Tuscan Chicken Breast

This easy Tuscan Chicken Recipe makes grilled chicken breasts cooked in a thick and creamy cheesy sauce garnished with sundried tomato and spinach creamy. It’s a high-protein dinner packed with vegetables and delicious Italian flavors that all the family loves.

Table of contents

+ View More- View Less

I love easy healthy chicken recipes, and when I don’t coat my chicken into almond flour to make keto chicken nuggets or almond flour chicken tenders, I go for a proper creamy chicken recipe.

I have already shared a few creamy keto chicken dinners that are easy to make for the family like my keto chicken marsala or keto curry.

Time for a new Italian-inspired healthy dinner idea with this creamy Tuscan chicken.

What’s Tuscan Chicken?

Tuscan Chicken is an Italian-inspired recipe that consists of grilled chicken breasts cooked in a creamy parmesan sauce filled with sundried tomatoes and spinach.

Despite its name, this recipe doesn’t really come from Tuscany, it’s more an adaptation of some of the typical dishes of the region.

In fact, this recipe or its Italian name Pollo Alla Toscana seems to have appeared in the early 1980s, mostly in some restaurants in New York, USA, to describe a creamy chicken dish.

It’s inspired by the classic Cacciatore or Pollo Alla Cacciatora but with a much creamier sauce.

How To Make Tuscan Chicken

To make this Tuscan chicken recipe, you need only 30 minutes and a few basic ingredients.

Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – I always prefer quality over quantity, so I choose free-range and anti-biotics-free chicken.
• Olive Oil – My favorite olive oil is locally-sourced extra-virgin olive oil.
• Garlic Powder or fresh garlic – to swap 4 garlic cloves use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – For this recipe, I prefer to use sun-dried tomatoes bought in a jar full of liquid, not dried sun-dried tomatoes. Their texture is softer than the dried equivalent.
• Baby Spinach – While you can use regular spinach, baby spinach is milder and won’t overpower your dish.
• Heavy Cream or coconut cream for a dairy-free option
• Chicken Broth – You can also use vegetable broth if you can’t find chicken broth.
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Pepper – adjust to taste.
• Marjoram – If you don’t have Marjoram, use Italian seasoning, dried oregano, or red pepper flakes.

Preparing The Chicken Breast

Season the chicken. First, pat dry the chicken breast with absorbent paper then season with salt and pepper.

Warm one tablespoon of butter and oil from the sundried tomato jar in a large non-stick frying pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook the chicken breast until grilled and golden brown on both sides.

It takes about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken breast. To be certain, use a meat thermometer and check that its internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).

Place the cooked chicken breast on a clean plate and foil top to keep the cooked chicken warm.

Cooking The Sauce

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and warm over medium heat.

Stir in the onion and garlic and cook them until fragrant. Then, stir in the spinach before reducing the heat and cooking for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted.

Now, stir in the sundried tomato halves, marjoram or Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Keep cooking the sundried tomatoes and spinach until all the liquid from the spinach has evaporated.

Making The Creamy Sauce

Now add the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream, chicken stock.

Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes until it has slightly thickened and reduced.

Add the chicken breast into the mixture and drizzle some cream sauce over the meat to coat.

Keep cooking until the chicken breasts are warm and cooked through about 3 minutes. Cut the center of the chicken breast, if the meat is still pink, keep cooking.

Serving Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe

You can serve this Tuscan Chicken Recipe as a main dinner without any sides because it’s a very high-protein low-carb dinner on its own.

But, for a fulfilling dinner that soaks the creamy Tuscan chicken sauce try to serve your dish with some of the sides below:

• Cooked Rice, including brown rice for a healthy swap.
• Cauliflower Rice for a low-carb alternative.
• Cooked Pasta
• Oven Roasted Potatoes
• Zucchini Noodles or spaghetti squash for a low-carb pasta alternative.
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Steamed Cauliflower
• Roasted Zucchini

Storage Instructions

You can store this Tuscan chicken recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

It’s a great recipe for meal prepping a few days of dinner ahead or lunch on the go.

You can also freeze the chicken leftovers in an airtight container and keep it for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Thaw in the refrigerator the day before and rewarm the recipe in a microwave-safe bowl or in a warm saucepan until warm.

Allergy Swaps

Below are some swaps options if you have no food allergy but still want to try this easy recipe.

• Dairy-Free – you can easily make this chicken recipe dairy-free simply replace the heavy cream with coconut cream or soy cream. You can skip the Parmesan cheese or swap for a dairy-free parmesan alternative,

Frequently Asked Questions

Below I listed the answers to your most frequent question about this creamy Tuscan garlic chicken recipe.

Can I Use Chicken Tights?

Yes, absolutely, chicken breast can be replaced by skinless chicken tights for a juicer meat option.

Can I Use Cherry Tomatoes Instead Of Sundried Tomatoes?

Yes, you can roast the cherry tomatoes in olive oil since you won’t have any sundried tomatoes oil.

Then, stir the spinach and follow the recipe as written.

Note that removing the sundried tomatoes will also offset the special flavor of the dish that makes the particularity of Tuscan Chicken.

Can I Use Frozen Spinach?

Yes, you can use frozen spinach in this recipe, and you don’t need to thaw the spinach before adding it to the skillet.

As the spinach leaves are frozen, they will release more juice, and it takes a little bit longer to cook and evaporate.

How Can I Thicken The Sauce?

There are two options to thicken the sauce of this Tuscan chicken recipe.

You can add more parmesan cheese, up to an extra 1/3 cup but watch out it also increases the salty flavor of the dish.

Or, you can make a slurry and stir in the hot creamy spinach sauce.

To make a slurry, stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl along with 3 tablespoons of cold water.

Pour the cold slurry into the warm creamy sauce, stir and cook until it thickens.

Can I Use Chicken Thighs?

Yes, it’s possible to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but this recipe is perfect with chicken breasts.

If you want a chicken recipe that works great with thighs, try my Creamy Spinach Chicken.