Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Golden chicken breasts in a garlicky parmesan cream sauce studded with sun-dried tomatoes and wilted spinach. It’s a one-skillet dinner in about 35 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
1 chicken breast with sauce- Net carbs
- 5.1g
- Calories
- 532kcal
- Protein
- 45g
- Fat
- 36g
- Total carbs
- 6.4 g
- Fiber
- 1.2 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Creamy Tuscan salmon: Seared salmon fillets in the same sun-dried tomato and spinach cream sauce. One of the most popular ways to dress up salmon.
- Skip pounding. Season the fillets and sear them presentation-side down for 4 minutes, until golden, then flip and cook 2–3 minutes more, until the thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C). Set aside.
- Make the sauce as written and return the salmon for just 1 minute to warm it, spooning the sauce over the top.
Creamy Tuscan shrimp: Quick-seared shrimp in the garlicky parmesan cream. Ready in about 20 minutes and great over zoodles.
- Season the shrimp and sear them in the oil 1–2 minutes per side, just until pink and opaque. Set aside.
- Make the sauce, then stir the shrimp back in with the spinach and warm for 1 minute. Don’t simmer them longer or they turn rubbery.
Dairy-free: Full-fat coconut milk and nutritional yeast make a creamy, savory sauce without butter, cream or parmesan. The sun-dried tomatoes and garlic carry the flavor.
- Cook the garlic and tomatoes in the olive oil instead of butter, and use the coconut milk in place of the cream.
- Simmer 4–5 minutes, until the sauce coats a spoon, then whisk in the nutritional yeast where the recipe adds the parmesan. Taste for salt; it may need an extra pinch.
- Chicken
- Tuscan cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Chicken
- Tuscan cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Chicken
- Tuscan cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Chicken
- Tuscan cream sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $12.52 for 4 servings ($3.13 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Pat the chicken dry and pound the thick ends to an even ¾ inch (2 cm). Season both sides with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
-
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken 5–6 minutes per side until golden and 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
-
Reduce the heat to medium. Melt the butter, then add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
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Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer about 2 minutes until reduced by half.
-
Stir in the cream and red pepper flakes and simmer 3–4 minutes until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Whisk in the parmesan until smooth.
-
Add the spinach a handful at a time and stir just until wilted. Return the chicken and its juices, spoon the sauce over and simmer 1–2 minutes to rewarm.
-
Top with basil and serve with cauliflower mash or zoodles to catch the sauce.
Tips for success
-
Sun-dried tomatoes are the most carb-dense ingredient here, and ⅓ cup is plenty for flavor. Use a spoonful of oil from the jar in place of olive oil for extra depth. - Pounding the breasts to an even thickness is what keeps the thin ends from drying out before the center is cooked.
- Boneless thighs work too. Give them 6–7 minutes per side.
Nice to have, not needed
- A meat mallet evens out thick breasts — a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan works too.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Warm covered over low heat or microwave at 50% power, stirring in a splash of broth if the sauce has tightened.
Prep tip: Slice the chicken before packing so it reheats evenly in the sauce without drying out.
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of broth if the sauce has tightened.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosCreamy Tuscan salmon
ProteinSeared salmon fillets in the same sun-dried tomato and spinach cream sauce. One of the most popular ways to dress up salmon.
- boneless skinless chicken breasts → skinless salmon fillets (6 oz / 170 g each)
5.1 g net · 682 kcal · 41 g protein · 55 g fat · ≈$5.68 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Creamy Tuscan shrimp
ProteinQuick-seared shrimp in the garlicky parmesan cream. Ready in about 20 minutes and great over zoodles.
- boneless skinless chicken breasts → large shrimp
5.1 g net · 473 kcal · 41 g protein · 33 g fat · ≈$5.31 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Dairy-free
DietFull-fat coconut milk and nutritional yeast make a creamy, savory sauce without butter, cream or parmesan. The sun-dried tomatoes and garlic carry the flavor.
- butter → olive oil
- heavy cream → full-fat canned coconut milk
- parmesan → nutritional yeast
5.2 g net · 424 kcal · 42 g protein · 26 g fat · ≈$2.74 per serving (+0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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