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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Doris Giles says
This is my favorite recipe of all time. I’ve served it with pasta and rice. I double the sauce recipe because o love it so much. My young grandkids love this too.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, Doris! Thank you!
Cheryl Armstrong says
This is probably the best Italian dish I have ever made! It will be added to the rotation for sure. I will make more sauce next time and serve over Orzo, as we are big fans of that versatile little pasta. The sundried tomatoes are key, whether you generally cook with them or not. Do not skip.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Cheryl!
Kris Owons says
Fantastic recipe! Made this for my family who are very selective eaters and they loved it! My son in law never eats leftovers but he came home for lunch the next day to eat what was left!
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Love to hear that, thank you Kris!
Jan says
Great go-to recipe. Love it!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Jan!
Shane says
Quite simply my family’s new favourite meal. So easy and so amazingly delicious!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Shane!
Malinda says
Are you suppose to cover the dish before baking or bake it uncovered?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Malinda, you won’t cover it till Step 7. Enjoy!
Unique says
This recipe is AMAZING!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you!
Nadia says
Amazing, Delicious it was a hit.
Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Nadia!
Sue says
Great one dish recipe! I dry rubbed the chicken for several hours first, but followed the remaining instructions and doubled the sauce. I also topped with sliced mozzarella and broiled a couple minutes then garnished with fresh basil. It is so convenient not to have to brown the chicken first or dirty another pan making a separate sauce. Very flavorful!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you!
Yvonne says
I made this and it was fabulous! Unfortunately, I didn’t have tomatoes on hand so I used sun dried tomato pesto and it was amazing!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. A new family fav!!!! 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Yvonne!
Camille cerria says
This is So delish & So easy! To cut down on calories, I used evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. To make extra sauce, I added another 1/2 of all ingredients. I did same with seasoning mix. Just fabulous! Thank you!!!😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Camille!
missy says
You could use regular milk instead of cream to save calories much cheaper than evaporated and less processed In Alfredo sometimes I’ll do 50/50 milk/cream
Ashley Fehr says
Regular milk can’t be used in this recipe because of the long cook time and high heat — it will curdle. In a stovetop alfredo sauce, yes milk can be used if you add something to thicken it.
Kaeberley says
Very delicious!! However mine curdled so didn’t look too appetizing . Not sure if it’s because I had to use flour instead of corn starch or if it was my Parmesan but will try making it again soon!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback!
Mrs. P says
This is my go to recipe. I used to make it on the stove top but this oven baked version is so much easier and delicious. It’s the one meal my kids and husband love and get excited to eat. And there’s never left overs. Only thing I do is make extra sauce.
Christine says
One of our favourite meals. The chicken always comes out so succulent. 😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Christine!
B says
Parmesan cheese didn’t mix
Jo says
If you use authentic Italian Parmigiano Reggiano it will! 😋
The Recipe Rebel says
It could be the type used, B.
Amy says
This is one of the most flavorful recipes I’ve made in a long time. I was worried the chicken would be dry. Boy, was I wrong! Tender and moist. This is a keeper and it’s really quick and easy. I’ll be making this for our next family gathering.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Amy!
Liza Abbott says
AMAZING & so easy to make!! I doubled the sauce recipe and had it with spaghetti, DELICIOUS! Don’t omit the sundried tomatoes! I’m not a huge fan of them but in this dish, wow!! So much flavour! Thank you for this recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Liza!
Carol says
Have you ever tried this with artichokes? I’m looking for something to make today, but I don’t have any sun-dried tomatoes on hand and I found artichokes in my pantry
The Recipe Rebel says
I have not but it sounds tasty. Let us know if you do!
Susan Mayfield says
Best chicken recipe Ive tried in a long time. My husband loved it!
I was short on time and subbed cream of chicken soup for the heavy cream and cornstarch, but Im sure that would be better.
I used the oil packed sun dried tomatoes.
Yum!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, Susan!
Kaitie Wilson says
One of our favourites! We just moved into our first home and this is a go-to recipe for my hubby and I 🩷
Is it possible to make the sauce and let the chicken marinade in it over night, and cook for dinner the next day?
The Recipe Rebel says
It’s not something I’ve tested out, so it would be hard for me to say for sure. Glad you enjoyed it!
Linda says
This is such a delicious and flavorful meal my family absolutely loved it and asked me to please put it in our rotation. Thank you for sharing it!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Linda!