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.
Can i cook it in the oven? if so, how?
Thanks in advance!
This, unfortunately, needs to all be done on the stovetop!
Yuck! Just not good, at all.
I am sorry this didn’t work out for you!
Don’t say sorry they definitely did something wrong. That approach of your meal was very wrong for them to say. Thank you for sharing your fantastic meal with the community!
I AGREE, THEY must have done something wrong! I ALWAYS follow a recipe EXACTLY as written FIRST to see how I like it. I LOVE this dish. In FACT…I like the sauce MORE than the chicken!
This person is cray cray. Superb recipe!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I served it with oven roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus. Definitely a keeper!
Thanks for sharing, JoAnn!!
This was a spectacular and flavor packed meal! I’m soooo glad I ran across this delightful recipe. It was a big hit with the fam. I will definitely make it again! I did make a little extra sauce, and used a bit of the sun dried tomato oil to cook the chicken. It infused more of the great sun dried tomato taste. I made twice baked potatoes & garlic bread with it and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing this great & easy to make recipe! ❣️
Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us!
Would you recommend any pasta or side to go with this or do you think it’d good on its own as a meal?
Any bed of pasta or rice is great paired with salad!
Perfect! Also, could you marinade the chicken for extra flavor, and if so, what would you marinade it in? I don’t want to overpower the creamy sauce but I do want something to compliment it.
Would you recommend a marinade for the chicken breast to give it any extra flavor?
If you want to, but it doesn’t need it!
I’ve made it with fettuccine and broccoli. Really good together. :)
Can you use regular butter if you can’t find that particular brand or a substitute they don’t sell that butter in my area thanks
Yes!
Ok disappointed they don’t sell that butter in my area I really wanted to try it and ok thank you for responding
Well this was a massive hit, even my fickle 13 year old ate every bite! A question: How do you get the parm to stick to the chicken when dredging in the flour/parm mixture? No parm would stick to the chicken so I had to sprinkle it on the chicken as it was cooking in the pan. Found your recipe on the FeedFeed, will check out your other recipes too. Thanks for a yummy Sunday night at our house.
Depends on what type of parmesan you’re using! Grated works best.
Used a mix of fresh spinach and arugula. Didn’t have any onions on hand so I had to use large shallots. Guests and I loved to the last bite. Would be great even with chicken cubed and served over rice.
That’s great! Thanks for stopping by, Donna!
Probably the best chicken I’ve ever made and the family loved it.
Thanks for sharing, Star!
This recipe was delicious!!! YUM!! I’m adding it to my recipe book of regulars. Thank you!
What an honor!