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
- Chicken Marsala
- 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!
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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Absolutely love this recipe! It has fast become one of our family’s favorites.
Happy to hear this dish has become a family favorite, Trisha!
Loved this recipe. Easy to cook a gourmet meal in no time. They only thing I changed is substituting the olive oil for the oil the sundried tomatoes were packed in. Less waste -more flavour🙏
Definitely will be making again- family loved it
That’s a great little tweak that adds even more flavor. So happy you loved the recipe, Monique!
So so good! It was a hit in our house and we will be making it again!!
Wonderful! I’m happy to hear it was a winning recipe!
We love love love this recipe 😍 so simple and easy to make on those busy nights, goes so well with mashed potatoes also I love your recipes how you included dairy-free options!!! When I make your recipes I’m always confident it will turn out well!!!
Thank you and happy holidays 🎉
Of course! Glad this recipe hit the spot, Kayla.
My husband I love this recipe. So tasty and so easy! It is on repeat about every 2 weeks.
Glad you both love this recipe, Dale!
Amazing recipe! I doubled the recipe for the sauce because we like extra for our pasta. SO GOOD!!
Nothing wrong with more sauce! Enjoy, Sherry :)
LOVE this recipe…! It’s easy to make, and the flavors are wonderful..!!! Even my husband likes it and he’s not a chicken fan.
Glad this dish changed his mind about chicken, Barbara!
Full disclosure: I am a terrible cook. I’m impatient & always miss something in the recipe because I never read it fully. But I made this for me and the hubby — pure gold! It tasted as delicious as it looked! And the recipe was simple enough even for me not to screw up. This is going in the “keepers” category of my digital cookbook. Thank you!!
Sounds like you’re a professional chef now :) Glad you both loved this Tuscan chicken, Steph.
This is an AMAZING dish! The changes I made: added a small jalapeño, 5 cloves of garlic, and more Spinach. Cut the breast into smaller pieces, like tenderloins, and use Organic Thai Coconut cream.
Eat with a great Italian spaghetti to absorb it all. Wow. I’ll do this one again.
Wow, the tweaks you made sound amazing, Linda!!
I have made this for a big gathering, so I made it in the morning to the end and then put it in a big dish and left it in the fridge until half and hour before the evening meal and heated.
Great idea on prepwork, Jo! Glad this was the perfect dinner idea for your gathering.
I made this recipe for dinner and serve it with pasta. It was absolutely delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it!
A permanent staple in our home! Tastes like something from a 5-star restaurant, so incredibly flavorful! Served with mashed potatoes, 10/10!
Wonderful! I’m glad you found a restaurant-quality dish you can always count on now, Denice.
This is my newest comfort food craving… I have never made a dinner that was so delicious yet also so easy! Officially my go-to meal on busy days. :)
Woot! Happy to hear this Tuscan chicken was a winning recipe for you, Jenna!
The flavors were dee-lish and everyone enjoyed it. I was not happy that there was some separation of the milk solids. Did I heat it too quickly? I’ll try again as it was very satisfying flavors!
I love this recipe! The chicken is so flavorful and pairs perfectly with mashed potatoes, especially when you spoon the sauce on top. So yummy!
So thrilled you love it, Mariah!
What a great recipe. So easy and so delicious. Made a practice run just using chicken legs before I make it for my large family. Have just one question. Is the 5 minutes of browning the chicken breast enough time to thoroughly cook through? Just recently found your website and love it!
Hi Carol – it really depends on the size of the chicken breasts. You can always use an instant read thermometer to make sure they’re cooked through to 165F. Enjoy!
Hi…….do you whip the cream before you use it to make a cup and a half.or just use a cup and a half not whipped.
Hi Barbara – it’s not whipped.