Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

With a creamy sauce flavored with dried tomatoes & Italian herbs plus a healthy touch of spinach, Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken is an easy & tasty dinner.

Gotta love when a wonderful dish comes back into your life! 

You see, I stopped making Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken when I lost my regular source of chicken breasts.  So when I cut up a turkey and got some nice cutlets (see under “Tips” below) I decided to make it again. 

And WOW.  I couldn’t stop tasting the sauce as it cooked.  And my husband looked at his plate like where have you been all my life. Of course, then I remembered, how big a hit it was when all my kids were home for Christmas a few years back.

Yes, silly me–guess I need to find a new source of chicken.  ‘Cause I won’t forget this recipe again! 

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty. Despite a simple ingredient list, Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken is rich, creamy and loaded with flavor!

Healthy.  Enjoy healthy poultry with some added vegetables. (Don’t you love when an entree contains vegetables!)

Quick & Easy.  Sautee chicken breasts, then whip up a simple but flavorful sauce.  Easy-peasy!

What You’ll Need

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Olive oil and/or butter.  This is used to sautee the meat and the aromatics (onion, garlic).
• Chicken breasts.  Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and the protein source.  Turkey cutlets also work beautifully in this.   
• Salt, pepper.  Enhances flavor. 
• Onion, Garlic.  Adds flavor. 
• Cornstarch.  This thickens the sauce.  If you have another personal favorite thickener and know how to do the conversion, you can use that instead.
• Chicken broth.  This helps build the sauce.  You could also use vegetable broth.
• Sun-dried tomatoes.  Adds nutrition and flavor.  Most people will use commercial tomatoes in oil, drained.  But you can use plain dried tomatoes (I dry some every year) that you cut into ribbons and soak in boiling water for about 15 minutes.   
• Half & half.  This helps build the sauce and adds richness.  I used to use cream but it’s si rich and creamy with half and half that I’ve updated the recipe.  I haven’t tried whole milk but think it’s likely that would work too.  And of course you can still use cream.
• Italian Seasoning.  This adds Mediterranean flavor.  You can substitute a teaspoon each oregano, thyme, and basil plus a half teaspoon rosemary if you don’t have Italian seasoning.
• Parmesan cheese.  This adds richness and nutrition.
• Baby spinach.  Adds nutrition and color.   

Special Tools

• No special tools required!

Step by Step Overview

In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Cook the chicken over medium heat 3-5 minutes per side, until golden brown on each side and cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Cover to keep (relatively) warm.

Add butter, onion and garlic to the pan. Cook a few minutes until tender, then stir in the cornstarch. Slowly blend in the chicken broth making sure to dissolve all the tasty brown bits.

Add the half and half, Italian seasoning and dried tomatoes. Continue cooking, stirring periodically until the sauce begins to thicken. 

Stir in the Parmesan and whisk until incorporated, then add the spinach and cooked chicken.  Simmer a few minutes until the spinach is wilted and chicken is rewarmed if needed.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. 

Serve over pasta, if desired.  Ideally with a salad!

Tips & FAQs

Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken Leftovers should keep 3-4 days covered and refrigerated with little loss of quality.  Just be sure to reheat the sauce slowly to avoid curdling. 

If I have very large chicken breasts, let’s say 8+ ounce, I like to cut them in half crosswise to make two thin cutlets.  Four ounces is a healthier size, plus they cook more quickly and evenly, and even seem more tender.  

When I need less than a can of chicken broth, I sometimes use Better Than Bouillon so I don’t have to worry about leftovers. 

If making the sauce takes a bit long (‘cause the phone rang or you were taking pictures, ahem), you can pop the breasts into the microwave for a 30-60 second quick rewarm before you put them back in the pan.

Frugal Tip: if you can get a turkey breast on sale, it may be less expensive than using boneless skinless chicken breasts.  The breast can be cut into chicken breast sized cutlets that you use like chicken breasts (see picture above). 

And to get even more frugal, you can cut up a whole turkey.  Last year during the peak Thanksgiving sales, Meier had it on sale for $.59/lb!  I use the leg quarters and wings for BBQ pulled pork, the breasts for frozen cutlets and the carcass for bone broth. 

You can see the process at Uncle Jerry’s Kitchen—How to Butcher a Turkey, though the one thing I do differently is to cut mine when it’s only partly thawed and still has ice crystals.

Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken

With a creamy sauce flavored with dried tomatoes & Italian herbs plus a healthy touch of spinach, Creamy Tuscan Skillet Chicken is an easy & tasty dinner.

Author: Inger

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Calories 390 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Chicken Breasts:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts 4 boneless skinless
• salt and fresh ground pepper

Creamy Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or btter
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes homemade, soaked or commercial, drained
• 1 cup half and half or cream
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 0-1 teaspoon salt omit for salty broth or tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3-4 ounces baby spinach fresh
• Pasta for serving optional

Instructions

 

• In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Cook the chicken over medium heat 3-5 minutes per side, until golden brown on each side and cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Cover to keep (relatively) warm.
• Add butter, onion and garlic to the pan. Cook a few minutes until tender, then stir in the cornstarch. Slowly blend in the chicken broth making sure to dissolve all the tasty brown bits.
• Add the half and half, Italian seasoning, and dried tomatoes. Continue cooking, stirring periodically until the sauce begins to thicken,
• Stir in the Parmesan and whisk until incorporated. Add the spinach and cooked chicken. Simmer a few minutes until the spinach is wilted and chicken is rewarmed as needed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. 
• Serve over pasta, if desired.

Notes

When I get a large thick chicken breast (approximately 8 ounces), I like to turn it into two thinner, quicker cooking pieces by using a long knife to slice lengthwise. An inch thick breast can become two half-inch thick pieces in an instant.

Nutrition

Calories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 33gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 639mgPotassium: 1191mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2493IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 251mgIron: 3mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

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