Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Chicken breasts seared until golden, then finished in a Parmesan cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and wilted spinach. Looks restaurant-level, takes 30 minutes, uses one skillet. Around 42g of protein per serving.
Ingredients
- 700 gchicken breasts
- 100 gsun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 100 gbaby spinach
- 240 mlheavy cream
- 60 gParmesan cheese
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion
- 120 mlchicken broth
- 2 tspItalian seasoning
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspblack pepper
Method
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to create 4 thinner cutlets — this is faster and more even than cooking whole breasts. Season both sides with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil (or 1 tbsp of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar — it has concentrated flavor) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through (74°C/165°F). Remove to a plate.
- In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion and cook 2–3 minutes until softened, scraping up the browned bits. Add the minced garlic and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth. Let it bubble for 1–2 minutes, lifting everything from the bottom. Add the heavy cream and grated Parmesan. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the baby spinach in handfuls, stirring after each addition until just wilted — about 1–2 minutes total. Taste and adjust salt.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, pressing it into the sauce. Simmer on low for 3–5 minutes until everything is warmed through and the chicken has absorbed some of the sauce. Serve immediately over pasta, rice or with crusty bread.
FAQ
Cream sauce splits for two reasons: wrong dairy and too much heat. First, always use heavy cream (30%+ fat) — lower-fat options like milk or half-and-half break at the temperature needed to reduce a sauce. Second, never boil the sauce hard after adding the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer (a few lazy bubbles) and keep it there. If you see vigorous boiling, the fat is separating from the liquid. The Parmesan also helps stabilize the sauce — grate it fresh and add it off maximum heat, then stir until melted before returning to a simmer.
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Comments (1)
An instant-read thermometer eliminates all guesswork with creamy tuscan chicken. Chicken is perfectly done at 74°C in the thickest part. Every degree beyond that moves you further from juicy toward dry.