut oil. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook until soft. Drain and roughly chop sundried tomatoes, cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Add the remaining salt, pepper, italian seasoning, chili flakes and fresh parsley. Add two handfuls of chopped spinach, arugula or kale (or a combination of all three). Add a can of coconut milk. Add about a tablespoon of oatflour to the sauce to thicken, then add the cooked chicken. Make sure each piece of chicken is covered in sauce, let simmer for about 30 minutes to let the flavours mix.

Serve with mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes and a side of steamed asparagus or green salad.