Tuscan Chicken
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My Tuscan chicken recipe pairs seared chicken breasts with a creamy, flavorful sauce and veggies. This is a 30 minute, one pot meal that tastes restaurant-quality! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just 30 minutes to make from start to finish, making it an easy weeknight dinner.
- Sneaks in some veggies (like peppers, tomatoes, and spinach) without feeling too veggie-forward for picky eaters.
- Serve over noodles with a side of crusty artisan bread or biscuits for a complete, hearty meal.
- Protein-rich and full of flavor with minimal effort. This is an easy and satisfying recipe!
Today I’m sharing one of my family’s favorite dinners as of late: Tuscan chicken. Not only is this dish quick and easy to whip up, it’s also flavorful and satisfying. I love it for weeknights, but honestly, it’s crave-worthy any time and would make a great and impressive date-night dinner, too.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients needed here are pretty straightforward, but there are a few I’ll highlight before we get started.
- Chicken. I opt for boneless, skinless chicken breast and slice it thin (makes searing it easier and gives you a better-seasoned bite!). You could substitute boneless skinless thighs instead, just note they’ll cook much faster!
- Flour. This is for dredging the chicken. It helps give the chicken a golden color and the flour also plays a small part in thickening the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese. Please grate your own cheese! It will melt into the sauce and create a silky smooth texture. I do not recommend using the pre-grated kind (you know that one that comes in the green shaker can).
- Spinach. This adds some greens to the dish. Spinach always seems like too much when you first add it so don’t panic if your pan seems overwhelmed. It will quickly cook down and wilt into the sauce!
- Sun dried tomatoes. Absolutely essential for proper flavor. Choose a version marinated in oil and Italian herbs (it’s hard to find them without these things, honestly). You can use the julienned kind or buy whole tomatoes and slice them yourself. Make sure to drain the oil; failing to do so could leave you with an oily sauce that separates.
- Heavy cream. This dish is saucy and creamy and heavy cream is essential for giving us the proper texture. Heavy cream also helps to thicken the dish. Double cream or heavy whipping cream would also work, but anything thinner (like half and half or whole milk) could cause the sauce to split.
- Spices. Including basil, thyme, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Feel free to increase the crushed red pepper for a spicer dish!
SAM’S TIP: If you’re gluten free, you can substitute a gluten free all-purpose flour for dredging the chicken. It will work just as well!
This is an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Tuscan Chicken
- Slice, season, and dredge the chicken.
- Sear the chicken. Your pan must be nice and hot to get a good sear, but not so hot that it burns the chicken! I’ve found searing meat takes a little patience and a little practice.
- Cook the peppers and onions. You want them to be nice and softened before you proceed.
- Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in the spices and salt.
SAM’S TIP — SEARING: To get a nice, golden sear on your chicken make sure your oil is nice and hot (it should be shimmering!) before adding the chicken. Once you place the chicken, let it sit undisturbed for several minutes — just like when making my smash burger recipe remember that moving it will diminish the sear. And don’t over-crowd your pan or you’ll end up steaming your chicken (turning it grey, not golden!). Cook the chicken in batches if needed (I do!)!
- Slowly stir in the chicken broth while scraping the bottom of the pain (you want all those browned bits scraped up to work the flavor into the sauce!). Cook until reduced by 50%.
- Slowly drizzle in the cream, then stir in the parmesan.
- Add the spinach and cook until it’s wilted. Taste test the sauce at this time and add more seasoning if needed (usually just salt and pepper, if anything).
- Return the chicken to the pan and cook until warmed through, then serve!
SAM’S TIP: If you’re thinking “why not just use half the amount of chicken broth” it’s because we’re concentrating the flavor; this is a robustly flavored dish because of these extra steps we’re taking!
Frequently Asked Questions
I love serving over pasta noodles for a Tuscan chicken pasta. You could also serve over spaghetti squash, rice, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes (use the sauce as gravy!), but it’s also great on its own. For a green side we like lemony sautéed asparagus or roasted brussels sprouts.
Then of course, you need some bread (great for sopping up that sauce!)! I recommend crusty artisan bread, sourdough bread, garlic knots, or homemade breadsticks. For a super quick option, try my garlic cheese drop biscuits!
At its core, this recipe is quite Americanized, but the influence is Tuscan-inspired. It’s developed using the simple, rustic flavors of the Tuscany region of Italy. We use Tuscan herbs, veggies, and cheese and a sauce that is bursting with flavor but not too heavy. You could also substitute the chicken broth in the recipe for a dry white wine to add even more Tuscan influence.
The sauce for this dish isn’t overly thick or heavy like an Alfredo sauce would be, but it still should have some body and richness and it isn’t thin like a broth. To ensure your sauce reaches the proper thickness, make sure you reduce your chicken broth enough and stir your cream in slowly to give it time to incorporate with the other components of the dish. When combined with these two important steps, the flour from the chicken and the parmesan cheese should ensure you have a perfectly textured, velvety sauce.
Enjoy!
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Tuscan Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb (453 g) boneless skinless chicken breast
- Salt & pepper, for seasoning
- ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons avocado or olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup (70 g) yellow onion, sliced thin
- 1 (68 g) red bell pepper, sliced thin
- ½ cup (55 g) sun dried tomatoes, drained of oil and sliced thin
- 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ cup (118 ml) chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups (296 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (30 g) grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to filet each chicken breast into two thin pieces. Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and pepper. Dredge through the flour and set aside.1 lb (453 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, Salt & pepper, ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet, place on a plate and set aside.2 Tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- Reduce stovetop heat to medium and add a tablespoon of oil to your pan. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened.1 Tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup (70 g) yellow onion, 1 (68 g) red bell pepper
- Add garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, then cook for an additional 30 seconds.½ cup (55 g) sun dried tomatoes, 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
- Stir in dried basil, dried thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Gradually add in the chicken broth, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you do so that any browned bits are worked back into the sauce. Cook until liquid is reduced by 50 percent.½ cup (118 ml) chicken broth
- Reduce heat to low and slowly drizzle in cream, stirring until fully combined.1 ¼ cups (296 ml) heavy cream
- Add parmesan cheese and spinach and cook until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted. Taste-test and add additional salt and pepper if needed.½ cup (30 g) grated parmesan cheese, 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach
- Add the chicken back to the pan and allow to warm through. Serve immediately (this dish is delicious served as-is or over pasta).
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Sauce is prone to breaking when reheated, so it’s recommended to reheat slowly (like in a saucepan over low heat).Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I’m so glad you don’t limit yourself to desserts, because this is another great savory recipe. When I started, I though that 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes seemed like too much, but I’ve learned to trust your amounts, so I went ahead with it. Once I added it, it didn’t seem like enough. It was just right, of course. My parmesan is getting pretty close to the rind, so it added a lot of flavor I’m eating it on its own today, but when I have leftovers, I’m going to try it on riced cauliflower.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one too! I love the sound of some parmesan over cauliflower. 🙂
OMG!! This is better than any restaurant could ever make!! It is absolutely fabulous!! I will make this again, and again for sure! Sam, if I were making it for 8 people, I would use 8 breasts, and maybe triple the sauce, and veggies, would that be ok? Also, I was thinking of making it the day before, just to save me work on the day they come for dinner, but what would be the best way to heat it, they’ll be a lot to heat? Thank you so much for the recipe!! 💕
Hi Katie! So glad you love it! You should be fine to double or even triple the recipe if needed. We only use 2 breasts to feed 4 people, as each breast is filleted into two pieces. The sauce is prone to breaking, so you will want to reheat over low heat on the stove, but it will be thicker and since this sauce doesn’t reheat well, it will not be as pretty.
For making this in advance, I would suggest stopping after Step 6. The remaining steps are quick, so it won’t be much trouble to do them the day you are serving it. On the day, heat the sauce, then follow the remaining steps. That should prevent any separating of the sauce, since the cream wasn’t added before reheating.
I am planning on making this tomorrow, I cannot wait to try it!! You are my go to cook book Sam, I have made several of your recipes, and loved them!! I just made your banana pancakes yesterday, they were fabulous!! Thank you SO much for your wonderful recipes!! ❤️
We’re so glad you love our recipes, Katie!
Another hit of Sam’s! This recipe has been calling my name, and since it’s a dreary Sunday, today just happened to be the day to make this. Believe it or not, I didn’t have any oil on hand (how can that even happen??) so I ended up using the oil from the sun dried tomatoes, and that saved the dish (and my six!) and was absolutely divine!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sunny! 🙂
Loved it! We will definitely make this chicken dish again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Deena! 🙂
Not sure what I was expecting, but didn’t mix well. Like eating chicken and cream separate. Threw the whole dish out
Hi Austin, are you saying the cream separated? Did you drain the tomatoes? I just made this yesterday with no issue (and you can see me make it on camera, it shouldn’t turn out like you’re describing nor has anyone else mentioned this).
my kids inhaled this one! they said it needs to be in a 5 star restaurant lol they were impressed to say the least! thank you for another great recipe!
I’m happy to hear it was such a hit, Katie! 🙂
I used a half cup of diced tomatoes with green chilies and added garden fresh zucchini. This is so good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Joyce! 🙂