Creamy Tuscan Chicken
622 Comments
Updated Jul 11, 2024
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Win over dinner guests with this simple Tuscan chicken recipe! Juicy chicken breasts are seasoned with Italian spices and seared until golden, then simmered in the most luxurious cream sauce filled with parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and plenty of spinach.
What is Tuscan Chicken?
I’ll admit, I had to do a bit of research on where “Tuscan chicken” actually originated from. But it seems like there’s no one strict answer. My two cents is that it’s a spin on a classic Italian Florentine sauce, which is made from white wine, cream, and spinach. Then it was given a Tuscan twist by adding garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the warm cream and spinach base.
But what really popularized this dish (at least in America) was Olive Garden’s Tuscan Garlic Chicken, a dish with a similar flavor profile, served over fettuccine.
Either way, I’m glad this Tuscan chicken became a trend because it’s literally the best thing ever. Especially when you’re craving something rich and cheesy, with an Italian flair.
Tuscan Chicken Ingredients
There’s a few ways you can go about making the Tuscan sauce – with fresh cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes and with dairy or dairy-free. For this version, I’m using sun-dried tomatoes since it has a deeper, bolder flavor that just makes this dish pop. And going classic using dairy. But you tweak to your liking! Here’s the ingredients, plus a few substitution ideas:
- Chicken: This dish is typically made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. But you could also use chicken thighs as well if that’s more your thing.
- Italian Seasoning: You can usually find Italian seasoning at the market. If not, just use a mix of mix of individual spices such as oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary.
- Garlic and Onion: Lots of garlic is always welcome. And for onions, you can use white, yellow, or even shallots.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes: After trying several jars from different brands, I came across this jar of sun-dried tomatoes that tasted so fresh and delicious. Plus, it’s the perfect amount for this recipe!
- Spinach: Feel free to go heavy on the baby spinach (I really pack it in the measuring cup) since it wilts down to teeny bits as it cooks!
- Heavy Cream: While dairy-based heavy cream is traditionally used, you have dairy free options as well. You can use a can of coconut cream (not to be confused with coconut milk) or you can make cashew cream at home.
- Cheese: Freshly grated parmesan is the way to go here. For a dairy-free option, nutritional yeast mimics a similar cheesy, nutty flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to Make The Best Tuscan Chicken Recipe
Season and cook the chicken. Season both sides of each chicken breast in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then warm up a large skillet with some olive oil. Add the chicken, sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, and transfer the chicken to a plate. If your chicken breasts are on the thicker side, you might need an additional minute.
Helpful tip: You can swap olive oil with the sun-dried tomato oil from the jar to give your chicken extra flavor!
Start the tuscan sauce. In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of oil with the onion, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, and saute for another minute, or until it smells incredibly delicious and fragrant.
Helpful tip: If you want to deglaze the pan a bit more, feel free to pour in a bit of white wine as you’re cooking the onions.
Add the spinach. Pile the spinach in the pan and saute for another minute, until it just starts to wilt down.
Finish the Tuscan sauce. Add the heavy cream and cheese, and stir everything together. Go ahead and let this simmer so all the flavors can meld together.
Tuck the chicken back into the skillet. Using tongs, add the chicken breasts back to the pan. Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes on the stovetop, or until warmed through, then remove from heat. Just be aware that the sauce will also thicken as it cools!
Ways to Serve Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Make this a full, hearty meal by adding the chicken (and of course large spoonfuls of sauce) on top of rice, lentils, polenta, mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower. Any of these options will soak up the sauce beautifully!
Want a side salad? You can whip up this massaged kale salad really quickly, or continue the Mediterranean theme with my Mediterranean Chickpea salad.
Storage Tips
Not gonna lie, you’ll be hard-pressed to have leftovers of this recipe. Because if there’s a chicken breast left in the pan someone is going back for seconds! But here’s how you can store leftovers:
- To store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze: Freezing is also a smart idea if you want to enjoy this again in the near future. You can store leftovers (or a second batch) in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Tuscan Chicken Recipe Video
Trust me, you’re going to want to see a visual of this recipe with how satisfying it looks on screen. I mean, that creamy drizzle is everything! Follow along with the video when you make it yourself! Click below to watch.
More Favorite Easy Chicken Recipes
If a pack of unused chicken is staring at you – here’s some easy dinner ideas I guarantee you’ll love. And if you need more inspiration, check out my roundups of the best chicken breast recipes or chicken thigh recipes.
- Chicken Piccata
- Butter Chicken
- Greek Sheet Pan Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken Stir-Fry
- White Chicken Chili
I can’t wait for you to make this Tuscan chicken. I guarantee you’ll have it on repeat when you need something super delicious and impressive. Once you cook this up, let me know your thoughts in a comment below!
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Description
Video
Equipment
- Le Creuset Braiser My favorite cast iron enameled braiser pan!
Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or a mix of individual spices such as oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream, *see note above for dairy-free options
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Season both sides of each chicken breast in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the onions. In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of oil and the onion. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion has softened.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and saute another minute, until fragrant.
- Add the spinach, and saute another minute, until just starting to wilt.
- Add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese, stir together, and bring to a simmer.
- Let it simmer. Place the chicken back in the skillet and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Lisa’s Tips
- If you need some help choosing out a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, I’ve been loving this Alessi brand!
- For dairy-free folks swapping in nutritional yeast, I’d recommend 1 to 2 tablespoons.
- If you have extra large or super thick chicken breasts, you may need to sear them longer in step 2. You could also pound them evenly flat or butterfly each chicken breast for a faster cook time.
- For those who asked about my black-rimmed dinner plates, they don’t make the exact one anymore, but these dinner plates are very similar!
Nutrition
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So so good especially for how simple and quick!! I used the oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes rather than olive oil and also x1.5 the garlic for extra flavor. Love love love!
Great idea on using the oil from the sun dried tomatoes, Madison!
What can I substitute for spinach
You could substitute any other leafy green like kale or Swiss chard.
Made this for my daughter’s family. They loved it. She said it was the second best thing I ever made; steak was first. Served it with green beans. They made pasta for the leftovers the next night.
Happy to hear this Tuscan chicken was a hit with your daughter’s family, Michael!
Love her, my new Obsession!!!!
Glad you’re loving this recipe Leesa!
Wow. This was so amazing. The flavors were on point. My family loved it.
I’m happy your family loved it, Gina!
Would this work with the sun dried tomatoes that are not in oil? I’d like to cut out some of the fat from the oil.
Yep, that’s fine!
Delicious recipe, Lisa! I made w. chicken thighs as I prefer them and used the heavy cream and dried sun-dried tomatoes. Been eating the last few days and made w. french lentils. Loving and sharing your recipes!
Glad you’ve been loving this Tuscan chicken!
Fantastic recipe! I made it for my friends and they all really loved it!
Glad this was a hit for all your friends, Chiara!
easy and pretty! I’m pretty sure it will be delicious as well because i apply the same recipe for salmon.
Absolutely! Hope you enjoy :)
Loved this recipe but added a squeeze of lemon towards the end to balance the flavours and a bit of acidity
A touch of lemon is always welcome! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Don’t know what did wrong mine didn’t come out right
Hi Cynthia – can you specify what went wrong?
I love this dish! It makes two meals for my husband and I. Tonight I substituted beet greens for spinach and used coconut cream. The flavours are amazing. Thank you for giving me non dairy options. We take turns cooking, my husband is new at cooking so the videos are very helpful.
Judy
Glad the video has been helpful for your husband to make this recipe, Judy!
Love this recipe! It is so delicious! Making it with zucchini and squash – adding it as a side, but definitely going to try it in the sauce!!
Love the idea of adding summer squash into this!
Made this tonight, and my whole family loved it! My son (a.k.a., Mr. Picky) said it was “so good.” I loved how quickly it came together. This one is being added to the regular rotation!
Glad this dish satisfied even the picky eaters, Nancy!
The recipe is beyond delicious and so beautiful when plated! Curious to know what kind of skillet you are using in the video.
Thanks so much!
I’m using my Le Creuset braiser, which can be found in the shop page on my website :)
I’m still sitting at the dinner table after making this. It was really good. I watched your video then got the ingredients ready. I made this as I remembered from the video. Due to my diet the only changes I made was to skip the salt and use fat free yogurt instead of cream. It was amazing. Definitely making this again.
Glad you were able to make this successfully with the few changes :)
This recipe is outstanding! I just served it to my husband and family for Father’s Day and they loved it! Thank you 💕
Glad this worked out great for Father’s Day dinner!
Can this be made in a slow cooker? If so, how long and what temp(LOW or High)
I love your recipes;)
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this in a slow cooker. But, I think it would turn out better on the stovetop.
Could this be made with thighs instead?
Yes, you can make this recipe with chicken thighs as well :)
I tried this recipe for dinner. Myself and my whole family loved it!!! Thank you!
I knew this was a winner when I saw it! I’ve made it several times and it’s delicious every time!
Greetings from Norway.
Invited my family for my birthday and served tuscan chicken for dinner. It’s now a new family favorite :) Thank you for this easy and tasteful recipe.
Can’t wait to get my cookbook in the mail so I can test out more recipes.
Love, love love this chicken recipe, have done it twice in less than 2 weeks. The second time was for guests who loved it. I used the sun dried tomato oil for saute and I added mushrooms and asparagus in addition to the spinach for added vegetables and had it over mashed potatoes
Love the additions you created for this recipe!
This will forever be my “go to” recipe after a long day at work. I prep all my ingredients the weekend prior & talk about a quick delicious meal!!! Thank you so much for all you do.
Happy to hear this has become a go-to recipe!
This is my go to 30 minute meals. Kids love it. Thank you with the video and pictures it makes it so much easier to follow.
I made this before…totally delicious….can I make it the daybefore and reheat? If yes what is tge best way to reheat? Thank you!
I’m happy you loved it, Diane! To reheat, I put it in the microwave for a minute or two. Enjoy!
I’ve made this delicious dish numerous times for friends who love it always ask for the recipe. Thank you, Lisa, for this perfect dinner winner.
And thank you Sally for sharing the recipe! :)
This was delicious. Lots of prep work but worth it. Served it with mashed potatoes and was a big hit.
Literally the best thing I’ve ever made and the perfect refreshing dinner recipe to feel a “lil fancy” when you’re tired of fried chicken, spaghetti, etc whatever you cook often. Super quick and easy to make and tastes just as good when you take the leftover out the next day.
Glad you enjoyed this Tuscan chicken Malcolm!
I did the Creamy Tuscan Chicken and my family loved it! Thanks, Lisa.
Glad the whole family enjoyed this Tuscan chicken Rose!
This is my absolute favorite recipe ever! The flavors are so delectable and the chicken is very tender. Definitely restaurant worthy! Thank you Lisa for your fantastic recipes!
So glad you’re loving this Tuscan chicken, Kathleen!
Such a delicious meal. I tweaked it just a bit but I’ve also made it according to the directions (minus the onions and sundried tomatoes). This time I finely chopped my spinach because otherwise my kid complains. Then I deglazed my pan with chicken broth (made with my pasta water and bullion). I had some havarti I needed to use up so I subbed it in for the Parmesan and just topped with Parmesan. I also added asparagus the last 3 min. of cook time and served over pasta. It was fantastic! Thank you!!
Glad you and the kiddos ended up loving this recipe with the tweaks :)
AMAZING! I finally had a night to try this recipe and it did not disappoint! Such a beautiful blend of flavour and so easy to prepare! I did have to make one substitution as I discovered I did not have a can of coconut cream – so I used a can of coconut milk instead – I could have thickened with some starch, but we just left it runny and extra saucy which was lovely over the GF rotini that I served it with. Will definitely add to our favourite recipes!
I’m so glad you finally got a chance to try this recipe out Wendy!
Made this for our weekend movie night.. it was a big hit! Used thighs instead of breasts and added to the recipe only to increase the sauce a bit. Yummy!
Absolutely delicious! My FIL has Alpha-gal (allergic to mammals) so I’ve been experimenting with reducing dairy. I made cashew cream as a sub for the heavy cream and I was shocked by how well it worked! Definitely adding this to our meal rotation!
everyone loved this !
This is some of the best chicken I have EVER tasted! Quick and easy recipe, and a crowd favourite, I will surely make it every week!
A super easy meal to make for 2 or a bigger crowd the recipe is easily adaptable made this twice now one dairy free and one normal, quick easy and 30 mins perfect for busy people and families great flavours even the fussy eater in my house enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious, and so satisfying I only needed to add a vegetable as a side dish. Will definitely cook again, and again.
Amazing!
This is such a flavorful and delicious meal! Everyone loved it. The sun dried tomatoes are amazing in this dish. I used coconut cream as suggested. This was on point! Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Raquel!
I made this fabulous recipe 2 days ago and my God it was soon yummy.I ate pasta with it but pasta tasted bland.So I tried with soda bread and OMG soooooo tasty.So now it is this recipe with soda bread!!!!Thank you so much for sharing this.
Glad you found the perfect accompanying ingredient to enjoy with this Tuscan chicken :)
Sometimes my family gets chicken fatigue, so I was thrilled to see a different chicken recipe from our norm. It was easy to make and the sun dried tomatoes gives this chicken dish such a depth of flavor. Overall this hearty chicken dish is one I will definitely make again. It felt so hearty and reheated well.
Glad this brought back some excitement for a chicken dinner Ryan!
This was absolutely amazing! We will definitely start making this more often. It’s so quick and easy to make. After adding the heavy cream I was worried that it would taste very bland since there’s barely any seasoning in it but it was so flavorful!! (I’m guessing from the dried tomatoes?)
Made some pasta with it and it was gone way too fast
Yep! The seasoning plus sun-dried tomatoes create a beautiful base for flavor.
I ended up slicing the chicken breasts and serving on Penne the kids loved it!
Sound great over Penne! Glad you and the kiddos love it :)
Love the recipe! Im wondering what braising pan is in the pics?
Thanks!
I’m using my Le Creuset braiser, which can be found in the Shop page on my website :)
Unbelievably good – this is a restaurant quality dish you must try! I am also one of those who get exasperated when someone writes a review (usually negative) after they’ve changed the recipe. But I had some chicken breasts I needed to fix for dinner and came across this recipe, which sounded amazing. I had everything except the spinach – darn. Decided to fix it anyway, so so glad I did! I did have a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts which I drained and added to the skillet after I’d sauteed the onions. The sauce was truly amazing, but I needed to stretch it a bit; had half a jar of sweet Italian peppers on hand, which did the trick. Served with spaghetti and additional fresh grated cheese.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this Tuscan chicken! Next time, definitely add the spinach :)
HI LISA !!! I CANT STOPPED MAKING THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE! SO EASY AND TASTY, MY FAMILY LOVES IT !! WHEN WE ARE NOT HAVING RED MEAT IS OUR WAY TO GO WITH CHICKEN.
THANKS FOR SHARING ALL OF THOSE GREAT RECIPES WITH US! MUCH LOVE AND BLESSINGS FROM NASHVILLE. I REALLY HOPE ONE DAY YOU VISIT US. ♥️
Oh my gosh…this is the BEST!! I love this recipe!! Easy to prepare, and oh so delicious…. making it for the second time today, my mouth is watering already. Thank you Lisa, this is a real winner!!
Glad you enjoyed this Tuscan chicken Michelle!
I made this for the second time last night. It is so easy and full of great flavor. My husband said it’s a keeper.
Glad both you and your husband enjoyed this recipe Neesha!
This dish is so easy to make and so delicious, like lick the spoon delicious!! Never can make enough to stretch it past one day cause we gobble it up!!
Yay, awesome! And make sure to try my recipe for Creamy Cajun Chicken as well. It’s a variation of this recipe with a similar cream sauce. :)
2nd time making this in as many months. Great, easy, flavorful and accessible dish.
First time turned out great and it seems to be tracking for tonight. I added a cup or so of pinot grigio last time to help stretch the sauce. Forgot to pick up a bottle earlier so making it without, but I dont think I’ll be disappointed.