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Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Creamy Tuscan chicken is an Italian-American chicken skillet with golden seared breasts in a silky sun-dried tomato and spinach cream sauce. The sauce simmers until thick, coats the back of a spoon, and gets glossy with Parmesan and basil.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and seasoning
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder to taste
  • 0.5 tsp Italian seasoning to taste
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika to taste
Tuscan cream sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 fresh basil for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Generously season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then add the chicken and sear 5-6 minutes per side until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
  2. Remove the chicken from the skillet and keep it aside while you build the sauce. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom so they dissolve back into the sauce later.
Build the sun-dried tomato cream sauce
  1. Cook the minced garlic in the same skillet for 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant. Add the drained and sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth and deglaze, stirring to lift the browned bits from the pan. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, then simmer 4-5 minutes until thickened and glossy.
  3. Stir in the fresh baby spinach until wilted, 30-60 seconds. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer so it stays silky.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and spoon the sauce over each breast. Simmer just until the chicken is warmed through, about 1-2 minutes.
  2. Garnish with fresh basil and serve right away with extra sauce from the skillet.

Notes

Pro tip: use a cast iron skillet for strong searing and scrape the browned bits into the broth for deeper flavor. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of cream or broth to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the cream can break after thawing. For a lighter option, swap half-and-half for the heavy cream and reduce simmer time to prevent thickening too far.