This Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe is easy to make and comes out so juicy and flavorful!
The browned chicken simmers in a creamy garlic sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, then you’ll finish the dish with parmesan cheese and spinach for the ultimate family dinner.
Chicken breast dinners can get really repetitive – so I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many chicken recipes. And this one is a favorite for sure!
- The sauce comes out creamy and flavorful and is great served over pasta or rice – which is perfect for an easy family dinner.
- This dish is easy, but it is definitely company worthy! If you’re entertaining guests for dinner and need a simple option that’s still going to wow, this is your recipe.
- Thanks to only browning the chicken first, then simmering it in the sauce to cook it through, it comes out juicy and never dry.
Ingredients you’ll need
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!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Feel free to use chicken thighs in place of the breast in this recipe. Both bone-in and boneless work; although bone-in thighs need to cook for around 20-30 minutes.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I prefer using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, because they are softer and I use the oil in cooking.
- If you’re using “dry” sun-dried tomatoes, I highly recommend soaking them in just-boiled water for 10 minutes before adding to the recipe. Use the soaking liquid in place of the chicken broth the recipe calls for, and use olive oil in place of the reserved tomato oil. This will give you a similar flavor boost.
- Cream: I used heavy cream, although half-and-half or even evaporated milk work just fine. Do not use regular milk, as it tends to split when used in this recipe.
- Parmesan: I used freshly grated (I grate it on the microplane and it melts into the sauce instantly!). If you’re using pre-grated parmesan cheese, it may melt a little less well because they often contain separating agents to keep the cheese from clumping.
- Baby spinach: Feel free to use frozen leaf spinach. De-frost it before adding and squeeze it dry to keep it from releasing too much liquid into the sauce.
How to make Tuscan Chicken
1. Brown seasoned chicken in reserved oil. It doesn’t have to be cooked through yet, just nicely browned on the outside. Set it aside on a plate.
2. Start the sauce. Melt the butter in the skillet (no need to drain or wipe it!) over medium heat. Take it off the heat and stir in the flour. Return to medium-low heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, until frothy.
brown chicken stir flour into melted butter add broth, cream, tomatoes and seasoning simmer chicken in sauce
3. Make the sauce. Whisk in the broth, making sure no lumps form. Stir in the cream, seasoning and sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Cook chicken. Allow the chicken to gently cook in the sauce over medium-low heat, covered with a lid, stirring from time to time, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
5. Finish: Remove the chicken to a plate and keep it warm. Add the spinach and parmesan to the sauce and simmer over medium heat until the spinach has wilted. Check for seasoning, then serve with the chicken.
add spinach and cheese simmer until wilted add chicken back into sauce to serve
Recommended internal temperature for chicken
Wondering when your chicken is done and safe to be eaten? I highly recommend investing in (the following is an affiliate link an I earn a commission for purchases made through it) a meat thermometer. I check pretty much everything I cook and bake with mine to make sure I’m at the accurate temperature.
The US government’s food safety website recommends cooking all poultry to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) for safe consumption.
Recipe tips
- The chicken doesn’t need to cook through when you initially brown it. It will simmer in the sauce later – this helps to keep it from drying out and yields super juicy meat.
- Careful when cooking the flour/adding the broth. You do not want the flour to burn, and you do not want any lumps to form. Check out my post on béchamel sauce for the detailed steps to make a sauce with a roux (you are not making a classic béchamel in this recipe, but the steps for making the roux (cooking flour in butter) and then whisking in a liquid use the exact same technique).
- Only use medium-low heat when simmering the chicken in the sauce. Since you’re adding a lid, you have less direct control over how vigorously the sauce cooks. It scorches on the bottom easily if you cook it over too high a heat, so please do stick to gentle heat (the sauce should be visibly simmering/bubbling, but nothing vigorous).
- This recipe yields a sauce with a creamy, but definitely saucy consistency. I have seen some recipes that have a very, very thick sauce. My husband especially prefers a silky sauce that’s not too stodgy. You can easily alter the consistency to your family’s preference. Use just 1 cup of chicken broth for a thick sauce (there will also be less of it though), or thin it out at the end by adding more broth or cream until it suits your taste.
Serving ideas
Starchy sides
- We enjoy this chicken very much with pasta (learn how to cook pasta if you’ve never done it before!) or over rice. You definitely need something to mop up all of that sauce!
- If you like it, polenta is also a great side dish for this – especially when it’s cold outside.
- Garlic bread is also a favorite to serve with Tuscan Chicken in our home. In this case, we will probably skip any other starchy sides.
Vegetable sides
- Sautéed green beans or air fried green beans
- Roasted broccoli
- Roasted asparagus or air fryer asparagus
- Mixed salad greens with balsamic vinaigrette or white balsamic vinaigrette
Tips for leftovers
Using leftover spinach is a hot debate, and I have written a little about it in my creamed spinach recipe. If you’re comfortable with re-heating spinach, leftovers of this dish can be easily repurposed.
Keep leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, here are my favorite ideas:
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta: Dice the chicken, then gently reheat it in the sauce with about ½ cup of extra broth added. Toss right in the skillet with cooked linguine, tagliatelle or spaghetti – and you’ve got a great, quick pasta dish!
- Tuscan Chicken Casserole: Dice the chicken, then toss everything with ½ pound cooked penne or spiral pasta shapes. I highly recommend either adding a few more splashes or cream, or some diced cream cheese to keep the casserole from drying out. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella, then bake at 375°F until bubbly (about 20-30 minutes).
- Mediterranen Chicken Pot Pie: Use your leftover chicken in a pot pie filling. Just dice up the chicken and tomatoes, then use in my recipe for turkey pot pie. Use Italian seasoning in place of the seasoning the recipe calls for, and use frozen chopped green beans in place of the mixed vegetables.
Please note: The links to my favorite skillet right below are affiliate links and I earn a commission for purchases made after clicking through.
This is the skillet/braiser I use for all of my saucy chicken dishes, for one pot pastas and other recipes that require plenty of space to hold ingredients.
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Recipe details
Ingredients
For the chicken
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons oil reserved from sun-dried tomatoes
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 (8.5-oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes drained (2 tablespoons oil reserved for chicken)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried garlic powder
- ground black pepper to taste
To finish
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine all seasonings for chicken in a small bowl. Rub all over chicken to season.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (careful, may splatter). Add chicken and brown about 2 minutes on either side, until nicely colored (chicken doesn’t have to cook through yet). Remove and set aside on a plate.
- Return skillet to medium-low heat (do not drain or wipe skillet). Add butter and melt. Remove skillet from heat and stir flour into melted butter until smooth. Return to medium-low heat and cook 1-2 minutes, until frothy.
- Gradually whisk chicken broth into skillet, making sure to keep any lumps from forming. Stir in cream, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and ground black pepper.
- Return chicken to skillet, turning a few times to coat with sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cover skillet with a lid. Simmer chicken for 5-10 minutes, checking from time to time to stir sauce, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove chicken and keep warm on a plate. Stir baby spinach and parmesan cheese into sauce and simmer until spinach has wilted, 1-2 minutes. Check for seasoning, then serve with chicken.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Feel free to use chicken thighs in place of the breast in this recipe. Both bone-in and boneless work; although bone-in thighs need to cook for around 20-30 minutes.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I prefer using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, because they are softer and I use the oil in cooking.
- If you’re using “dry” sun-dried tomatoes, I highly recommend soaking them in just-boiled water for 10 minutes before adding to the recipe. Use the soaking liquid in place of the chicken broth the recipe calls for, and use olive oil in place of the reserved tomato oil. This will give you a similar flavor boost.
- Cream: I used heavy cream, although half-and-half or even evaporated milk work just fine. Do not use regular milk, as it tends to split when used in this recipe.
- Parmesan: I used freshly grated (I grate it on the microplane and it melts into the sauce instantly!). If you’re using pre-grated parmesan cheese, it may melt a little less well because they often contain separating agents to keep the cheese from clumping.
- Baby spinach: Feel free to use frozen leaf spinach. De-frost it before adding and squeeze it dry to keep it from releasing too much liquid into the sauce.
Recipe tips
- The chicken doesn’t need to cook through when you initially brown it. It will simmer in the sauce later – this helps to keep it from drying out and yields super juicy meat.
- Careful when cooking the flour/adding the broth. You do not want the flour to burn, and you do not want any lumps to form.
- Only use medium-low heat when simmering the chicken in the sauce.
- This recipe yields a sauce with a creamy, but definitely saucy consistency. I have seen some recipes that have a very, very thick sauce. My husband especially prefers a silky sauce that’s not too stodgy. You can easily alter the consistency to your family’s preference. Use just 1 cup of chicken broth for a thick sauce (there will also be less of it though), or thin it out at the end by adding more broth or cream until it suits your taste.
Nicole says
Made this tonight can’t wait to try it my husband loves sun dried tomatoes ?
Nora says
I hope you enjoyed it, Nicole!
Brooklyn Broers says
How much pasta would you cook with this recipe?
Nora says
I usually make between 2-3 ounces of pasta per person, as a side dish. Hope this helps!
Darbi P. says
Love this recipe. I fry grouper or snapper to replace the chicken, and serve it on the side of pasta and sauce. It’s my son’s favorite meal!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Darbi!
Michele Wolosyn says
I made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! The only change I made was that I added sliced mushrooms when I added the spinach. Excellent and easy recipe!
Nora says
That sounds so delicious, Michele!