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Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or for Saturday night entertaining, Creamy Tuscan Chicken is a total crowd pleaser! Deliciously seasoned and seared chicken is cooked to tender, juicy perfection in a sauce so good, you’ll want to drink it with a straw.
Winner winner, saucy chicken dinner! I love a perfectly prepared chicken breast. There are about a trillion recipes out there for a good chicken breast dinner, but this one might just be my newest favorite. It’s got it all – mouthwatering flavor, a decadent sauce, and juicy white meat chicken!
The best part is that this Tuscan chicken dinner is SO easy to make. You really just have to sear the chicken, whip up the creamy, cheesy, robust sauce of your dreams, then let the chicken cook through in it. Be sure to serve it with rice or pasta so no drop of sauce goes to waste, or you just might end up licking the plate.
Let’s talk about the sauce, shall we? It’s made with ingredients like whole milk, sour cream and evaporated milk… So I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s seriously creamy in the best way! Artichoke hearts and spinach give it a bit of fresh flavor and texture as well. With that being said, my favorite ingredient of all is likely the sun-dried tomatoes that add that signature Tuscan flair.
What You’ll Need
For the chicken, you should have:
- Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Paprika – Use plain, not smoked paprika.
- Onion Salt – This adds a wonderful onion flavor to the chicken.
- Sun-Dried Tomato Oil – You can use olive oil if you’d prefer, but this oil really infuses the meal with Tuscan flavor.
- Italian Seasoning – For that herbaceous note every Italian dish must have!
- Salt and Pepper – Just a pinch of salt, and freshly cracked pepper is best.
- Basil – Fresh, not dried.
Let’s get saucy:
- Spinach – It needs to be roughly chopped.
- Artichoke Hearts – Also roughly chopped.
- Parsley – Fresh, not dried.
- Dairy – You’ll need evaporated milk, whole milk, and full fat sour cream to make this decadent sauce!
- Garlic – This recipe is best when made with fresh, not pre-minced garlic.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Buy them in oil, then use that oil for the chicken.
- Dijon Mustard – Do NOT substitute this with plain yellow mustard.
- Salt
- Parmesan – Freshly grated is the way to go for both flavor and consistency.
How to Make Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Scroll to the bottom of this post for more detailed instructions.
Sear the chicken. Clean and cut the chicken before seasoning on both sides. Then, cook the chicken in oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the chicken’s been seared for about 5 minutes per side, remove it from the pan.
Sauté. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another minute. Reduce the heat to low.
Add more ingredients. Stir in the mustard, followed by the artichokes. Stir in the cream and milk. Add the spinach after that, followed by the freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Cook the chicken. Place the chicken back in the pan and cover with sauce. Simmer until cooked through.
Common Questions:
How long will Creamy Tuscan Chicken stay fresh? In an airtight container in the fridge, your leftovers will stay fresh for about 2-3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this sauce, as it’s so loaded with dairy.
Can I use chicken thighs? You can, but the cook time will be different as chicken thighs tend to cook through at a faster rate and chicken thighs are more moist and juicier. I find them to be more flavorful too.
How to Serve Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Serve this entrée with a side dish like pasta or rice that’ll really soak up every last drop of that delicious sauce. Cheesy Garlic Bread will also get the job done!
Check out more of my favorite chicken dinners!
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Alfredo Pot Pie
- Meyer Lemon Sheet Pan Chicken
- Cheesy Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
- 900 grams boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomato oil, divided (you can use regular olive oil but this gives it a delicious flavor)
For the sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ cups (794 g) artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup (173 g) full fat sour cream
- 1 ½ cup (355 ml) evaporated milk
- ½ cup (118 ml) whole milk
- 1 ½ cups (45 g) baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup (50 g) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Clean the chicken breasts and cut them in half horizontally to make fillets.
- Season the chicken on both sides with the paprika, salt, pepper and other seasonings of your choice.
- Heat a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sun dried tomato oil then add the chicken. Sear for about 5 – 6 minutes and flip to the other side. Sear for another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Set aside on another plate.
- Reduce heat to medium then add the remaining oil to your pan with the garlic and sauté until golden brown. Be careful not to let your garlic burn. Add the tomatoes and sauté for a minute more before reducing the heat to low.
- Add the mustard in the pan and mix until combined, then add the artichokes.
- Add the sour cream and milk, continuing to stir occasionally.
- Add the spinach and let it cook down for a couple of minutes. Stir occasionally. Then add in the parmesan cheese.
- Put the chicken back in the skillet with the sauce.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and let it simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is warmed through and cooked completely.
- Serve with pasta, rice or steamed veggies.
- Optional: Top with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
My family and I thought this recipe was delicious!!! Thanks
This recipe does not work. The ingrediants call for sour cream, but in the method does not tell when to add. The recipe calls for 1-1/2 baby spinach leaves, that cannot be the proper amount.
All in all wasted a can of evaporated milk, chicken beasts.
The sauce in not creamy and very thick
Hi Dave, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. In the instructions, it said this: Add the cream and milk, continuing to stir occasionally. I apologize it was unclear that the cream was sour cream. I have since changed it. Also, for some reason the measurement was missing for the spinach – of course it wasn’t 1 1/2 a baby spinach leaf, haha – it was supposed to be 1 1/2 cups.