Creamy Tuscan Chicken
This Tuscan Chicken recipe features tender chicken breasts, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in a creamy sauce. It’s comforting, flavorful and ready in 30 minutes!
Looking for more easy chicken breast recipes? Try Stuffed Chicken Breast, Lemon Chicken or Chicken Marsala next.
I love meals that are simple to prepare yet seem fancy, and this Tuscan chicken is one such recipe. Chicken breasts are seared in a skillet until golden brown and juicy and then served with a delicious pan sauce. The creamy sauce is richly flavored and the perfect way to elevate boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Fresh spinach and sweet-tart sun-dried tomatoes add color and flavor to this Tuscan chicken. Serve the chicken and sauce over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes, with a simple side salad for an easy dinner.
For a recipe with a similar flavor profile that you can make in the crockpot, try these Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs.
Tuscan Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts. If you’re able to find small chicken breasts, they work best in this recipe since they will cook more quickly than large chicken breasts.
- Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper: To season the chicken.
- Olive Oil: For cooking the chicken breasts.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the sauce.
- Shallots: Their mild onion flavor is so delicious in this recipe. Chopped sweet yellow onion is a good substitute if you don’t have shallots.
- Garlic: You can’t beat the flavor of fresh garlic!
- Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Use low sodium chicken broth so that you can better control the amount of salt in the finished dish.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Drain off the oil and chop the tomatoes before adding them to the skillet.
- Spinach: Use fresh spinach; it will wilt down in the hot skillet.
- Heavy Cream: To make the sauce creamy. For a dairy-free recipe, you can try using full-fat unsweetened coconut milk in place of the heavy cream and substitute olive oil for the butter.
How to Make Tuscan Chicken
- Place the chicken breasts in a large zip-top bag and pound them to an even thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin. This will help them to cook more evenly. Then pat the chicken dry and season it with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, such as a cast iron skillet. Add the chicken and cook for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature registers 165° F on an instant read thermometer. Remove the chicken to a clean plate.
- Add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the shallots and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, stirring until the spinach wilts. Then stir in the heavy cream.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, serve and enjoy!
To Store and Reheat
Leftover Tuscan chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently in the microwave until heated through.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
Chicken breasts are a dinnertime staple. Try one of these flavorful chicken breast recipes next!
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Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about four 6-ounce chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 3 cups chopped fresh spinach, loosely packed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- grated Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a zip-top plastic bag and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them to an even thickness. Remove chicken from the bag.
- Use paper towels to pat the chicken breasts dry. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature registers 165° F on an instant read thermometer. Cover the pan as needed while the chicken cooks; the trapped heat can help the chicken to cook through if your chicken breasts are on the larger side. Remove chicken to a clean plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and shallots to the pan and cook until softened, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and flour to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Continue cooking until the sauce starts to thicken, stirring often.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and fresh spinach. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts. Stir in the heavy cream.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and heat for 1-2 minutes, until heated through. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve, with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- Leftover Tuscan chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently in the microwave until heated through.
This was absolutely delicious-one of the best dishes I’ve eaten. Not complicated either. What a great blend of flavors! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kristine, what is your opinion about using diced tomato instead of sun-riped tomato?
I think sun-dried tomatoes are best in this recipe, but if you want to try using fresh cherry tomatoes, I would add them with the spinach. I do not recommend using canned diced tomatoes.
Amazing!!! Restaurant quality😊
This was simple and delicious!! Thanks so much!
One of the best dishes I have fixed! Restaurant quality!
I’m a rookie in the kitchen, have been for decades, dabbling with spaghetti sauces, chili, perfecting mashed potatoes, and grilling. This recipe appealed because it seemed simple and the photos made it look delish.
It is very good and simple. I’m giving it four stars because the chicken breasts don’t appear to be hit with a mallet or smoothed down with a rolling pin. They appear plump.
Also, I think they were seared first to get that nice golden color. The spinach, on close examination, looks shredded, not chopped. I had little pieces of spinach floating all over the place.
I’ll make this again but will only very lightly roll the chicken. I will hit them with a quick, high sear to try and get that nice golden color, and will cut, not chop the spinach, reducing the amount to two cups and use freshly grated parm (didn’t have any on hand).
Absolutely delicious!!