This chicken spinach artichoke spaghetti squash was inspired by my Whole30 chicken spinach artichoke dip! It’s creamy, filling, packed with protein and veggies and seriously addicting. It’s paleo, Whole30 friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
I’m a lifelong fan of the spinach artichoke combo. From the first time I tried a hot spinach artichoke dip, to making these potatoes, this casserole, and now this stuffed spaghetti squash. It’s pure love! When it comes to this combo you almost just can’t go wrong!
Of course, when we’re talking about making things paleo, and, more specifically dairy free, getting that creamy, flavorful sauce to go with the veggies can be somewhat tricky.
The first time I tested out a Whole30 and Paleo baked spinach artichoke dip I was definitely skeptical. The non-paleo versions I’d made in the past were completely loaded with cheese, so obviously I wondered if it would even be worth it to try and recreate such a classic.
As it turns out, it’s totally possible to recreate the “cheesy” flavor with a few tricks! It will sound like an odd combination to you at first if you’re new to Paleo/Whole30 cooking, but in the end it all makes sense.
The combination of homemade mayo along with coconut cream, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper actually mimics the taste of sour cream/cheese more than you’d imagine.
Don’t be scared of nutritional yeast if you haven’t used it before. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30 friendly and has a cheesy flavor that makes it a great sub for parmesan, if used in moderation.
Along with the creamy sauce, we also have chicken added to the spinach artichoke mixture. To make this recipe simple, I decided to put both the spaghetti squash and chicken in the oven at the same time. They bake for slightly different amounts of time, with the squash needing about 5 minutes longer.
While they bake, you’ll make the spinach artichoke mixture on the stovetop and prep the creamy sauce. Once the spaghetti squash is done, you can either stuff it with the mixture as pictured, or release the spaghetti strands first, and toss together.
I’m personally loving spaghetti squash “boats” lately – just scrape the spaghetti squash to release strands, then stuff with the filling. Then, everyone can scoop their portion right out onto plates for easy serving. Or, if you’re like me, you can always eat it right out of the squash boat!
If you’re a spinach artichoke lover like I am, you are in for a serious treat with this stuffed spaghetti squash. The filling is just like a good creamy dip and totally addicting – I found myself grabbing bites before stuffing the squash, and while taking pictures!
Grab your squash, preheat the oven and get ready for a meal you’ll want to make again and again! Let’s go!
Chicken Spinach Artichoke Spaghetti Squash {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Chicken Spinach Artichoke Spaghetti Squash {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
- 1 med-large spaghetti squash
- 1 lb chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- Salt and pepper to season chicken
- 1 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
- 1 med onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- sea salt to taste
- Crushed red pepper (to taste, optional)
- 8 oz fresh baby spinach chopped
- 14 oz can artichoke hearts drained and chopped (check label for Whole30 compliance)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream - the thick part of a chilled can of coconut milk* or you can purchase coconut cream separately.
- 1/2 cup homemade whole30 mayo or purchased paleo mayo*
- 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast OR 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, if dairy is okay
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and string. Place face down on a foil lined baking sheet.
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Place chicken on another foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake chicken and squash in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, check, and continue to bake the squash, if necessary until the top is tender/firm when pressed gently. My chicken cooked for 25 minutes and my squash for 30.
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Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Add onions and cook until soft, then add garlic, sprinkle with sea salt and continue cooking another minute, adjusting heat if necessary, until soft.
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Once garlic is soft, add spinach and allow it to wilt a bit, then mix in to garlic/onions and cook until all is wilted. Add artichokes and cook one more minute until heated through, sprinkle with of sea salt and crushed red pepper, if using, then remove from heat.
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In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut cream, mayo, lemon juice, nutritional yeast (or parmesan), salt and pepper until smooth. Drain any obvious liquid from the spinach artichoke mixture, then chop or shred the cooked chicken and add to skillet. Stir in the cream sauce, and return to med/low heat. Cook and stir until heated through - about 2 mins.
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Using a fork, scrape spaghetti squash lengthwise to release spaghetti strands. Fill the squash with the chicken spinach artichoke mixture to create squash boats, OR toss together in a large serving bowl. Any extra filling can be refrigerated and reheated later on.
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Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy! Serves 5-6.
Recipe Notes
*Use the cream only, since even full fat milk will make the sauce too watery.
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Spinach Artichoke Recipe Ideas? Try One of These!
Spinach Artichoke Twice Baked Potatoes
Creamy Chicken Spinach Artichoke Dip
Spinach Artichoke Breakfast Casserole
One-Skillet Spinach Artichoke Chicken
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I’m such a fan of spaghetti squash boats and this one looks filled with so many of my favorite things! Definitely trying this next time I buy a squash. Delicious!
Love this chicken spinach artichoke spaghetti squash!
So delicious! Took one full hour from start to finish. Will make again!
I got this recipe from my daughter. She made it without spinach, which was good. I made it tonight with spinach and also substituted whole 30 dump ranch instead of mayo. It was delicious.
This was an awesome and creative dish! Will surely make again. It tasted like a spinach artichoke dip with chicken. Lots of flavor!
can this be made ahead of time and reheated a day later to serve?
Yes, that should work out well!
I didn’t add the red pepper as I can’t eat spicy food but I followed the recipe using fresh parmesan since my hubby loves cheese and we don’t have dairy issues. We’ve been looking for a good spaghetti squash recipe. I love artichoke and spinach anything so when I saw this one I thought, I have to try that! We loved it! it was filling but light at the same time. We’re keeping this in our regular rotation of things we love.
I made this tonight and really liked it! I’m wondering, does it freeze well?
Made the dish w/o the red peppers. Hubby and I enjoyed this recipe. I will make this dish again.
The best! I’m not a huge squash fan but I love it in this recipe! I actually bought a spaghetti squash just so I could make this recipe again!
That’s great! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I have two vegetarians so I subbed white beans for the chicken and I don’t follow a super high fat diet so I subbed low fat Greek yogurt for the mayo. Came out super!
awesome.thanks so much for sharing it. Thanks.
This was really delicious! It had the all of the creamy, salty feels of spinach artichoke dip (even without cheese) and went well with the spaghetti squash. We will definitely make this again. I might even add chopped mushrooms next time to add one more texture to the sauce.
Great! I subbed the spinach for Arugula bc I’m sensitive to spinach. Pretty easy meal!
I keep seeing this recipe pop up in various forums, and I really want to try it, but I do not tolerate coconut well. Is there anything I could use in place of the coconut cream and get similar results?
Can I make the filling ahead of time and freeze until ready to use?
I love Chicken Spinach
Your recipe is so easy to make, I’ll try it tomorrow
I’ve noticed on all your recipes that under the nutrition facts you list 358kcal which means 358,000 calories!! Is that a typo and it should really be 358? I’ve noticed that kcal is listed consistently on all your recipes. This dish was absolutely delicious but I really hope I’m mistaken on the calorie count!