This Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe features crispy, seasoned chicken breasts in a rich and creamy Parmesan sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. It’s a decadent recipe that my entire family requests often and is truly a favorite. The creamy sauce is just irresistible!
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What’s in This Tuscan Chicken Recipe?
- Chicken Breasts: Use boneless, skinless breasts and lightly pound them to an even thickness.
- Italian Seasoning: Adds an herbal flavor to both the chicken and the sauce.
- Salt + Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
- All-Purpose Flour: Helps to brown the chicken and thicken the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds a salty and umami flavor to the chicken and the sauce.
- Butter: European-style butter contains extra fat. This helps the chicken brown without burning and enriches the sauce.
- Garlic: Minced fresh garlic adds an earthy flavor to the sauce.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Add a wonderfully rich umami flavor to the sauce.
- Heavy Cream: Makes the sauce creamy and rich.
- Chicken Broth: Adds umami flavor to the sauce and helps create the perfect consistency.
- Baby Spinach: Wilts to create the perfect texture and flavor in the sauce.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
- Scraping the bottom of the pan while making the sauce is one of my favorite ways to infuse extra flavor into the sauce with zero extra work. Put some elbow grease into it! This tip is brought to you by my Mom, and it’s one of my favorite kitchen lessons I learned from her.
- If you prefer dark meat, I also tested this recipe using chicken thighs. Watch the internal temperature closely, but it works well and is equally as delicious.
Variations
There are so many ways that I’ve customized this when making it for my family. Kale makes a great replacement for the spinach. It’s much heartier and will add more texture compared to the spinach.
Artichoke hearts make a delicious addition. When making this for my husband, I love to toss them in. Drain and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Mushrooms will have a similar texture to sun-dried tomatoes, so they are a good substitute (though of course, they taste different). I sometimes also add both.
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5-Star Reviews
“This is an amazingly good recipe. We served it to guests and they loved it. The following week we were planning on another recipe for other guests and decided to make this again instead.” – Christiane
“I’ve made this several times and it’s always so good! I double the sauce and serve with linguine. I can’t get over how creamy and cheesy the sauce is. I usually leave out sun-dried tomatoes and use sliced mushrooms. I appreciate the way the instructions have the measurements written into them. So helpful!” – Samantha
“Made this last night, absolutely delicious! My husband and son raved about it! I made it exactly as written except I doubled the sauce, we like lots of sauce, and I served it over rice. This is a keeper, I love your recipes, thank you!” – Debbie
Tuscan Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts lightly pounded to even thickness
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons European-style butter
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup European-style butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes drained and rinsed (1 jar)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup baby spinach chopped
- Chopped fresh parsley optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Season each side of each pounded chicken breast with Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Combine flour and grated parmesan in a shallow bowl. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture, coating both sides.4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and stir/melt.2 tablespoons European-style butter
- Cook the chicken (in batches if necessary) for 4-5 minutes per side or until its fully cooked (165°F in the center and no longer pink) and browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Cover with foil.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat, and add the remaining ¼ cup butter. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan as the butter melts. The brown bits hold a lot of flavor, so no need to remove them.¼ cup European-style butter
- Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.4 cloves garlic, 8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
- Whisk in the flour and allow to thicken for approximately 1 minute.1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Whisk in the heavy cream, chicken broth, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir to combine.½ cup heavy cream, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the spinach and reduce heat to simmer. Allow to cook until the sauce slightly thickens and the spinach wilts.1 cup baby spinach
- Add the chicken back into the skillet and turn to coat in the sauce. Allow to continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through, 2-3 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.Chopped fresh parsley
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Cook your chicken in batches if need be, so you don’t overcrowd your pan.
- You can also use chicken thighs. Make sure to check doneness.
- You can check the doneness of your chicken by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken – it should read at least 165°F.
- After cooking the chicken and just before making the sauce, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan as the butter melts. The brown bits hold a lot of flavor, so no need to remove them.
- Heavy cream will make the thickest richest sauce.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
Nutrition Information
Serving Suggestions
The creamy Parmesan sauce makes this perfect for serving along with pasta. Cook up some penne, spaghetti, or your favorite noodle, and top each plate with a chicken breast and plenty of sauce.
You can also serve it with roasted mushrooms or some roasted garlic. Start with a chicken Caesar salad, or a bowl of Zuppa Toscana, and you’ll have a beautiful restaurant-style meal.
How to Make Tuscan Chicken Step by Step
Season the Chicken: Season each side of 4 large pounded chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge the Chicken: Combine 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture, coating both sides.
Cook the Chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in 2 tablespoons butter and stir/melt. Cook the chicken (in batches if necessary) for 4-5 minutes per side, or until it is fully cooked (165°F in the center and no longer pink) and browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Cover with foil.
Sauté the Tomatoes: Wipe the skillet clean, and return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the remaining ¼ of cup butter. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan as the butter melts. The brown bits hold a lot of flavor, so no need to remove. Add the 4 cloves of minced garlic and 8.5 ounces of drained and rinsed sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and allow to thicken for approximately 1 minute.
Add the Cream: Whisk in ½ cup of heavy cream, 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth, ½ of Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the Spinach: Add 1 cup of baby spinach and reduce heat to simmer. Allow to cook until the sauce slightly thickens and the spinach wilts.
Simmer the Chicken: Add the chicken back into the skillet and turn to coat in the sauce. Allow to continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through, 2-3 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Tuscan chicken an airtight container and refrigerate within two hours of cooking. Cooked chicken will be safe in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop for best results. You can mix in some more heavy cream to freshen up the Parmesan sauce.
How to Freeze
Freeze Tuscan chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Delicious 😋 made it today and we will be making this again and again.
That looks AMAZING, Amy!
Ditto 💕! 😍
This was delicious! We used Kerry gold butter since we don’t have the Danish creamery butter. We also used Better Batter gluten free flour. My picky kids enjoyed it and even ate the spinach and tomatoes! My 5 year old son said “This is surprisingly delicious.” This recipe is a keeper! We ate it with gluten free pasta. (We didn’t get a picture until we had already eaten some)
Thanks for sharing!
Loved the sauce! Made a couple adjustments to fit our preference, but it was a great base. We used minced garlic and upped the amount to about 7 cloves (still not over powering), we also used baby kale since that’s what we had and doubled the amount for more greens, and then cut back the sundried tomatoes to just about 10 or so pieces. (Added some sweetness without taking over the sauce). Definitley a quick go-to recipe. Going to make this with pasta next time.
Sounds delicious, Storey!
any tips on how it reheats? I was making this for tonight but plans just changed and was curious the best reheat option. also, I didnt drain the sundried tomatoes, will that be an issue?
If you have any leftovers store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them within two hours of cooking. Cooked chicken will be safe in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Give the sauce a stir when reheating, to prevent curdling. The best way to reheat this Tuscan Chicken is on the stovetop.
I would love to make this tonight and I have all the ingredients except for the spinach – but I have arugula on hand. Do you think that would substitute okay in this recipe?
It may alter the taste slightly but I think it would be delicious still!
Really delicious. I served w a side of angel hair pasta and a nice Pinot Noir….will make it often. Nice company dinner.
That looks AMAZING, Aurora!!
Delicious recipe. My husband loved it and I can’t wait to try it on company. I added sautéed sliced mushrooms and they went really well with the sauce. It’s a keeper recipe
Thanks for sharing, Marilyn! Nothing wrong with some sautéed mushrooms!
This is a good recipe! I like that you can adjust the servings in the recipe! I cut it in half and still made more than I expected! Added mushrooms, too. After a taste, I did add some crushed red pepper to spice it up a bit!
Always room for leftovers!
I haven’t made this yet but am looking forward to it but I have a question about the sun dried tomatoes.
Recipe says: 8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes drained and rinsed.
What are the SDTomatoes packed in?
I’ll rate this a 4 star because of this ingredient but I’m sure this will be a winner.
I usually get my sundried tomatoes in a jar. Let me know how it goes!
SDTomatoes packed in oil or something else?
Whatever you prefer, as long as they are drained and rinsed!
I’ve read books that were shorter than this “recipe.” War and Peace was shorter than this. The author must have a compulsive writing problem.
Sure, the recipe looks good. But I’ll die of hunger before I get to the recipe.
If you don’t want to read my story regarding this recipe there is an option at the top of the site to jump right to the recipe card! We don’t want you dying of hunger, so I wanted to share this shortcut with you!
Common sense says the ingredient list and steps are usually at the bottom – the same in this case. I made this and loved it.