I have a weakness for chicken dinners that leave enough sauce in the pan to make you start looking around the kitchen for something to soak it up with.
This Creamy Tuscan Chicken is exactly that kind of dinner.
The first time you look at the finished skillet, it honestly feels like something that should have taken much longer to make. You’ve got golden chicken breasts sitting in a creamy Parmesan sauce with little pops of red from sun-dried tomatoes and plenty of wilted spinach tucked around everything.
But the whole thing takes about 35 minutes.
That’s my favorite part.
Well… maybe second favorite.
The sauce is definitely first.
What You’ll Need
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 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
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
That’s the complete main recipe.
And there are a few things you’ll notice aren’t here.
No mushrooms. No butter. No flour. No cornstarch. No chicken broth.
The richness of this sauce comes primarily from heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan, while onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach provide the rest of the flavor.
7 Steps to Make Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Step 1: Season the Chicken
Start with your four chicken breasts.
Season both sides with:
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Try to distribute the seasoning evenly so every chicken breast gets some.
If your chicken breasts are particularly thick, keep in mind that they’ll naturally need a little more cooking time.
Now get your skillet ready.
Step 2: Sear the Chicken Until Golden
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts.
Sear them for approximately 3–4 minutes per side, until they’ve developed a nice golden exterior.
If you’re working with thicker chicken breasts, they may need an additional minute.
Once they’re golden, transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Don’t clean the skillet.
We’re about to make the entire sauce right where that chicken was cooking.
That’s both good for flavor and good for whoever has dish duty tonight.
Step 3: Cook the Onion
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet.
Then add:
¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion.
Sauté the onion for approximately 2–3 minutes, until it begins to soften.
As it cooks, it gets mixed with everything already left behind from searing the chicken.
That’s exactly what we want.
Step 4: Add the Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Garlic
Now add:
½ cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
and
4 minced garlic cloves.
Sauté them with the onion for another 1 minute, just until the garlic becomes fragrant.
This is the point where the skillet starts smelling considerably more impressive than the amount of work we’ve actually done.
And that’s always a win.
The sun-dried tomatoes are especially important here. Their concentrated flavor helps balance the richness that’s coming next.
Step 5: Wilt the Spinach
Add 2 cups baby spinach to the skillet.
It may look like a lot when it first goes in.
Give it a minute.
Literally.
Sauté the spinach for approximately 1 minute, just until it starts to wilt.
You don’t need to cook it into oblivion.
The spinach will continue cooking once the cream and chicken are added, so we’re only getting it started here.
Step 6: Make the Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Now pour in:
1½ cups heavy cream
and add:
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan.
Stir everything together.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and give the Parmesan time to melt into the cream.
You’ll now have that pale creamy sauce surrounding the wilted spinach, pieces of onion, garlic and red sun-dried tomatoes.
This is also when the skillet starts looking like the dinner you were promised.
And yes, tasting a little sauce at this point is completely understandable.
Step 7: Return the Chicken and Finish Cooking
Use tongs to place the seared chicken breasts back into the skillet.
Nestle them right into the creamy sauce.
Let everything cook together on the stovetop for approximately 5 minutes, until the chicken is heated through.
Then remove the skillet from the heat.
One useful thing to remember is that the sauce continues thickening as it cools.
So don’t keep simmering it just because it looks slightly looser in the hot skillet than you expected.
Give it a minute.
The sauce knows what it’s doing.
Why Sun-Dried Tomatoes Work So Well Here
Sun-dried tomatoes have a much more concentrated flavor than fresh tomatoes. You only need half a cup, but those little pieces stand up beautifully against heavy cream and Parmesan.
They also give the sauce those gorgeous red pieces scattered between the green spinach.
So while you might be tempted to skip them if someone in the house claims they “don’t like tomatoes,” I’d give them a chance here.
This isn’t exactly the same experience as finding a giant raw tomato slice in your sandwich.
How to Store Leftovers
Let any leftovers cool and transfer them to an airtight container.
They’ll keep in the refrigerator for approximately 3–4 days.
You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Because this is a cream-based sauce, I’d reheat it gently rather than blasting it with high heat.
Low and slow gives the sauce a better chance of staying smooth and creamy.