This 15-minute Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken is a quick and easy one-pot meal. Chicken breasts are cooked in a garlic cream sauce with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. It’s sure to become your new favorite!
If you love this creamy chicken recipe, then you’ll have to try my Creamy Garlic Tuscan Salmon as well.
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Olive Garden copycat creamy Tuscan garlic chicken
If you’ve ever been to an Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, then chances are you’re familiar with their Tuscan garlic chicken. It’s a creamy and delicious meal that’s packed with flavor. No wonder why it’s so popular!
Now you can bring the restaurant into your home with my Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken recipe. It’s a quick and easy one-pan dinner that takes 15 minutes from start to finish. It’ll save you money too!
Chicken breasts are pan-seared before being combined with an easy cream sauce. Every bite is elevated with fresh basil, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes on top. Serve the creamy Tuscan garlic chicken over mashed potatoes, rice, or spaghetti, and enjoy the bright Italian flavors!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken breasts – Boneless skinless chicken breasts are cut into tenders to ensure everything fits in one pan. You can leave the breasts as-is if you’re only serving one or two people. If you’d prefer to make this recipe without chicken, use salmon to make my creamy Tuscan salmon with spinach instead.
- Sun-dried tomato oil – While this is the best option and gives the dish its true Tuscany flavors, regular olive oil can always be used in its place.
- Cream sauce – All you need is heavy cream and vegetable broth to make the simple cream sauce. This sauce can easily be adjusted if you’re dairy free or looking for more flavor. Simply replace the heavy cream with regular milk, dairy free milk, or coconut cream instead and use white wine in place of the broth for brightness.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – These dehydrated tomatoes are still packed with flavor and add a sweet, tangy, and chewy element to this one-pot chicken dinner.
- Spinach – For a pop of green and added nutrition. Feel free to use kale in its place!
How to make creamy garlic Tuscan chicken
- Prepare the chicken: Dry the chicken breasts with paper towels, then cut them into tender-size pieces. Season with paprika and salt.
- Sear the chicken: Sear the chicken tenders in a skillet with the sun-dried tomato oil until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Make the cream sauce: Add more oil, then the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes into the same pan. Pour the broth and heavy cream into the pan and stir. Season with salt to taste, then reduce the heat.
- Combine everything together: Place the chicken back into the pan along with the spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts and the sauce begins to thicken. Serve with chopped basil on top and enjoy!
Tips for pan-searing chicken breasts
Pan-searing chicken is one of the easiest cooking methods. It’s quick, helps develop a golden brown crust and juicy inside, and is very low-maintenance. Use these tips to make the perfect pan-seared chicken:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into tenders should only need to pan-fry for 2 minutes per side over medium-high heat. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the tenders.
- You’ll know the chicken is done cooking when the center is no longer pink or the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature.
Would you rather bake the chicken breasts instead? Make my Everyday Baked Chicken Breasts separate from the sauce and combine the two right before serving.
What to serve with creamy Tuscan chicken
This show-stopping meal is great on its own but can be made even more satisfying with the right sides. Serve the creamy chicken over top of rice, mashed potatoes, creamy mashed cauliflower, zoodles, or orzo pasta. Mozzarella arancini and baked asparagus would both fit in with the Italian theme and be delicious on the side!
How to store Tuscan garlic chicken
- Store: The leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. It can be kept in the same container or separate from the sauce.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing the Tuscan chicken in the cream sauce because dairy tends to separate and lose its creamy texture once thawed.
- Reheating: Heat the chicken with sauce in a skillet over medium heat until it’s warmed through.
More one-pot recipes you’ll love
- Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo
- Low Carb Caprese Chicken Bake
- Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
- Sausage Pasta with Spinach
Did you try this Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken? Don’t forget to tell me what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless and halved horizontally to make 4 filets
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, (adjust to your tastes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomato oil, reserved from sun dried tomatoes or olive oil
Sauce
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil, reserved from sun dried tomatoes or olive oil
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 5 oz baby spinach, fresh
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream, sub out with coconut cream or dairy-free creamer
- ¼ cup basil, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Cut the chicken in half diagonally so you get chicken tender size pieces. Season with smoked paprika and salt.
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil or olive oil. Add chicken pieces and sear on each side for 2 minutes a side. Then remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- In the same pan, add more oil, chopped garlic and chopped sun dried tomatoes. Cook on medium low heat for 1-2 minutes. Move around so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Pour in the broth and heavy cream and stir to combine. Season with salt. Using a wooden spoon to scrape anything that stuck to the bottom of the pan, those are flavors. Reduce the heat to low and cook stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach and chicken back in along with any juices the chicken released and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
- Sprinkle the dish with freshly chopped basil. Taste and adjust the seasonings according to taste.
Jessica
This was an amazing dish, so simple and easy to make, I made mine with a side of diced red potatoes, the chicken was so creamy and delish, I love how simple and easy Lena makes her recipes. This was a hit in our house and can’t wait to make it again, it was completely devoured. Thank you Lena for all your hard work and commitment to posting delicious recipes.
Bethany
This is perfect! Easy and yummy. My family loves it. I do top it with fresh parmesan cheese.