Italian
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Seared chicken in a cream sauce with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. It looks like a restaurant plate and uses one skillet.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Total
- 34 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Sun-dried tomatoes bring salt and acid, so the cream does not taste bland.
- Spinach wilts in the sauce, so you do not need a second vegetable.
- Thighs or breasts both work. The steps say when to pull each.
- It is done in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear the chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side, until 165°F. Set it aside.
- 3
Lower the heat to medium. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and stir 30 seconds.
- 4
Pour in the broth and simmer 2 minutes, scraping the pan.
- 5
Add the cream and Italian seasoning. Simmer 3 minutes, until slightly thick.
- 6
Stir in the spinach until just wilted, then the parmesan. Nestle the chicken back in and warm 2 minutes. Taste for salt.
Pro tips
- Oil-packed tomatoes are already salty. Taste before you add more salt to the sauce.
- A huge handful of spinach looks like too much and cooks down to the right amount.
- If the sauce splits, a splash of broth and a low flame usually bring it back.
Easy substitutions
- Spinach
- Chopped kale, stems removed, simmered an extra 3 minutes.
- Heavy cream
- Half-and-half.
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Roasted red peppers, chopped, for a milder sauce.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm over low heat with a splash of broth until the chicken is hot and the sauce is loose.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 490
- Protein
- 37 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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