Creamy Tuscan Chicken

This Tuscan Chicken is equal parts delicious, creamy, and decadent — it’s easy enough for a weeknight + special enough for an occasion!

This creamy Tuscan chicken is such an impressive, delicious meal! It’s one of those recipes to pull out of your back pocket when you’ve got guests over, while it’s incredibly easy to make, it’s also very, very decadent and special.

I (Brandi) actually wasn’t here when Cassy developed this recipe, but when I came into the office the next day, Lauren and Lindsay were raving about it. “Restaurant quality” was just one of the phrases that they used to describe what they’d tried the day before.  

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Ingredients

The ingredient list for this recipe is pretty simple — here’s everything you’ll need:

• EVOO – to start, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil to sear the chicken breasts in.
• Chicken Breasts – in addition to the olive oil, you’ll also need 2 large chicken breasts (just over a pound).
• Salt + Pepper – to season the chicken breasts, you’ll need ½ of a teaspoon of salt and a ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
• Garlic – 4 cloves of minced garlic give the creamy, delicious sauce a really great flavor.
• Sundried Tomatoes – a ½ cup of chopped sundried tomatoes head into the sauce too.
• Heavy Cream – the base of this Tuscan cream sauce — you guessed it! — heavy cream. You’ll need 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) here.
• Parmesan Cheese – to up the creaminess and add a really delicious salty, cheesy flavor, you’ll want to throw in a ½ cup of parmesan cheese too.
• Baby Spinach – 1 cup of packed baby spinach heads into the sauce for some added color, nutrition, and flavor.
• Lemon – garnish your Tuscan chicken with a squeeze of lemon to brighten everything up.
• Red Pepper Flakes – red pepper flakes get sprinkled on top (if you wish) for a kick of spice!
• Parsley – totally optional, but if you’d like to add a touch more color to the finished dish, garnish parsley too.

Ingredient Modifications

While this recipe is divine as written, you can absolutely make swaps as needed. Here are a few that I know work really well:

• Use chicken thighs: chicken thighs can easily be substituted for the chicken breasts in this recipe. You’ll need the same exact amount (about a pound), and the method will stay exactly the same!

How to Make

Tuscan Chicken Stovetop Method

For how decadent this dish is (and how impressive it would be for any special dinner guests you may have!), it’s exceptionally easy to throw together. Here’s how you’ll do it:

1. Prep – add the olive oil to a hot skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat, and salt and pepper the chicken breasts.
2. Sear the chicken – once the skillet is nice and hot, sear the chicken breasts for about 3 minutes per side, then remove from the pan (reserving any juices/oil from searing the chicken) while you make the sauce.
3. Brown the tomatoes and garlic – add the garlic and sundried tomatoes to the skillet and saute until brown (this should take about 2 minutes).
4. Add cream and cheese – add the cream to the skillet with the sundried tomatoes and garlic, stir, then add the parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer.
5. Add spinach and chicken – to the skillet, add the spinach and toss until wilted (about 2-3 minutes). Then, nestle the seared chicken breasts in skillet and simmer for 10 minutes in the sauce.
6. Garnish and serve – garnish the dish with parsley, lemon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired!

Tuscan Chicken Crock Pot Method

While this recipe was written specifically to be cooked on the stovetop, it can absolutely be adapted for the slow cooker as well. Here’s how you’ll make it work:

1. Sear the chicken (if you can) – if you’re slow cooker has a sear function/sear-friendly insert, go ahead and add the oil to the skillet, season the chicken, and then sear for about 3 minutes per side. *If you don’t have a sear-friendly insert (totally okay!), just skip this step!
2. Add chicken, sundried tomatoes, and garlic – to the slow cooker, then add the chicken (whether or not you seared it), sundried tomatoes, and garlic, and cook on low for 4 hours.
3. Stir in the cream, cheese, and spinach – once the 4 hours is up, remove the chicken from the slow cooker, and whisk in the cream, parmesan cheese, and spinach. Then, add the chicken back to the slow cooker and let the sauce come together and the spinach wilt.
4. Serve – garnish with parsley, lemon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired, and enjoy!

Tuscan Chicken Instant Pot Method

If there are slow cooker instructions, you can bet there are also Instant Pot adaptations! Here’s what you’ll do to cook this meal in the Instant Pot:

1. Sear – to start, set your Instant Pot to “sear,” and add the oil into the pot. Once it’s hot, sear the chicken for 3 minutes per side, then remove the chicken, and add the garlic and sundried tomatoes to the pot, until brown (this will take about 2 minutes).
2. Return the chicken to the pot and add water – once the garlic and sundried tomatoes are browned and fragrant, turn the Instant Pot off (just click “cancel”), nestle the chicken into the pot, and add a ½ cup of water.
3. Pressure cook – secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the pot to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
4. Whisk in the cream, cheese, and spinach – once the 5 minutes is up, either quick-release the pressure or let it release naturally, remove the lid, and set the pot back to “sear.” Remove the chicken from the pot (keeping the liquid in the pot), whisk in the cream, parmesan cheese, and spinach, return the chicken to the pot, and let the sauce simmer in the Instant Pot until the spinach is wilted.
5. Serve – garnish with parsley, lemon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired, and enjoy!

Keep in mind that because the Instant Pot needs liquid in order to come to pressure, you will need to add a ½ cup of water to the pot. Because of this, the final dish will be slightly more thin and watery than the original stovetop recipe.

Storing and Reheating Tuscan Chicken

Store your leftover Tuscan chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply add both the chicken and the sauce to a pan on the stovetop over medium heat and heat until warmed through. Alternatively, you can pop a serving or two in the microwave for a quicker/easier reheat!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe

4.28 — Votes 22 votes

By Brandi Schilhab

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 3 servings

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This Tuscan Chicken is equal parts delicious, creamy, and decadent — it’s easy enough for a weeknight + special enough for an occasion!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 large chicken breasts about 1 pound, boneless skinless
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ½ cup sundried tomatoes chopped
• ▢ 1 ½ cups 12 fluid ounces heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
• ▢ 1 cup packed baby spinach
• ▢ 1 lemon halved, for serving
• ▢ Pinch of red pepper flakes for serving
• ▢ Fresh parsley for serving

Instructions 

• Add the olive oil to a hot skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat + salt and pepper the chicken breasts.
• Once the skillet is nice and hot, sear the chicken breasts for about 3 minutes per side, then remove from the pan while you make the sauce.
• Add the garlic and sundried tomatoes to the skillet and saute until brown (this should take about 2 minutes).
• Add the cream to the skillet with the sundried tomatoes and garlic, stir, then add the parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer.
• To the skillet, add the spinach and toss until wilted (~2-3 minutes). Then, nestle the seared chicken breasts back in the skillet and simmer everything together for 10 minutes.
• Garnish the dish with lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley, if desired!

Recipe Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. If you’re slow cooker has a sear function/sear-friendly insert, go ahead and add the oil to the skillet, season the chicken, and then sear for about 3 minutes per side. *If you don’t have a sear-friendly insert (totally okay!), just skip this step!
2. To the slow cooker, then add the chicken (whether or not you seared it), sundried tomatoes, and garlic, and cook on low for 4 hours.
3. Once the 4 hours is up, remove the chicken from the slow cooker, and whisk in the cream, parmesan cheese, and spinach. Then, add the chicken back to the slow cooker and let the sauce come together and the spinach wilt.
4. Garnish with parsley, lemon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired, and enjoy!

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. To start, set your Instant Pot to “sear,” and add the oil into the pot. Once it’s hot, sear the chicken for 3 minutes per side, then remove the chicken, and add the garlic and sundried tomatoes to the pot, until brown (this will take about 2 minutes).
2. Once the garlic and sundried tomatoes are browned and fragrant, turn the Instant Pot off (just click “cancel”), nestle the chicken into the pot, and add a ½ cup of water.
3. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the pot to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
4. Once the 5 minutes is up, either quick-release the pressure or let it release naturally, remove the lid, and set the pot back to “sear.” Remove the chicken from the pot (keeping the liquid in the pot), whisk in the cream, parmesan cheese, and spinach, return the chicken to the pot, and let the sauce simmer in the Instant Pot until the spinach is wilted.
5. Garnish with parsley, lemon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.4g | Protein: 43.2g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 18.1g | Cholesterol: 187.7mg | Sodium: 767.5mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 4.2g

Additional Info

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 3 servings

Calories: 555

Keyword: creamy tuscan chicken

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