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 on the recipe card.
We’ve always loved the creamy Italian-inspired flavors of these Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe, this Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes, this Crockpot Tuscan Chicken and this Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake!
Table of Contents
This Baked Tuscan Chicken is an Italian-inspired dish that’s as effortless as it is impressive!
Juicy chicken breasts are bathed in a rich, velvety cream sauce infused with the bold flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and fresh baby spinach.
Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s the perfect solution for a delicious dinner that feels fancy enough for guests but requires minimal effort.
Perfect for hosting friends or enjoying a cozy night in, this dish delivers big flavor without keeping you tied to the stove.
Why you’ll love this creamy Baked Tuscan Chicken:
- Quick and easy: Ready in just 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights or last-minute dinners!
- Effortless: 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!
- Comfort food: Juicy chicken and a creamy, flavorful sauce make this dish cozy and satisfying.
Ingredients for these baked chicken breasts:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: these are pounded thin for even cooking.
- Spices: I use a simple blend of Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, and salt.
- Heavy cream: the base for the creamy sauce! I don’t recommend going with low-fat dairy for this recipe.
- Minced garlic: adds a depth of flavor. You can use pre-minced garlic or mince it yourself.
- Corn starch: this acts as a thickening agent to make our sauce nice and thick.
- Sundried tomatoes: these are more concentrated than regular tomatoes, adding a tart and tangy flavor to the sauce! Use the kind that comes packed with oil and spices for the best flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: shredded parmesan cheese melts right into the sauce, giving it a tangy flavor! You can buy shredded Parmesan or shred it yourself from a block.
- Fresh spinach: adding chopped spinach is an easy way to get your veggies in!
How to make Baked Tuscan Chicken:
This recipe couldn’t be simpler to whip up! Just follow the easy steps below—check out the recipe card for all the details.
- Flatten chicken breasts to an even thickness.
- Whisk cream, garlic, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Stir in sundried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Pour around the chicken.
- Bake until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir fresh spinach into the sauce and let the chicken rest, covered with aluminum foil. Stir the sauce again if needed, then serve.
Recipe Tips
- 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 towels: 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!
- 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.
- Internal temperature: use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165ºF before eating.
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.
- Cheese: If you don’t want to use parmesan cheese, you could swap it with asiago, Romano, or pecorino cheese!
- 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.
- 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 leftovers:
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 are fresh.
If you stuck to the recipe and used heavy cream (low-fat dairy cannot be frozen), you can also store it in an airtight freezer container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months!
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.
You can also keep it low-carb with cauliflower rice!
Also, these Breadsticks do a great job of soaking up all that creamy sauce 😉
Note
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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ZJ says
Do you have reheat instructions?loved this! Used protein pasta for more protein 💪
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi ZJ, To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm on the stove or in the oven until heated through.
Pam says
Can I put this together ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until time to cook?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Pam, I haven’t tried prepping this ahead of time and baking later. Not sure how it would do sitting in the sauce. 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!
Peggy Wilkins says
I am making it now and wonder if my chicken breasts are too large. What would be the total weight needed for 4 boneless chicken breasts?
Patricia says
If you pounded them down it won’t increase the cooking time. I just made and devoured this. O.M.G!
Angel says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! It’s not super complicated to make. And the flavor is just right – not overwhelming and not bland. Definitely putting this in the dinner rotation. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it, Angel!
Ashley says
Delicious flavors and the chicken was moist. The sauce seemed to curdle a bit (or maybe it was the Parmesan melting and just looked this way)? So that was a bit off putting but I whisked it together which helped a bit. Anyone know why this happened? I followed the recipe and used 18% cream.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it, Ashley!
Olga says
Are you using whole chicken breasts or halves in recipe? Thanks.
The Recipe Rebel says
We use whole.
Patricia Benedetto says
Followed your recipe as written. Absolutely delicious and so quick and easy to make! Thanks so much!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Patricia!
Susan says
Wonderful, delicious recipe! The only thing I left out was the paprika because it gives my husband heartburn, but it was super flavorful anyway. And so easy!, perfection! Love your website.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it, Susan!
Lori says
My brother introduced us to this and is was Amazing! I’m Lactose Intolerant so we used canned Coconut Cream and it was perfect. We also added mushrooms but should have pre-cooked them to release their liquid but still very good ( or probably could add a bit more cornstarch. Plus added a few fresh basil leaves Serving for company tonight 😋😋😋
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Lori! And thanks for the feedback on using coconut cream!
Vanessa G says
This was fantastic!! I love the simplicity of mixing up a quick sauce and putting it all in the oven to keep it easy and hands free! I knew my family would want more sauce for on top of pasta, so I added 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1 tsp chicken bouillon in place of salt. Subsequently, I added more cornstarch to help the sauce thicken more in the oven. The house smelled wonderful while this was baking and it tasted amazing!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Vanessa!
Bryan says
Great recipe! Very easy to follow and overall a nice dish that’s quick to make. I made some light adjustments due to personal preferences by adding more paprika (1/2 tsp) and spinach (cup and a half), plus made the Italian seasoning myself.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Bryan!
Rachael says
Could this work in the crock pot? 🤔
Jamie says
I’d be worried the heavy cream will curdle or separate
The Recipe Rebel says
It doesn’t. It normally happens when you are using a lower fat cream.
The Recipe Rebel says
Yes! Here you go: https://www.thereciperebel.com/crockpot-tuscan-chicken/ Enjoy!
Valencia May says
Yes she stated in the recipe somewhere about if you don’t wanna use the oven there is a crockpot link somewhere on the page that’s what I’m going back to now and looking for lol
Jennifer says
This is another delicious recipe. We have tried it with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs, both are delicious! It really is very easy and the whole family loves it, even my pickiest eater.
kc says
Made this for dinner the other day. Super simply and pretty tasty.
Tammie says
Turned out great!
However I used double the amount of cornstarch and cooked it for 25 minutes.
Also added a little extra of the spices.
Wanted to add a photo but won’t let me.
Chicken came out really tender.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad it worked out for you, Tammie.
Amber Drake says
What kind of pasta are you serving it on in the picture above?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amber! It’s called pappardelle. I would Google Garofalo Pappardelle (which is the pasta I use) and you’ll see where it is located near you. Enjoy!
Vanessa says
This was a winner! Quick, easy and my entire family loved it. Thank you! This recipe will be on my weekdays rotation.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you!
Faith Mayes says
Darn good stuff…I would serve this for guests or for a crowd as it would hold up and not dry out in a chaffing dish. I’ve catered quite a bit and this would be great for that. Thank you for a great recipe..
The Recipe Rebel says
THank you!
Amanda Gertel says
This was totally delicious. I used half and half instead of heavy cream and it was just as good.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad it worked out for you, Amanda!
Kendall says
I made this tonight and served it over rice. My husband and I both thought it tasted amazing! So easy to make and very tasty!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Kendall!