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 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. Cover pan and allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes while the spinach wilts.
- Uncover and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Tried this recipe?
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Pam says
Absolutely delicious and really easy
To make. Loved it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Pam!
Alyssa Smith says
Hi!
The first time I’ve made this, it turned out amazing. The two other times, the sauce seems a combo of curdled/ too tight. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? I do maybe accidentally leave it in a hair too long (I’m not the best at turning on the timer). I’m using 18% cream. Should I be using whipping cream? Do I need to dial back the corn starch? Thanks so much!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alyssa, it’s really hard to know what is going wrong without being in the kitchen with you but definitely watch the timing. Also you’ll need to use a full fat cream, something over 30%. Hope this helps!
Kim says
Can I make this ahead of time then bake
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kim, I haven’t tried prepping this ahead of time and baking later. Not sure how it would do sitting in the sauce overnight. I’d recommend making the whole dish the day before because it stores easily and taste just as great heated up. Hope you enjoy it!
Amber says
For the recipe do you use the sundried tomatoes in oil or the dry ones?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amber, in oil but you can drain them if you’d like.
Mary says
I was looking for something other than the same old, same old chicken recipe. This sounded easy and good. I must say it was so easy and delicious. It is one of my go tos now. Everyone loves it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear Mary, thank you!
Mary says
I you wanted to make it lighter, what would you use instead of heavy cream?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary, 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.
Mary Beth says
I haven’t made it yet but it looks wonderful. Where do you find the large pasta t.at is in the photo?
Would love any recommendations!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary Beth, it will depend on where you live. I would Google Garofalo Pappardelle (which is the pasta I use) and you’ll see where it is located near you. Enjoy!
Laura says
I can’t cook with heavy cream, and of course the store didn’t have light cream (God forbid you go to one store anymore and they have what you need!) I would up with half and half, and I do not recommend that substitution. It did not create a sauce. Upon removing the oven, I had to stir in more half and half to get a sauce. It was a little salty still so I would definitely add less if I make this again. Light cream is always my go to substitute so I’ll give it another try. Still ate the chicken with my makeshift sauce over pasta!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback, Laura. It’s definitely something we do not recommend either. Glad you were still able to enjoy it!
Ann Marie Allard says
Question – are the sun dried tomatoes the type in oil or dry? Thank you!
Amber says
I was hoping to find this out as well
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ann Marie, in oil but you can drain them if you’d like.
Beverly says
This will be my first time oven baking this recipe. I have used the crockpot version of this in the past and it is quite the hit! I am serving this baked version to a large group of guests at dinner next week so I am thinking of preparing it ahead to be safe. How long and at what temperature would you reheat about 20 small chicken breast halves in this recipe? Would you add the spinach while it rests after reheating? I’m also thinking of using 1-1/2 or double the sauce to go over pasta. Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Beverly, it would be really hard to advise since i haven’t tried doing that large amount myself. I would probably let it come to room temperature and then on really low reheat just until warm so you don’t recook the chicken. Enjoy!
Lena Pennacchia says
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe from a food safety point of view, chicken needs to be reheated to 75 Celsius / 167 Fahrenheit- in a preheated oven- and not until ‘just warm’. Cheers.
The Recipe Rebel says
You do whatever you think is best for you, Lena. Enjoy!
BreAnn says
Delicious.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks!
Patty says
Simple recipe with delicious results! Would not change a thing.
Roxy says
Wondering if this could be an instapot recipe as well as oven. New to instapot cooking and not sure how cream reacts to the pressure. Anyone tried this? Recipe looks delicious!!
Brooke Levanway says
This recipe was delicious, literally one of the best chicken dinners I have probably made for my family. I ended up using coconut cream in place of the heavy cream because my stomach doesn’t digest heavy cream well, but it worked out great! Even my kids loved it (although they picked out the sun dried tomatoes lol), and believe me, to find a recipe that EVERYONE likes, is a keeper!! Thank you for sharing!
Rb says
A bit salty. I will cut it out next time. Easy to make, and fairly quick. Serve over fettuccini because the sauce is that good.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it Rb!
Stephanie says
Made this recipe & doubled the sauce to go over pasta, it was delicious! I’m definitely adding this recipe to dinner rotation!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sherry says
It was delish ! my picky family loved it will make it again ! Made the recipe as it was written turned out beautifully
Sherry says
Love it forgot to put stars on my review
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Sherry!
Jerron says
Isn’t 425 degrees a bit high? I’m looking to make this but was wandering if I can bake it at 350 for longer time
Thanks
The Recipe Rebel says
I have only tested it this way. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes.
Kathy mcgarrey says
I thought so too
The Recipe Rebel says
We’ve made this multiple times and has lots of reviews on the recipe, Kathy. It works great for us!
Ciclochick says
Delicious, but heavy cream is so unhealthy and calorific. Substitute either with half-fat creme fraiche or Greek yogurt. If you want you can stabilise with a teaspoon of arrowroot. It also tastes much better and won’t contribute to a coronary. 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! 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.
Sue says
Delicious! Easy and fast!
Susan says
Made this for our Book Club dinner and everyone loved it. Easy to make and delicious. Will definitely make again and add a little more spinach 😋
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Susan!
The Recipe Rebel says
THanks Sue!