This one-skillet Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken is your new secret weapon for crazy weeknights, because it uses simple pantry staples to make basic chicken breasts taste incredible – plus, you only have one pan to wash when you’re done!
If you love this easy skillet dinner, you may also like my Creamy Pesto Chicken, this easy Caprese Chicken Skillet or this Creamy Tuscan Chicken!
One of our favorite chicken skillet dinner recipes!
I don’t know if I’ll ever get tired of finding new ways to make chicken for dinner – it’s a cheap protein, everybody eats it (I mean, somewhat… there is never a meal without at least one complaint, but at least there is no straight-up refusal with chicken 🤣), and I always have some in the freezer.
This Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken was an accidental discovery, when I wanted to make Tuscan Chicken but didn’t have spinach, there were some cherry tomatoes hiding in the fridge and my basil plant was going crazy.
I didn’t expect it to turn out this good, but here we are! It’s super easy, uses one skillet, and tastes great over pasta. Basically, it tastes like a restaurant meal without the restaurant price tag, and no stress over a kiddo meltdown in public. What more do you need from a weeknight dinner?!
These are the ingredients I use
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
- Chicken breast: I like to use chicken breast here, because… idk. Just because I like it best paired with the creamy sauce. However, boneless/skinless chicken thighs are perfectly acceptable and even more budget-friendly.
- Cherry tomatoes: I love the juiciness and flavor they add. Grape tomatoes work fine. You can get away with a whole diced tomato if the texture doesn’t bother you. Feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan of cooked tomatoes.
- Heavy cream: Evaporated milk or half-and-half work as substitutes. Or stir in a tablespoon of cream cheese (I have done this maaaaany times for all kinds of creamy sauces, because I don’t keep heavy cream on hand all the time).
- Red pesto and sun-dried tomatoes: Listen, I know this is the point where this recipe starts to feel expensive. If your budget doesn’t allow for both, you can absolutely use just one of these two. If you prefer texture, go for the sun-dried tomatoes. If you want extra creaminess, go for the pesto.
- Garlic and basil: I like fresh here when I have it on hand, but ¼-1/2 teaspoon dried garlic powder has saved dinner many a times. The fresh basil REALLY makes a difference, but you can substitute Italian seasoning or dried basil if you need to.
- Red onion: There’s something about the flavor of the red onion here, I can’t quite say what it is, but it’s absolutely delicious. Yellow onion works perfectly fine, though!
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use water and chicken bouillon instead of the chicken broth. I do this a lot!
Let’s make some creamy-dreamy Tomato Basil Chicken!
Step 1: Prep the chicken
I like to get 2 very large chicken breasts and cut them into 8 smaller cutlets. Lightly pound and then oil and season!
For chicken thighs, I just like to get smaller ones and then lightly pound them flat so they cook faster and evenly.
Step 2: Sear the chicken
Sear the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat – you may need to do it in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. No need to cook it through yet, just get a good color on the outside!
Step 3: Sauté the aromatics
Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion until it has softened. This will take 5-6 minutes! But it’s worth it to take your time here, it creates the best flavor with not much extra effort.
Stir in the garlic at the end and cook it for 30 more seconds until it smells fragrant.
Step 4: Add all of the tomato products
Stir in all the tomato products now – first the sun-dried tomatoes, then the tomato paste, then the fresh tomatoes. Stir-fry them for 3-5 minutes, until the tomatoes are starting to soften. Also, season lightly with salt and pepper here so you don’t end up with a bland dinner!
The timing of this step depends on your tomatoes – on the size, ripeness and type. Just sauté gently over medium heat until you notice them getting soft. We are building a lot of flavor here, so don’t skip this step.
Step 5: Simmer the sauce
Now, stir in the chicken broth and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. A lot of flavor sits there!
Stir in the pesto and bring to a simmer, then stir in ¾ of your chopped basil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until you notice the sauce has reduced a little.
Step 6: Finish
Whisk the cream and cornstarch together and add it to the sauce on the lowest simmer. Then add the chicken and gently simmer until the chicken measures 165°F at the thickest part (chicken thighs will take a little extra time compared to chicken breast; for both the cooking time depends on the exact size and thickness.)
We add the cream only now, because we don’t want to cook it for too long. Overcooking heavy cream, especially with acidic foods like tomatoes, can easily lead to it splitting! Whisking in the cornstarch first also helps to stabilize the dairy, so your sauce will stay smooth and creamy.
Adjust the heavy cream and seasoning to your taste, then serve the chicken over pasta (or rice, or whatever you like best!)
Success tips
- Keep the chicken at an even thickness. This helps all chicken pieces cook at the exact same rate, keeping smaller edges from drying out while waiting for the centers to finish.
- Scrape the pan bits. When adding the chicken broth, use a wooden spoon to thoroughly scrape up the browned bits on the bottom, which unlocks all of that deep, savory restaurant-quality flavor! Olive Garden, who?!
- Whisk cornstarch into cold cream. Never drop raw cornstarch directly into the hot pan; mixing it into the cold cream first completely prevents stubborn, chalky lumps. Also, in turn it helps to stabilize the cream, lessening the likelihood that it will split.
- Keep the final simmer low. High heat will cause the heavy cream to curdle and separate, so keep the burner as low as you can to keep the liquids lightly simmering once the dairy is added.
- Use a meat thermometer. Pull the chicken the exact moment it registers 165°F in the thickest part for juicy, tender meat instead of rubbery overcooked chicken.
Side dishes we like with tomato basil chicken
Like I’ve said about a million times now 🤣 we like this over pasta. However, it’s also very good over rice if you’ve already had pasta 4 times this week (telling from a friend’s experience… ha!) Here are our favorite dinners to create around this dreamy and delicious chicken recipe:
- Restaurant night at home: Serve the chicken over linguine, top with plenty of grated parmesan and serve with crusty no knead bread (or garlic bread!) and a side salad dressed with homemade Italian dressing.
- Easy and delicious: A side of rice (minute rice or microwave rice are totally and 100% fine) and some air fried broccoli are all you need when dinner needs to be super easy!
- The “I forgot to defrost the chicken”: OK this recently happened to me. I forgot to defrost the chicken… I ended up stirring a drained can of navy beans and a drained can of chickpeas into the sauce and served it with some of our house bread I had on the counter for scooping and dipping. Easy and so very good!
Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast (OR boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
- 2 tablespoons oil (divided use)
- seasoning (1 tablespoon ground paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, salt & pepper to taste)
- 1 medium red onion (finely diced (about 1 cup))
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ⅓ cup (packed) chopped sun-dried tomatoes ((not drained! Use that flavorful oil!))
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 oz grape or cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomato pesto
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (or to taste)
- 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves (not packed; divided use)
- grated Parmesan cheese (to serve (optional))
Instructions
- Prep chicken:If using chicken breast, cut the chicken lengthwise and crosswise into 8 cutlets. For either chicken cut, lightly pound the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap to tenderize and to get a more even thickness.Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, then sprinkle with the seasoning (1 tablespoon ground paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder), salt and pepper and gently rub it in.1.5 pounds chicken breast, 1 tablespoons oil, seasoning
- Sear chicken:Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sear well from each side (it doesn’t have to cook through yet). Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté aromatics:Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Sauté the onion until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.1 tablespoons oil, 1 medium red onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Add tomatoes:Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato paste until it smells fragrant and slightly darkens – 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook over medium to medium-low heat, until the tomatoes are starting to soften – 3-5 minutes, depending on the size and ripeness of your tomatoes. Lightly season with salt and pepper.⅓ cup (packed) chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 8 oz grape or cherry tomatoes
- Simmer the sauce:Stir in the chicken broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the pesto and bring to a simmer.Cut ¾ of the basil into ribbons and add it to the pan. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce has reduced a little.1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, ¼ cup sun-dried tomato pesto, 0.38 cup fresh basil leaves
- Finish:Reduce the heat to the lowest simmer. Whisk the heavy cream and the cornstarch together in a small measuring cup, then stir it into the sauce (stir fast, and well).Add the chicken and continue simmering gently until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Adjust heavy cream and seasoning to taste.⅔ cup heavy cream, 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Serve:Serve the chicken over pasta if you like, with extra basil and grated Parmesan cheese.0.13 cup fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Prevent Curdling: Lower the stove heat to the lowest simmer before adding the cream and cornstarch mix, as high heat will cause the dairy to split.
- Lump-Free Sauce: Fully whisk the cornstarch into the cold heavy cream before pouring it into the pan to avoid chalky white lumps.
- Unlock Maximum Flavor: Do not skip scraping up the browned stuck bits from the bottom of the pan when you pour in the chicken broth.
- Avoid Dry Chicken: Pull the dish off the heat the exact moment a meat thermometer reads 165°F to make sure it stays juicy.
- Use the Tomato Oil: Use the oil straight from the sun-dried tomato jar for sautéing if you want, to give the dish a deeper, richer tomato flavor.
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