The best creamy Tuscan chicken you’ll ever taste. Tender and juicy, seared chicken wrapped in a rich creamy sauce filled with garlic, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes and it tastes just divine. You simply must try it.

Where are my fellow chicken lovers? You’ll love this chicken saltimbocca and this spicy chicken pasta too.

Top down view of a large skillet filled with tuscan chicken ready to be served.

FEATURED COMMENT

Delicious! Easy to follow recipe. Will make it again and again.

Colette

Table of contents

What is Tuscan chicken?

While not an authentic Tuscan or Italian recipe, this creamy Tuscan chicken is inspired by the American Olive Garden restaurant version. With its amazingly rich creamy sauce, it’s a dream dinner.

  • Restaurant quality – some of my testers said they would order this again and again at a restaurant.
  • Rich flavours – cream, garlic, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes (which can be swapped if you don’t like them) give an amazing burst of flavour.
  • Ready in 30 minutes – This really is such a quick dinner to make.
  • Versatile – Tuscan chicken works just as well as a quick family dinner as it does a meal for entertaining.
  • One pan – It’s true. This creamy chicken recipe all comes together in one pan.
  • Easy side options – Serve this with some linguine or other pasta of choice or serve it over mashed potatoes instead. If you want to lighten up, serve it with a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients you’ll need

The ingredients you’ll need are all simple and all chosen for their robust flavours.

Ingredients for creamy Tuscan chicken on a marble surface.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

  • Chicken: I use chicken breasts for this recipe but you can use chicken thighs too – just make sure they’re boneless and remove any excess fat. Get free range if you have the means – it’s a better life for the chickens but it also tastes better.
  • Flour: Just plain flour / all purpose flour is all you need. It’s just to add a bit of a coating to the chicken.
  • Sun dried tomatoes: A bold tomato flavour is added with sun dried tomato strips and we even use the oil to cook in. If you don’t like sun dried tomatoes, leave them out but add a heaped tablespoon of tomato paste when you add the chicken stock.
  • Garlic: This adds loads of flavour to the sauce. Use fresh garlic cloves if possible as it has a much cleaner and truer flavour.
  • Chicken stock: A good quality chicken stock or broth is what you want here. Some stocks are very bland while others are loaded with flavour so pick one that you know tastes good.
  • Italian herbs: I use a dried Italian herbs blend. You could use a mixture of herbs that you have on hand like thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram.
  • Cream: You’re after a thickened or heavy cream for this one. There are some specific cooking creams available which work too.
  • Parmesan: Do yourself a huge favour and get a block of parmesan and grate it yourself. It may seem expensive but it’s an important flavour here and a little goes a long way.
  • Pine nuts: Buy already toasted pine nuts or toast them yourself at home in a dry pan over medium heat, tossing them often until golden.
  • Salt and pepper: A little salt and pepper is used for seasoning.
  • Spinach: Loads of spinach goes into this but it wilts down to almost nothing. It’s a great way to get loads of veggies into this dish.

The original version, as created by Olive Garden, uses red bell pepper / capsicum strips. I’ve chosen sun dried tomatoes for their amazing flavour.

You could also add mushrooms to add more veg to this recipe. Saute them alone, right after the chicken, then set them aside with the chicken and add them back at the same time too.

You could replace the chicken with large shelled prawns / shrimp too but note that they will cook quicker.

How to make Tuscan chicken

Cutting the chicken thinly means it cooks quickly and evenly.

A collage of 4 images showing how to prep and cook the chicken.

Detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

  1. Prepare the chicken breasts: Take two medium-large chicken breasts and lay the first one flat on a chopping board. With your hand on top, slice through the middle of the breast (photo 1) so that you end up with two thinner breasts.
  2. Season the chicken breasts: Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Mix together some flour with a little parmesan and coat the chicken, pressing it all over (photo 2). Some of the parmesan will fall off but that’s ok.
  3. Cook the chicken: Heat some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Place the chicken breasts in and cook until golden on each side (photo 3) and just cooked through (it should be 74C / 165F in the thickest part or white but still juicy, if you don’t have a meat thermometer). Set it a side on a warm plate, loosely covered with foil.
  4. To make the Tuscan sauce, start by heating a little more of the oil over medium heat, then add the garlic and sun dried tomatoes (photo 4). Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken stock and herbs (photo 5). Let that reduce just slightly.

I use chicken cutlets for this recipe (chicken breasts sliced into two pieces). If you want to know more check out my full guide to chicken cutlets.

A collage of 4 images showing how to finish making tuscan chicken.
  1. Add the cream (photo 6) and bring it to a boil then add the parmesan, stirring to melt it through. Now add the spinach and pine nuts (photo 7), letting that wilt before returning the chicken (photo 8) and any of their juices and coating them in the sauce. Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes or beside a garden salad.

If you’re serving this with pasta, get the water on the boil early, then put the pasta in around about the time you add the stock to the sauce.

@sugarsaltmagic Creamy Tuscan Chicken – so easy and loaded with flavour. https://www.sugarsaltmagic.com/creamy-tuscan-chicken/ #chickendinner #easyrecipe ♬ original sound – Marie – Sugar Salt Magic

What to serve with Tuscan chicken?

3 pieces of cooked chicken in a skillet with a creamy sauce.

Can creamy Tuscan chicken be made ahead?

The sauce for this Tuscan chicken can be made ahead, though I would cook the chicken fresh.

Make the sauce from the step where you begin cooking the sun dried tomatoes and garlic, right through until the point you would add the chicken back. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.

On the day of serving, cook the chicken until almost cooked through, then pour in the sauce and cook until it’s heated through.

Storing leftovers

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Reheat gently in a pan over medium heat.

A spoon pouring sauce onto a piece of cooked chicken.

More great chicken dinner recipes

If you try this creamy Tuscan chicken recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you, and it helps other readers too!

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4 pieces of chicken in a creamy sauce in a large skillet.

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Yield: 4 serves
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
4.9 from 24 ratings
This creamy Tuscan chicken with spinach and sun dried tomatoes is an easy one pan dinner you’ll want to make again and again. With robust flavours of garlic and parmesan, this quick creamy chicken recipe is an absolute winner.
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Video

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breasts (550g / 1.2lb)
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour optional
  • ½ cup, lightly packed packed finely grated parmesan cheese (35g / 1.2oz)
  • 100 g drained, jarred sun dried tomato strips, oil reserved (⅔ cup lightly packed, drained / 3.5oz) (notes 1&2)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (roughly 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
  • ½ cup chicken stock / chicken broth (125ml)
  • 1 cup heavy or thickened cream (250ml)
  • 3 big handfuls baby spinach (120g / 5 ½ cups)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Lay one breast flat on a chopping board with your hand on top pressing down. Use a sharp knife to cut it straight through the thickness from one end to the other so that you now have two thinner chicken breasts. Repeat with the second breast.
  • Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
  • Optional step: Combine 1 tablespoon of the parmesan with the flour then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken, pressing and flipping to coat. Some will fall off, just sprinkle it back on once the chicken is in the pan.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the sun dried tomato oil in a large frying pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes each side, until golden and just cooked through (they should reach 74C / 165F on a meat thermometer or should be white inside but still juicy). Set aside on a warm plate loosely covered with aluminium foil.
  • Lower the temperature to medium and let the pan cool for a minute or two. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, the garlic and sun dried tomatoes, stirring often, and cook for about 2 minutes. If the temperature is too high the garlic may spit, so just turn it down a touch.
  • Add the chicken stock and herbs and simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly (by about half).
  • Add the cream and bring to a simmer again, stirring from time to time.
  • As soon as the cream is simmering, add the remaining parmesan and stir until melted into the sauce.
  • Add the spinach and pine nuts and heat, gently moving around until starting to wilt.
  • Add the chicken back and coat in the sauce, make sure it’s hot, then serve over pasta, mashed potatoes or rice.
  • Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.

Notes

  1. Oil: For added flavour this recipe uses the oil from the sun dried tomatoes. If your don’t have quite 2 tablespoons, just make up the difference with extra virgin olive oil.
  2. If you don’t like sun dried tomatoes, add a heaped tablespoon of tomato paste to the sauce instead, at the same time you add the stock. You can use olive oil in place of the sun dried tomato oil.
  3. Fresh ingredients: Use fresh garlic and a block of parmesan that you grate yourself – both will give you better flavour than their shelf-stable variants.
  4. Pine nuts: Try to buy already toasted pine nuts but, if you can’t, just place them in a clean saucepan over medium heat. Let them cook for a couple of minutes, tossing them often until you notice them turn golden brown.
  5. Stock: Choose a good quality chicken stock. Some stocks are very bland while others are loaded with flavour so pick one that you know tastes good.
  6. Pasta timing: If you’re serving this with pasta, get the water on the boil early, then put the pasta in around about the time you add the stock to the sauce.
More information: 
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MORE QUICK AND EASY DINNERS!
Calories: 516kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Amount Per Serving (300 g)
Calories 516 Calories from Fat 315
% Daily Value*
Fat 35g54%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Trans Fat 0.02g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 162mg54%
Sodium 1031mg45%
Potassium 1212mg35%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 4132IU83%
Vitamin C 37mg45%
Calcium 204mg20%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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