Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Juicy, Italian herb seasoned chicken, seared until golden then simmered in a cozy cream sauce with onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and parmesan cheese. This delectable, one-pan meal is made with a handful of ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes, making it an excellent addition to your weeknight rotation.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
This dish is rich and cheesy, and boasts an Italian flair! You can enjoy all the flavors of the Tuscan countryside without leaving the comfort of your own kitchen! Thanks to store-bought Italian seasoning and a few other easy-to-find ingredients, you can throw together this simple-yet-divine, Italian favorite in minutes.
What kind of chicken should you use? My recipe is made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use chicken thighs or chicken tenders. Note that chicken tenders will cook noticeably quicker. Regardless of what cut you use, make sure your chicken reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
What’s Italian seasoning? Italian seasoning is an herb blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Products vary (some have marjoram, sage, and savory), but that’s the gist. Choose your favorite brand, or one that’s on sale. If you’d rather not purchase a new spice blend, and have well-stocked spice rack, create your own Italian seasoning by blending 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary.
Use lots of garlic! Tuscan chicken is a garlicky dish, and this recipe calls for 4 fresh cloves. You can add more/less, but I recommend fresh garlic over garlic powder or pre-minced garlic. If you’d rather use pre-minced garlic, use about 2 teaspoons, and if you’re using garlic powder, add 1 teaspoon.
About the sun-dried tomatoes. I prefer oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for this Tuscan chicken. They’re tender, juicy, and decidedly plump. If you have dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soak them in a warm water for 30 minutes before draining and adding them to the sauce.
Add more spinach if you want! This recipe calls for 2 packed cups of fresh baby spinach leaves, but you can easily double that amount if you’re a spinach fan. Truth is, two cups wilts down to almost nothing, so add as much as desired. If you prefer frozen spinach, thaw it completely and squeeze out all the water before adding it to the pan; you don’t want to dilute the cream sauce.
Use heavy cream! This is a cream-based dish, so I highly encourage you to stick with full-fat heavy cream (also called whipping cream). If you want to substitute half and half, that’s fine, just keep your sauce at a low simmer to prevent curdling.
Use good-quality parmesan cheese. Much of the flavor in this cream sauce comes from nutty, salty parmesan cheese. It’s for that reason I recommend good-quality, freshly grated cheese (that includes the pre-grated parmesan cheese sold with the specialty cheeses in the grocery store). You don’t need to spend a fortune on imported cheese; domestic parmesan is equally fabulous. I used my “store brand” grated parmesan cheese.
What should you serve with your Tuscan chicken? This recipe makes a decent amount of mouth-watering cream sauce, so serve it with something starchy so you don’t miss a drop. Great options include rice, rice medleys, polenta, mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower, couscous, quinoa, bulgur, farro, and egg noodles. A warm crusty loaf of Italian bread would also be lovely!
Store leftovers in the fridge and freezer. Store leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 5- to 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, non-reactive skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the spinach, and cook for 1 minute, until the leaves just start to wilt.
- Add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan with any accumulated juices from the plate. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, and the sauce thickens.