Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Printable)

Tender chicken cooked with sun-dried tomatoes, creamy sauce, spinach, and herbs for a flavorful meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 to 1.5 lbs)
02 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
05 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Creamy Sauce

06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 0.5 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 0.33 cup grated Parmesan cheese
11 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
12 - 0.25 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
13 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Vegetables and Finish

14 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra for garnish

# How-To:

01 - Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove chicken to a plate and cover loosely.
03 - Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, add minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes; sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Stir in heavy cream, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix thoroughly and bring to a gentle simmer.
05 - Add chopped spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted. Stir in fresh chopped basil.
06 - Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Spoon sauce over chicken and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
07 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with additional fresh basil. Serve hot over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you've been simmering sauce all day, but it's done in under 45 minutes flat.
  • The creamy sauce clings to chicken so perfectly that every bite feels indulgent without being heavy.
02 -
  • Don't let the sauce boil aggressively or the cream can separate and look broken—a gentle simmer is genuinely all you need.
  • Adding the spinach at the very end rather than earlier keeps it bright green instead of turning that dark, tired color that happens when greens cook too long.
03 -
  • If your chicken breasts are large, butterfly them or pound them thinner so they actually cook through in the time frame instead of staying raw in the middle while the outside browns.
  • The drained oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar is liquid gold—use it as part of your olive oil measure or save it for drizzling on bread, because throwing it away is genuinely a waste.
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