This low carb olive tapenade stuffed chicken with artichokes and creamy spinach dish is a deliciously dinner you make in one pan. The chicken is stuffed with a mixture of olives, sun dried tomatoes and cheese and then cooked with the creamy sauce along with the artichokes and spinach. And each serving has just 4.7g net carbs.
You might also like this low carb olive & garlic vegetable dip!
I love making tasty meals from simple ingredients I can buy at Aldi. I have one just 5 minutes from my house so I shop there a lot. That was how this recipe came about years ago when I notice they started selling thinly sliced chicken breasts.
So I gathered some tasty ingredients while shopping along with some sun dried tomatoes I had in the fridge and made this olive tapenade stuffed chicken with artichokes and creamy spinach. The tapenade was very easy to whip up then I stuffed the chicken and cooked them in a creamy sauce along with artichoke hearts and fresh spinach.
It was so good I made it again the next night! Best of all it was a one pan chicken dinner that was low carb too!
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.
The simple ingredients I used for this recipe was chicken breast, olive oil, olives, sun dried tomatoes, garlic cloves, basil, mozzarella, broth, heavy cream, grated parmesan cheese, artichokes and spinach. I also used some salt and black pepper to season.
Chicken
I used thin cut chicken breast I bought at Aldi but you can also buy regular skinless chicken breast and cut it in half like you would a bagel. Then take each piece and pound it thinner with a meat mallet. You need it thin enough to stuff and roll up into a bundle of sorts.
Olives
I used a combination of Kalamata olives and green olives. You can use whatever varieties of olive you want but I would not use black olives that you buy in a can. You want to add a lot of that olive taste for the tapenade.
Sun Dried Tomatoes, Basil & Garlic
Sun dried tomatoes add sweetness to the tapenade and I would not eliminate it if you can. Also I think it’s best to use fresh garlic and fresh basil leaves. These all add a lot of flavor to the dish.
Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese
The mozzarella cheese is used in the stuffing to keep the tapenade together and you could use another mild cheese like gouda. And the parmesan cheese is used in the cream sauce. You could use romano cheese if you want but most people have parmesan cheese on hand.
Artichoke Hearts and Spinach
The artichokes hearts and spinach are added for nutrition, color and flavor. I just used jarred artichokes hearts and fresh baby spinach. You could eliminate both if you want and just use the sauce but both the artichokes and spinach go well with the tapenade, chicken and sauce.
How to make olive tapenade stuffed chicken.
Step 1: Though these chicken breasts were thinly cut, they were still a bit thicker than I wanted. So I put a piece into a baggie and used a meat mallet to pound it even thinner. This makes the chicken tender, easier to roll up and cook faster too. Do this with each piece.
Step 2: Add the garlic, olives, sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. You can also do this by hand. Spoon into a medium bowl and mix with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 3: Take each piece of chicken and add a spoonful of the tapenade stuffing mixture and then roll each one up. Add a toothpick to keep in place. Season with salt and black pepper on each one and place on a plate.
Step 4: Get out a large skillet or pan and eat to medium high heat. Add the olive oil and once it’s hot add the chicken breasts with the open size down so it will sear closed. Turn the heat to medium heat and brown for a few minutes.
Then flip it over and brown the other side. You might have to take out the toothpicks but once the sealed side is done you shouldn’t need them anyways.
Step 5: Take out the chicken bundles and set aside. Pour in chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Then add in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine and make the creamy sauce.
Step 6: Add in half of the spinach and the artichokes and mix. Then add th chicken back. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165°F.
Step 7: Take off the lid and then add in the rest of the spinach and mix it around so it wilts a bit. Then take it off the stove and serve.
Serve as is, over cauliflower rice or eve us keto noodles. If you don’t care about carbs you can serve it over white rice or egg noodles. We just ate it as is with a green salad.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
Other creamy skillet dinners you might like.
If you are like me and like creamy skillet dinners that are also low carb, I have a few more you might like.
- keto creamy sun dried tomato cod fillets
- low carb creamy pork tenderloin with sun dried tomatoes and spinach
- low carb pork tenderloin with creamy apples
- keto creamy tomato pork chops
- low carb chicken thighs with mushrooms and spinach
Well I hope you like this olive tapenade stuffed chicken as much as we did. It really didn’t take too much time to make either. If you use the thin sliced meat you can make this dish in about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
The nutritional information for 1 serving is 384 calories / 27g fat / 6.6g carbs / 1.9g fiber / 31.3g protein = 4.7g. net carbs
Olive Tapenade Stuffed Chicken Recipe with Artichokes and Creamy Spinach
This olive tapenade stuffed chicken with artichokes and creamy spinach is a deliciously low carb dinner you make in one pan. The creamy spinach and artichokes go perfectly with the tasty tapenade that the chicken is stuffed with and each serving has just 4.7g net carbs.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast, sliced thin and pounded*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 olives ( I used kalamata and green olives)
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 basil leaves
- ¼ cup mozzarella, shredded
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 6 ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained
- 4 cups fresh spinach, divided and chopped
Instructions
- If you don't have thin cut chicken breast, take a regular sized one and cut in half like a bagel. Then take each piece and place into a baggie. Use a meat mallet or heavy pan and pound until thin. *Note: Though I buy the thin sliced chicken breast sometimes I have to pound them thinner because it makes them, easier to roll, more tender and they cook faster. You want thin, uniform pieces.
- In a food processor add the olives, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the tapenade is formed. Or you can chop by hand. When done mix with the mozzarella cheese.
- Take each piece of chicken and add a spoonful of the olive tapenade mixture and then roll each one up. Add a toothpick to keep in place. Season each with salt and black pepper.
- Add oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Place the stuffed chicken seam side down into the hot pan then turn the heat to medium. Once the chicken is browned on one side (2-3 minutes), scoop up with a spatula and carefully take out the toothpick if using and flip over. They should stay together now so you won't need the toothpicks anymore. Brown on the other side about 2-3 minutes.
- Take them out of the pan and set aside. Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add in the cream and Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine and then add in half of the spinach and the drained artichokes. Mix well then nestle the chicken rolls back into the spinach mixture, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165°F.
- When the chicken is cooked through, add in the second half of the spinach. Mix around and it will wilt immediately. Take off of the stove and serve.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 serving is 384 calories / 27g fat / 6.6g carbs / 1.9g fiber / 31.3g protein = 4.7g. net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 384Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Tripp says
What am I supposed to do with the 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella? It’s listed in the ingredients, but the instructions don’t say when to add it.
Denise says
Hi Tripp,
I’m sorry you are supposed to mix the mozzarella with tapenade and then stuff the chicken. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I have fixed the recipe. I hope you like it!
Denise
Patti says
I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many chicken recipes and this one looks fabulous.
Denise says
ha! so true!