Tuscan Chicken Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

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 This Tuscan Chicken Recipe?

• Chicken Breasts: Use boneless, skinless breasts and lightly pound them to an even thickness.
• Italian Seasoning: Adds an herbal flavor to both the chicken and the sauce.
• Salt + Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
• All-Purpose Flour: Helps to brown the chicken and thicken the sauce.
• Parmesan Cheese: Adds a salty and umami flavor to the chicken and the sauce.
• Butter: European-style butter contains extra fat. This helps the chicken brown without burning and enriches the sauce.
• Garlic: Minced fresh garlic adds an earthy flavor to the sauce.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Add a wonderfully rich umami flavor to the sauce.
• Heavy Cream: Makes the sauce creamy and rich.
• Chicken Broth: Adds umami flavor to the sauce and helps create the perfect consistency.
• Baby Spinach: Wilts to create the perfect texture and flavor in the sauce.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

• Scraping the bottom of the pan while making the sauce is one of our favorite ways to infuse extra flavor into the sauce with zero extra work. Put some elbow grease into it!
• If you prefer dark meat, we also tested this recipe using chicken thighs. Watch the internal temperature closely, but it works well and is equally as delicious.

Variations on Creamy Tuscan Chicken

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 sun-dried tomatoes, so they are a good substitute (though of course, they taste different).

Serving Suggestions

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.

How to Make Tuscan Chicken Step by Step

Season the Chicken: Season each side of 4 large pounded chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Dredge the Chicken: Combine 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture, coating both sides.

Cook the Chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in 2 tablespoons butter and stir/melt. Cook the chicken (in batches if necessary) for 4-5 minutes per side, or until it is fully cooked (165°F in the center and no longer pink) and browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Cover with foil.

Sauté the Tomatoes: Wipe the skillet clean, and return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the remaining ¼ of 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. Add the 4 cloves of minced garlic and 8.5 ounces of drained and rinsed sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and allow to thicken for approximately 1 minute.

Add the Cream: Whisk in ½ cup of heavy cream, 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth, ½ of Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir to combine.

Add the Spinach: Add 1 cup of baby spinach and reduce heat to simmer. Allow to cook until the sauce slightly thickens and the spinach wilts.

Simmer the Chicken: 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.

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover Tuscan chicken 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.

How to Freeze

Freeze Tuscan chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

More Tuscan Chicken Recipes To Try

• Crockpot Tuscan Chicken
• Crockpot Tuscan Chicken Soup