Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe
This Tuscan Chicken Recipe features perfectly seasoned, pan-seared chicken thighs in a luxurious cream sauce filled with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Worthy of weekend dinner guests, yet easy enough to prepare mid-week, it comes together in under an hour with minimal effort.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
For the Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ½ onion minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ cup dry white wine optional, see notes
- 1 cup chicken broth low-sodium
- 3 tablespoon sundried tomato pesto
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes oil or dry-packed, roughly chopped
- 1 large bunch baby spinach
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This helps the skin become crispy. Then, season both sides with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Option 1: Pan Fry the Chicken and Finish in the Sauce
- Sear the chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken skin-side-down and sear for 6-8 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes. Remove the chicken to a clean plate and set aside (it will finish cooking in the sauce).
- Sauté the aromatics: Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, or until soft, then add the garlic and thyme, cooking for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan (optional): Pour in the white wine (if using) and scrape up any browned bits (this adds flavor!). Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Make the creamy Tuscan sauce: Stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto and the sun-dried tomatoes, followed by the chicken broth and heavy cream. Mix well and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Do not boil.
- Add the chicken: Return the seared chicken thighs to the pan, skin-side up. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken reaches 175-190°F (79-88°C).
- Add the spinach and Parmesan cheese: Stir in the baby spinach and let it wilt for 2 minutes. Then remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Option 2: Bake the Chicken and Make the Sauce Separately
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Sear the chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken skin-side-down and sear for 5-7 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip the chicken and transfer the skillet to the oven.
- Bake the chicken: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 175-190°F (79-88°C). Once the chicken is done, remove to a clean plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Sauté the aromatics: Place the skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, or until soft, then add the garlic and thyme, cooking for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan (optional): Pour in the white wine (if using) and scrape up any browned bits (this adds flavor!). Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Make the creamy Tuscan sauce: Stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto and the sun-dried tomatoes, followed by the chicken broth and heavy cream. Mix well and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Do not boil.
- Add the spinach and Parmesan cheese: Stir in the baby spinach and let it wilt for 2 minutes. Then, stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Add the chicken: Nestle the baked chicken thighs into the sauce, skin-side up. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes before serving.
Notes
Heads up! This Tuscan chicken recipe was modified on 2/27/2025 with a new (and improved!) recipe & instructions. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: If you prefer to use chicken breasts, slice them in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Thinly sliced chicken cooks faster and more evenly. Shrimp and salmon are also delicious.
- Aromatics: You can swap the onion for shallots and the fresh thyme for approximately half a teaspoon of dried thyme.
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto: A blended sauce typically made from sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. If none is available, substitute it with one tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: This recipe works with both oil-packed or dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Substitute with cherry tomatoes for a more subtle flavor. You’ll want to add about 1 cup.
- Spinach: Substitute with kale.
- Use heavy cream. Although it is possible to make this recipe with lower-fat alternatives like whole milk or half-and-half, heavy cream is what makes this sauce feel expensive. I do not recommend using lower-fat dairy as they are more likely to separate (curdle) when exposed to high heat and acidic foods and ultimately doesn’t taste as good either.
- Deglaze the pan for more flavor. Before adding the chicken broth and heavy cream, deglaze the pan with a splash of dry white wine or a spritz of lemon juice to lift the brown bits from the pan. It's an optional step but it adds so much flavor!
- Use a digital meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the chicken as it cooks. All chicken should be cooked to 165°F (74°C), but bone-in skin-on chicken thighs will actually have better taste and texture when cooked to 175-195°F (79-90°C).
- For the best flavor and a smooth, silky sauce, grate your own Parmesan cheese. A Microplane grater works great at getting ultra-fine shreds that melt effortlessly into the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 862mg | Potassium: 1022mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6252IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 4mg
