Creamy Paleo tomato basil chicken with butternut squash that comes together in 35 minutes. Perfectly seasoned chicken in a creamy, flavor-packed sauce with sweet-savory toasty butternut that’s Paleo and Whole30 compliant and great for next-day leftovers. 
Let’s race! Not in the running sense, nope, I haven’t raced in quite a while. Instead, I prefer to beat my own times at roasting things like potatoes and squash. I honestly think veggie roasting is a sport in its own right – thoughts?!
But seriously, we all know how annoying it can be to WAIT for the dang potatoes/veggies to roast to the point where they’re crispy brown on the outside and soft on the inside. If only it were as simple as pan frying a burger. I could pan-fry a burger in 5 minutes flat while sleeping.
The way I see it, there are a couple of solutions here, and I used both of them depending on the circumstances. First, you can think – and roast – ahead of time. I admittedly struggle with this solution, mainly due to the thinking part.
BUT, I also struggle with it because the veggies never taste quite the same when reheated that they do when freshly roasted. Yes I’m being picky, and, I have been caving a lot during our current Whole30 because it seems like there are endless veggies to roast! Adam used to be quite content with GF pasta or rice, so I feel like I’m roasting twice the amount as before.
I don’t even know if that’s exactly true, but, nonetheless, I’ve been getting in the habit of roasting big batches of potatoes and squash at night to have for the next day (especially breakfast!).
By the time dinner rolls around though, we’ve gone through all the pre-roasted stuff and I have to move onto solution #2 –> find a way to roast the veggies/squash/potatoes faster in-the-moment. Sounds intense, and it often is, my friends!
So, how do I do this? First, roasting squash fast require me to have my squash cubed pretty small – not so small that it’ll shrivel and burn, but in what I would approximate to be 1″ chunks. At least it looks like about 1″ in my mind, next time I will measure!
Anyway, it also requires a relatively high oven temp (I used 425), parchment paper (for better crisping-without-burning) – and – the most important part in my opinion – it requires SPACE! Each little cube requires it’s own little space (no crowding!) to roast quickly to its full capacity. And yes, this will require a bit more oven space, since you’ll probably have to use two large baking sheets to get this done right.
Once you get the hang of it though, you’ll feel like an expert starchy veggie roaster, I’m telling you the truth! You will have your starchy veggies go from zero to perfectly toasty in 30-35 minutes, which, is pretty much the time it takes for my kids to get themselves together after walking in the door and then set the table. Setting the table gets a little crazy in our house, can’t figure out why that is!
Anyway, let’s focus on this recipe for a minute! If you happen to roast your butternut ahead of time, this meal will be ready in 20 minutes. If not, make sure you at least have it cubed in those 1″ chunks to get the roasting done fast!
The chicken itself is easy peasy, and the sauce is creamy and full of tomato basil flavor. You can mix the toasty roasted butternut right in with the chicken mixture (what I did) or serve it alongside and “dip” to maintain some of that crispiness. The leftovers keep really well so it’s perfect to reheat the next day for lunch.
Because I didn’t add any greens to this recipe (aside from lots of basil) feel free to mix in spinach, kale, or any other green-love you might have. Or, be lazy like me and simple serve it over fresh baby spinach 🙂 Are you ready? Let’s start cooking!
Creamy Paleo Tomato Basil Chicken with Roasted Butternut {Whole30}
Creamy Paleo Tomato Basil Chicken with Roasted Butternut {Whole30}
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins or boneless breasts, sliced**
- 2 tbsp cooking fat of choice ghee or coconut oil
- Italian seasoning blend I use this one plus sea salt for the chicken
- 4 cups butternut squash cubed, PLUS
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup basil torn
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 15 oz can organic diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk blended*
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp coconut oil and generous pinch sea salt, for roasting
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the cubed butternut with cooking fat and salt, then spread out on two large baking sheets, lined with parchment paper. For crispy butternut, make sure they aren't touching each other! Roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until browned, soft and toasty.
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While the butternut roasts, heat a large heavy skillet over med heat and add the 2 tbsp cooking fat. Season the chicken with the Italian seasoning and sea salt on both sides.
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Cook chicken on both sides over medium heat until just cooked through (about 2-3 minutes per side depending on thickness), remove and set aside on a foil covered plate.
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In the same skillet cook the onions until translucent, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic softens. Add tomatoes, coconut milk and basil and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Slice the chicken as desired and add it back to the skillet, continue to simmer for another 2 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
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Once the butternut it done, stir it into the chicken mixture (or if you prefer, serve alongside the creamy chicken, or over it.) Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days - enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Canned coconut milk separates into water and cream when cold, I use my immersion blender to make sure it's combined and creamy!
**Visit U.S. Wellness Meats for awesome free range chicken breasts and tenderloins - they are my go-to for meat!!
Nutrition
What I Used to Make my Tomato Basil Chicken with Butternut Squash:
Want more Whole30 dinner recipes? Try one of these!
One-pan Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
Sausage and Butternut Squash Bake with Tomato Cream
Tell Me!
Do you show the butternut who’s boss or buy it pre-cubed?
Any tricks for quicker roasted veggies?
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This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Hope you like it 🙂
I already know I will love this recipe. Can’t wait to try it. I count butternut squash chopping as a upper body work out. 😉
I’m so used to it now but I remember being traumatized in the beginning, lol!
This is a fantastic looking dinner! I am not very good at chopping butternut squash, so I buy it chopped. 🙂
Loving !!! your whole 30 recipes and I just made your mayo. It worked like a charm with the immersion blender. Thank you keep them coming.
Love the immersion blender! I tried making mayo years ago before I had one and it was a pain. Glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Do you have the Mayo recipe? Would you be willing to share it??
Yup here it is: https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/whole30-paleo-easy-homemade-mayo-recipe/
I’m like totally wanting to drool all over this (sorry, I hope that’s not gross), but it looks really really delicious Michele; maybe God is preparing you to have a restaurant some day.
My partner is pretty picky but will try almost anything once..I didn’t offer this to him because I just knew he wouldn’t be interested. Well he served himself some and loved it. He said it tasted just like vodka sauce (I accidentally used the whole container of coco milk) and really liked it. Thanks!
That’s awesome! Next time I make it I’ll have to try more coconut milk too 🙂
Nade this tonight and it was delish!! Excited that it is a whole 30 recipe. Thanks
Made this and it was delicious! Kind of made me miss rice because it would be great on top of some jasmine. Maybe in my introductory period… 😉
Yup rice would be yummy, so happy you liked it!
Made this and it’s a keeper! Super easy and super delicious!
Great recipe, and so easy to put together. Absolute winner when made with chicken thighs.
Just want to say that I made this recipe for dinner and it was really good. And the leftovers are packed for lunch tomorrow. I often found tomato–based dishes even more delicious when reheated.
I made this for dinner last night and it is SO GOOD. I added in half a can of chickpeas and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing!!
Awesome! Glad you liked it 🙂
I was excited to cook this for dinner tonight and it did not disappoint! I didn’t feel like messing with roasting the squash though, and my grocery store had prepped butternut squash noodles – gave them a quick sauté and served the chicken and sauce over them. YUM! So glad I doubled the recipe for the rest of the week’s leftovers. Thank you!!
The only time I’ve used butternut squash was literally THE first thing I decided to make when I got serious about cooking. It was a nightmare! I didn’t have any good knives, our peeler was garbage, and I had only the tiniest cutting board. I managed, though, and the resultant casserole was AMAZING. I haven’t touched the squash since, and I suspect I’d go for buying pre-cut if I ever go that route again.
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for all the amazing recipes. Always fantastic Whole30 recipes. I have yet to make one that I did not LOVE!
Nearly forgot about this recipe, I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious, can it be frozen?
I actually have turned this recipe into a tomato basil chicken soup and it’s so good I left out the squash. Or I’ll make some up to eat on the side.
Absolutely divine! This Tomato Basil Chicken with Roasted Butternut recipe is a winner in every sense 🍅🌿. The juicy chicken, paired with the savory tomato basil sauce and the sweetness of the roasted butternut squash, creates a symphony of flavors that’ll leave your taste buds singing. And the best part? It’s so simple to make! Just a few fresh ingredients and minimal effort, and you’ll have a gourmet-worthy meal on the table.