Creamy Dairy-Free Chicken and Pasta

This was one of the first meals I fixed dairy-free.  Usually made with milk or heavy cream, this version is a little lighter, but still full of flavor and very satisfying.  I also make it with gluten-free pasta, but any pasta will do if you can tolerate the wheat version.


Creamy Dairy-Free Chicken and Pasta
2 cups pre-cooked chicken pieces*
1 can coconut water (canned, not in a carton; note, NOT coconut milk)
1 box pasta of your choice (any shape, any style; I like GF penne or rotini, but any will work)
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Arrowroot starch (alternatives: 2 Tbsp corn starch, or GF flour, or regular flour)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: dash of poultry seasoning, or 1/4 cup mushrooms
2 tomatoes, chopped into large chunks
1/2 cup frozen spinach (2 cups fresh spinach cooked down works as well)


*The pre-cooked chicken can be leftover baked chicken, mildly seasoned will work fine but you don't want something that was heavily flavored.  I like to cook a crock-pot full of chicken thighs and legs every few weeks, pull the meat off and store it in the freezer for a quick meal prep later, that's what I use for this recipe.


If you don't have pre-cooked chicken, you can cook a couple of chicken breasts on the stove top, seasoning them with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic and onion powder.  Remove from the pan and slice into bite-sized pieces; set aside for later.


In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta per instructions on the box.  Drain; set aside.


In a separate pan (or if you want to save on dishes, you can use the now-empty pasta pot), combine the oil and the arrowroot powder to make a loose paste.  Cook till bubbly.  Add about half the can of coconut water and stir vigorously; the liquid will thicken quickly as it heats.  You can add more coconut water if you want a thinner sauce; I really eyeball it, but often I end up using most of the can because I like a lot of sauce.


Now you have a roux, or a basic white sauce.  Don't be thrown off by the coconut water; it's a very mild coconut flavor which will vanish under the seasoning.  The only difference in how you work with this vs a regular milk-based roux is that coconut has a natural sweetness to it, moreso than milk.  In my old white sauces I usually added a dash of sugar to offset the savory flavor; with coconut water, you don't usually need to do that, it's sweet enough.


From here you can add a variety of seasonings, depending on what you're going for.  For this recipe, add the onion and the garlic powder, with enough salt to make it taste right.  We're going for creamy and savory, not cheesy per se.  I have also added a dash of poultry seasoning to make it a bit richer, but you could get the same effect with mushrooms too.


I've given you some measurements for the seasonings, but these are just a jumping off point. I don't measure anything, so I apologize that I don't have more exact amounts for you.


Once you've got the sauce where you want it, add the spinach.  I usually use a handful of frozen spinach, but you could absolutely use fresh.  Just fry it up in a separate pan with a bit of oil to cook it down, then add it to the sauce.  (If you're using mushrooms, fry them up with the spinach.)


In the pasta pot, put it all together: chicken, pasta and sauce and combine thoroughly.  Check your flavors again, the pasta will change things a bit.  Last of all, toss in the tomato chunks and serve.


I have fed this to picky eaters and children, and everyone so far has loved it.  With a little practice, you can basically cook this all with that one pot.  It's hearty, flavorful, filling and creamy without needing one bit of dairy to accomplish those goals.


One last pro tip: This recipe originally called for parmesan added at the last minute, to really bring out the flavors. Not gonna lie, that is a VERY nice additive.  But of course, being dairy free, I can tell you that the dish is completely tasty without it.  And to be honest.....just add a little more salt.  The primary flavor in parmesan is brine, which is SALT.  So don't be shy on the salt, and chances are you won't even miss the parmesan.


But if you REALLY need something extra to make this dish taste right.....there is a recipe for home made vegan parmesan that I find to be simply outstanding; I have a hard time not eating it with a spoon, to be honest.  I have not tried it on this dish yet, but I'm guessing it will work very well:


https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-parmesan-cheese/


So there you go!  Give it a try, and let me know if you like it.  Also, feel free to ask any questions, since I was a bit nebulous on the measurements.




ALLERGEN NOTE: Coconut is also a common allergen.  This recipe could absolutely be made with unflavored chicken broth instead; it'll taste a bit more like gravy instead of a creamy sauce, but still very tasty.  BE SURE TO ADD some sweetener, I'd say about 1 tsp sugar or an equivalent, because you won't have the sweetness of the coconut water to offset the savory seasonings.