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.
100gdrained, jarred sun dried tomato strips, oil reserved(⅔ cup lightly packed, drained / 3.5oz) (notes 1&2)
3clovesgarlic, minced(roughly 2 teaspoons)
1teaspoonItalian herbs
½cupchicken stock / chicken broth(125ml)
1cupheavy or thickened cream(250ml)
3big handfuls baby spinach (120g / 5 ½ cups)
2tablespoonstoasted pine nuts
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
chopping board and sharp knife
Large frying pan or skillet
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.
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Notes
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.