This Baked Tuscan Chicken Breast recipe is an easy meal ready in 30 minutes or less! With a creamy sauce that’s perfect over pasta, it’s one of our favorite chicken breast recipes.
See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card.
You might also like this stovetop Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe, Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake or this One Pan Tuscan Orzo with Chicken!
Table of Contents
This Tuscan Chicken Breast recipe has been a long time coming!
We’ve always loved the creamy Italian-inspired flavors of these Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts, this Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes and this Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta.
But I’ve never done any creamy delicious chicken breast recipes like this in the oven or stove top.
Since this month is all about these perfect Baked Chicken Breasts, I wanted to share a few different ways that we can take a classic roast chicken breast and jazz it up without adding much prep time.
In the end, we’ll have multiple easy, toss-it-in-the-oven-and-forget-it chicken breast recipes that just need a simple salad or pot of pasta to make it an instant hit with the family.
For the first one, I definitely wanted something creamy and comforting. It’s still on the chilly side here, and we are game for a creamy baked chicken dinner full of garlic, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach any day of the year!
Check out this Baked Monterey Chicken or these 30 Easy Baked Chicken Recipes next!
It looks impressive, and yet it is so easy to make!
Perfect for guests when you don’t want to slave over the stove 😉
Don’t feel like turning on the oven? Try my Crockpot Tuscan Chicken instead! Or try this cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast instead.
How to make Baked Tuscan Chicken recipe:
- Flatten your chicken breasts so they are roughly the same size: this will ensure they cook evenly and that one side doesn’t end up completely dried out! Simply cover in plastic wrap and use a rolling pin or a small frying pan to flatten the thick end slightly.
- Dry with paper towel: we want our chicken to roast and be golden and flavorful, so we don’t want any of the excess water that might be on it. Drying it before seasoning will give the best results!
- Rub with oil and season well: we are keeping the seasoning simple again, but the sauce adds a ton of flavor!
- High heat for a short time: what I love most about this recipe is that almost all of the sauce ingredients are added right to the pan, and everything cooks at once. There’s no simmering on the stove or extra hassle! Just toss and go — the only thing we add after is the spinach.
- Cover and let rest: at least 10 minutes! You can even let it rest for 20 and I promise it will be so juicy and hot. This keeps the juices inside the meat and gives the spinach a chance to wilt down in the sauce without becoming overcooked and slimy.
Variations and substitutions:
- Boneless chicken thighs: you can absolutely swap for boneless chicken thighs without changing the rest of the recipe! You will likely want to use twice as many thighs as the breasts called for.
- Cream: I know it’s tempting to swap the heavy cream for a lighter variety, but be careful because lower fat dairy cannot be cooked at a high temperature without curdling. You may be able to swap for evaporated milk if you are a looking for a lower calorie option, but it may not thicken like heavy cream does and your sauce may be thinner.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I know these can be hard to come by at times, but I just love the subtle flavor they add! A couple other options would be fresh cherry tomatoes or jarred roasted red peppers — they’ll both add a nice pop of flavor!
- Seasoning: you can absolutely play with the seasoning, as long as you choose herbs and spices that pair well with the sauce.
- Spinach: you can leave it out if you want. I love that it adds a pop of color and a boost in the nutritional value. You can swap for other vegetables if you prefer: green beans or mushrooms could be added at the beginning of the cook time for a new twist!
How to store leftover Tuscan Chicken:
This Tuscan Chicken Breast is a great option for prepping ahead because it stores easily and is delicious reheated!
You can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days provided all of your ingredients were fresh.
If you stuck to the recipe and used heavy cream (low fat dairy cannot be frozen) you can also store in an airtight freezer container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months, maybe it a great freezer meal!
What to serve with Tuscan Chicken Breasts:
We love this chicken breast recipe with plain, simple pasta, but you can also serve over these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes for a touch of indulgence, or these Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes for a make ahead option.
This Instant Pot Brown Rice is also a great complement for a healthier, gluten-free option.
Also, these Breadsticks do a great job of soaking up all that creamy sauce 😉
Note that the chicken is as saucy as it is in these photos — it is enough sauce for us to serve with pasta, but the pasta is not drowning in sauce. If you want a lot of sauce, I would multiply the sauce recipe by 1.5 (so instead of 1 cup cream, use 1.5 cups, etc.)
Baked Tuscan Chicken Breast
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (breast halves)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Cream Sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes (chopped)
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin, smooth meat mallet or small frying pan to flatten the thick side of the chicken so that it is roughly an even thickness.
- Place chicken breasts in a 9×13" baking dish (or a larger one if you are using very large chicken breasts — you don't want them smushed together or they will take longer to cook).
- Combine ½ teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, paprika and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Drizzle chicken with oil and rub with seasoning (I just do the top, since the bottom will be sitting in sauce).
- Whisk together cream, garlic, corn starch, salt and pepper until combined. Stir in sundried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and pour around the chicken in the baking dish (it shouldn't cover the chicken completely, but it won't hurt anything if it does).
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 16-20 minutes, until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached in the thickets part of the chicken (the exact cook time will depend on the size of your chicken breasts).
- Remove pan from oven and stir spinach into sauce. The sauce may separate as it cooks (it is NOT curdled!) — just give it a stir and it will come together. Cover pan and allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes while the spinach wilts.
- Uncover and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Jaime McCracken says
Great recipe!! I fixed this tonight, followed your directions and it turned out amazing…family hit! Chicken turned out tender, sooooo good!
Kayla says
Is it just me or does the recipe leave out the addition of the spinach?
Kenneth says
Spinach is in Step 7
Jenn says
Delicious!! Had it on spaghetti squash, and it was a hit with everyone!
Judy says
This recipe is easy and the chicken was delicious. My husband said it’s a keeper.
Thanks.
Patsy says
This was delicious! I followed the recipe to the letter with two exceptions. Since I didn’t have any corn starch, I just left it out. The sauce thickened beautifully without it. Instead of using Parmesan cheese, I used Dan-o’s Cheesoning (slightly less than 1/4 cup). I wish I had doubled the sauce, wow it’s really good. This recipe is going into my special occasion recipes (and probably into the weekly rotation:). Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Nathalie says
Omg this was phenomenal!!!
Alexa says
Can I substitute broccoli for the spinach? I also may have frozen spinach? What do you think?
The Recipe Rebel says
You could probably use broccoli. If it’s cooked at it at the end. If it’s fresh, you might be able to add it at the beginning but I haven’t tested it with broccoli so not sure. If you use frozen spinach, make sure to defrost and squeeze all of the water out first. Enjoy!
julie says
took longer in oven and i split the breasts.
The Recipe Rebel says
That sounds possible. Ever oven is different so that sometimes can happen.
Gwen Ellenbecker says
What did I do wrong? Sauce looked more like a curdled mess.followed recipe exactly. Taste was good, but gross looking
Laurie says
Me too! I think 425 curdles the cream sauce. I made it tonight. It was ok, but not great
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear that. Want to make sure you used heavy cream?
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear that. Want to make sure you used heavy cream? Glad the taste was still good for you!
Christopher says
fantastic! easy to make and accurate with the measurements. Thank You!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Carolyn says
Can this recipe be prepared ahead of time
The Recipe Rebel says
It sure can!
Nicole says
Loved this recipe! Doubled the sauce since I served it over pasta and added some additional Italian spices to the chicken. It was so flavorful! No leftovers. Can’t wait to make it again!!
The Recipe Rebel says
So happy to hear, thank you!
Ula says
I was really distracted when I made this, so I mixed a big handful of chopped spinach into the sauce before putting it into the oven. Worse, I didn’t really trust the look of my sun-dried tomatoes so I threw them out, took halved cherry tomatoes, roasted them while the oven was preheating and stirred that into the sauce mixture instead. You know, it turned out great. Served over orichietti. Next time, I’ll try to make it the right way, but even the wrong way turned out pretty good.
Tania says
Everyone in my family loves this recipe! So easy to prepare. Chicken is very tender. I used 1½ cups of cream and served it over penne pasta. Made it several times.
Btw, I’m from Brandon. I enjoy your beautiful Instagram posts. Your website is my go-to for recipes. 😁
Pam says
We LOVED this recipe!! I’ll double the sauce the next time.
I followed the recipe to the letter, it turned out amazing. I loved the sun dried tomatoes and spinach mixed in the cream.
I served it over bowtie pasta. Perfect choice.
Thank you for sharing the recipe. It’ll be in our rotation from now on!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Pam!
Bob says
I thought it was pretty bland, I made 6 chicken breasts and 150%sauce. still 5 breasts left. any suggestions or the leftovers?
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Sheila says
Absolutely delicious! So simple to prepare. Will be making this often.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Sheila!
Ann says
5 stars! Super easy and delicious. I do double up on the sauce. This is my families favorite dinner. Only night that there is no arguments and no leftovers. We aren’t big on pasta so I my some garlic butter Italian bread on the side to dip in the extra sauce.
Michelle Forrest says
I tried this recipe tonight for the first time ever. I’ve never had this dish before and neither has my husband. It turned out absolutely amazing! I upped the spinach and the sun-dried tomatoes a little bit but it was wonderful! My compliments to the chef! The original chef! Great recipe! Very easy to make! And my husband said wow for the first time in a long time to a chicken dish!
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear, Michelle! Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Ann!
Susie Fleming says
Can this meal be cooked in the Crock Pot?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Susie! Here is my crockpot verison: https://www.thereciperebel.com/crockpot-tuscan-chicken/ ENjoy!
Joy says
Loved this! Will definitely make it again. Used mushrooms and frozen spinach and it tasted delicious. It was so easy to make too.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Joy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!