This Tuscan chicken recipe features crispy, seasoned chicken breasts in a creamy Parmesan sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. It’s a classic Italian dish you’ll love eating for dinner, and it’s so simple to make. The creamy sauce is just irresistible!
What’s in Tuscan Chicken
The combination of simple-seasoned chicken with a creamy sauce can’t be beat. You’ll likely have a lot of these ingredients on hand, so your shopping list will be short!
- Chicken: Use chicken breasts, pounded to thin them out into an even thickness. You can also use chicken thighs, but the cooking time will increase slightly.
- Parmesan Cheese: This will be mixed into the flour mixture that coats the chicken, as well as mixed into the sauce.
- Butter: Using a good quality butter will add an extra dimension of rich flavor into the sauce and chicken.
- Flour: A flour and cheese mixture is used for dredging the chicken–this helps it get nice and crispy in the skillet. You’ll also need some flour to thicken the sauce.
- Heavy Cream: This is what makes the Parmesan sauce so creamy!
- Italian Seasoning: This savory blend of herbs and spices is a must for this recipe. It creates that signature flavor! If you don’t have this mix on hand, check your spice cabinet and try making an Italian seasoning blend at home.
- Spinach: Baby spinach works best for this recipe. Keep in mind that if you use frozen spinach, it will likely be a bit soggy. Fresh is better!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: If you don’t like tomatoes, try adding in some mushrooms for a similar texture instead.
Tips!
To even out chicken breasts, place them between two pieces of plastic wrap, and use a meat tenderizer/mallet to thin out thicker spots. Creating an even thickness throughout helps them cook faster, more evenly, and get a little crispy.
Add in More Veggies
If you want to add more vegetables to your Tuscan chicken dish, or just substitute something for the spinach and tomatoes, there are plenty of options.
- Kale makes a great replacement for the spinach. It’s much heartier, and will add more texture compared to the spinach.
- Artichoke hearts would make a delicious addition. Drain and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Mushrooms will have a similar texture to the sun-dried tomatoes, so they are a good substitute (though of course they taste different).
This dish is called Tuscan chicken simply because it originated in the Tuscany region of Italy.
Initially, you’ll cook the chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes on each side (8-10 minutes), and then set it aside. At the end, you’ll cook it a few more minutes directly in the sauce. So expect around 12 minutes total for the chicken, but check the internal temp to make sure it’s cooked through.
Yes, just follow the instructions in this Crockpot Tuscan Chicken recipe for more details.
How to Store Leftovers
Store in 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.
Can You Freeze Tuscan chicken?
Yes! Let everything cool, then store in a freezer-safe container. Freeze up to 3 months.
To reheat, first let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat on the stovetop until chicken is fully heated through.
What to Serve with Creamy Tuscan Chicken
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.
It’s really so simple to make this authentic, creamy Tuscan chicken recipe on the stovetop. It’ll be part of your new meal rotation without a doubt!
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Tuscan Chicken in Parmesan Cream Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 large chicken breasts lightly pounded to even thickness
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese hand shredded or grated
- 2 tablespoons European Style Butter
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup European Style Butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated or hand shredded
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup baby spinach chopped
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season each side of each pounded chicken breast with Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper.4 large chicken breasts, Salt and 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 flour, 3 tablespoons 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 (165F in the center and no longer pink) and browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Cover with foil.
- Wipe the skillet clean and 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.¼ cup European Style Butter
- Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.4 garlic cloves, 8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
- Whisk in the flour and allow to thicken for approximately 1 minute.1 tablespoon 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 parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon 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.Fresh parsley for garnish
- Enjoy!
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 needs 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 165F.
- 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.
- Heavy cream will make the thickest richest sauce.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
Nutrition Information
So so good. Sad I forgot to take a picture before we ate!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Mary!
I loved the recipe, but wanted to change out Sun Dried Tomatoes since my wife does not love them. I used Pesto and it was amazing.
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, Jeremy!
Delicious! Too many sun dried tomatoes though… I cut this to only 3oz and it was still overwhelming. I have no fear of butter or garlic so that was perfect.
Thanks for sharing, Jeff!
This recipe has become a regular at my house and I make it at least once a week. My husband loves it! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so rich and creamy. I usually serve this over grits and sometimes Polenta but prefer the grits. As with some recipes, I often try them first and then begin tweaking them to my taste but that is not the case with this dish. I continue to make it just as the recipe is written.
I’m so glad you love it, Ellie! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Can you make this as a freezer meal?
You can, but the cream may separate when you defrost it. I recommend waiting to add the cream and parmesan until after you defrost it!
I love your recipes!
My only beef is I wish you’d put a jump to recipe icon at the top of each recipe. It’s such a pain to scroll through, especially with the images, as they take much longer to load. I’m looking very forward to making several of your recipes though! Well done!
The jump to recipe button is available at the top right of every post!
I made this last night & it was FANTASTIC!! I would highly recommend making this recipe, I served it over linguine noodles with garlic bread. My husband raved how great this meal was, can’t wait to have leftovers tonight!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So so good
So glad you enjoyed it!
Easy instructions to follow, nothing too complicated and the end result made it all worthwhile. Loved the sun-dried tomatoes that paired well with the sauce. Only had chicken thighs to work with but they ended up great over a bowl of noodles. Thanks for the great recipe!
Looks delish!
Absolutely fantastic!! My alterations were that I used a little oil from the sun dried tomatoes for the sauce, and I added a jar of artichoke hearts about 10 minutes before it was done.
Sounds delicious, Amanda!