Creamy Tuscan Chicken
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My creamy Tuscan chicken is always a showstopper, but it’s easy to make. It features juicy chicken breasts simmered with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in a creamy sauce. Serve it over pasta for an elegant dinner.
My family loves it when I make my go-to Tuscan-inspired chicken. It ranks alongside other Italian chicken favorites like chicken piccata and chicken Florentine.
It’s a rich, creamy way to use up chicken breasts, and it’s all made in one skillet (thank you, minimal cleanup!). I add spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for a little tang and a pop of color against that creamy sauce. Bonus? It cooks in under 20 minutes!
We typically enjoy it over pasta or couscous, but if you are watching your carbs, you can serve it over cauliflower rice or steamed veggies!
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I followed the recipe exactly as written. This was absolutely delicious! Even my husband, who’s not a huge fan of chicken, loved it. Bonus — it’s quick and easy!!” – Jodi
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Chicken breasts. I typically use skinless, boneless chicken breasts, because they are blank canvas that absorbs the creamy sauce really well. They’re also lean, which balances the rich flavors. Chicken thighs also work, though they’ll need an extra 10-15 minutes.
Tip: If you only have large chicken breasts, I suggest pounding them down to about half an inch so they cook quickly and completely.
- Olive oil. To pan-fry the chicken. I’ve also used butter before, and it’s fine.
- Salt and black pepper. To taste.
- Flour. I like dusting the chicken lightly in flour to help it sear and add give the sauce a little more body.
- Tuscan cream sauce. My sauce calls for heavy cream (nothing light or low-fat, please!), chicken broth, half-and-half (or whole milk), garlic cloves, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
- Spinach. I used baby spinach, but mature spinach also works, though the latter will need to be washed, dried, and de-stemmed.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Opt for the kind packed in oil (not water), as those have so much more flavor.
Recipe variations
- Make Tuscan chicken pasta. One of my favorite variations is tossing it with one pound of cooked pasta (I prefer penne or farfalle). Just chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces so there’s some in every bite.
- Add more vegetables. Add onions and mushrooms to the pan after the chicken and sauté until tender and caramelized for more flavor.
How to make creamy Tuscan chicken
Step 1– Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and dust with flour.
Step 2- Add oil to a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Step 3- Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the half-and-half and cream, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir the seasonings, cheese, and baby spinach until wilted.
Step 4- Reduce the heat to low, add the chicken and tomatoes, and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until thickened.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Watch your heat once the cream goes in. I learned this the hard way- crank the heat too high after adding the cream and broth, the sauce can break or separate instead of staying silky. I recommend keeping it at a gentle simmer, and you’ll get that smooth, restaurant-style sauce every time.
- Add the spinach in batches. Baby spinach wilts really fast, but if you dump it all in at once (especially in a smaller skillet), it can cool the sauce and make it harder to get an even simmer going. I add it in two batches, stirring until the first one wilts before adding the rest.
Storage instructions
To store: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
To freeze: Let the chicken cool, transfer it to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to six months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: Reheat the chicken in a baking dish in a 350°F oven until warm, or microwave the chicken in 30-second intervals. I usually add a splash of broth if needed to thin out the sauce.
More elegant chicken dinners
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless, 4-6 ounces each
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 cups baby spinach loosely packed
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and dust with flour.
- Add oil to a non-stick skillet and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the chicken.
- Add the chicken broth and bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, add the half-and-half and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Slowly stir in the spinach, to prevent it from cooling the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the chicken and the sun-dried tomatoes and let everything simmer for 5-6 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Notes
- You’ll know the chicken is fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Don’t fret if it’s not fully there after the first sear- it will continue cooking once it’s added back to the pan.
- Instant Pot method: Season the chicken, then cook it in the pressure cooker on the Sauté setting until cooked. Add the remaining ingredients, seal, and pressure cook for 5 minutes at High Pressure. Let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
- Slow cooker method: Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours.
Nutrition
Originally updated April 2023
Arman, I’ve made many delicious recipes from your blog and this looks like another one. Unfortunately due to food allergies and diabetes I usually have to make substitutions to your recipes. In this dish can I substitute a non dairy heavy cream and half and half? I usually use an oat based product. Thanks.
Hi Babs- this dish works best with heavy cream or something with a simiar fat content- I’d use full-fat coconut cream or a plant based alternative. I have recently tired an oat-based cream and it was just a little too sweet, which I think could affect this dish.
Made it keto by replacing the half & half with heavy cream, almond flour instead of wheat flour, and used about half the amount of sun-dried tomatoes. Incredibly tasty! Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
I love those tweaks, Jonathan- a great way to cut the carbs/gluten without affecting the flavor. I appreciate your lovely review and rating.
Hey, Johnathan!
I came here with a question that you just answered for me! 😁 … I don’t eat all purpose flour and needed a replacement. Well, now almond flour it is! TY!
Can this be done in a slow cooker/crockpot?
Easy , très apprécier,et goùteux c’est a refaire, pas long et excellent.
Louis
So welcome, Pierre-Louis
This is one of my favorite recipes, but I have to say this is absolutely the best site for recipes I love that I get a week’s recipes to look through and pick but this really is honestly the very best site. Thank you for sending the recipes.
This is amazing, easy to make and chef quality everyone loved it. So tasty. It is added to my favorites Thank you bon appetite
Good dish, but this time when I made it, the sauce wasn’t creamy. It appears as if the cheese broke down instead of getting creamy. What did I do wrong?
Hi Patsy- what brand cheese did you use for this? I’ll do some digging 🙂
Can you just advise me how can I make my own sun dried tomatoes? Cut them and put on hot Sun for days, months..?
Delicious would serve this on special occasions
Thanks, Carm!
Looks as really Italian dish. I want to try.
Absolutely delicious!
Thanks, Lynda!
I followed the recipe exactly as written. This was absolutely delicious! Even my husband, who’s not a huge fan of chicken, loved it. Bonus — it’s quick and easy!!
Made this tonight and wow! Tons of flavor. The kids didn’t even complain about the spinach.
Fantastic flavors. I did need to make a couple modifications and I hate when people do this. We are gluten free so I omitted the flour. Added lots of sautéed mushrooms because we love them.
What is 1/2 cup half and half in the recipe
A blend of half cream half milk
10% milk fat cream. You’re welcome. 🙂