Baked Tuscan Chicken Breasts

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings

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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.

baked tuscan chicken breasts in a baking dish covered in sauce.

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.

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.

baked tuscan chicken breasts in baking dish topped with spinach and sauce.

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.
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Ingredients for this easy Baked Tuscan Chicken recipe:

ingredients needed for baked tuscan chicken breasts in bowls and plate.
  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts: these are pounded thin for even cooking. 
  • Canola oil: this binds with the spices to create a rub to coat the chicken and lock in flavor!
  • 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 recipe:

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. You may be able to swap for evaporated milk if you are 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!
large dish filled with four baked tuscan chicken breasts.

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 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!

Reader Rating

“My family loved this!” Aida

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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.)

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Baked Tuscan Chicken Breast

4.95 from 1088 votes
This Baked Tuscan Chicken Breast is an easy meal ready in 30 minutes or less! With a creamy sauce that's perfect over pasta.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine American, Italian
Course Main Course
Servings 4 servings
Calories 423cal

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (breast halves)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • teaspoon black pepper

Cream Sauce

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon black pepper
  • 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

*1 serving is 1 chicken breast with roughly ½ cup of sauce

Nutrition Information

Calories: 423cal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 712mg | Potassium: 823mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1461IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 2mg
Keywords baked chicken, tuscan chicken

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Laurie MacFarland says

    Very nice recipe. Didnโ€™t have spinach, put it on mashed potatoes.
    My tomatoes got a little overdone, but were tasty still. Thanks.

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Yes! I wouldn’t do it more than a few hours in advance with the salt on the chicken, as it can change the texture if left too long, but if you mix the seasoning in the sauce it could be left even longer.

  2. KG says

    This was ahh-mazing! Simple and quick recipe! Sent the recipe to my in-laws and also my son and they all raved about it too!

  3. Steve Smith says

    Unlike others who left positive comments we found this dish to be nearly inedible from lacking flavor to chicken being undercooked and bland. Followed the directions and for whatever reason it was a disaster. The sauce added little as far as enhancing the flavor of the chicken.

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it Steve! The directions do say to bake until the correct internal temperature is reached, so I’m not sure how it’s possible to have undercooked chicken? It does sound like maybe the ingredient amounts and instructions were not followed.

  4. caper man says

    We added some Capers and half a squeezed lemon into the cream sauce, balanced out the fat/oil taste and came out amazing. I would highly suggest this addition

  5. Kerri says

    I was staring at some leftover chicken breasts and decided to Google “five star chicken recipes” to see what would pop up. This recipe was the first on the list, and I had quite a few of the ingredients on hand, so I went ahead and got to work. This dish is really simple to make, it smells phenomenal when it’s baking, and the results are mouth-wateringly delicious. My family absolutely loved it, gobbled up the entire pan (thank goodness I made an extra!), licked their plates clean, and told me I had to keep the recipe. Even my non-chicken loving kiddo said this recipe has changed her mind. She wants it again soon! Thank you for such a tasty, easy-to-cook recipe that satisfies everyone!

  6. Kristine says

    Excellent! I couldn’t put the spinach because my family doesn’t like it, but even without it, it turned out fantastic. Even my husband was impressed! What an easy and delicious recipe!

  7. Lana says

    This is soooo good. Couldn’t stop eating it. My two toddlers loved it also. Younger one kept on asking for more. I added more cream to it and added it to my 2day old pasta. It made it more moist and creamy. Wasn’t dry. Next time will do it with more chicken breasts. Didn’t add the sundried tomatoes as well and used mozzarella cheese instead. Will be doing it again and again!!

  8. Jillayne Thomas says

    I was in a rush to make a comforting dinner that was somewhat elegant. I found this recipe and WOW! The flavor is rich and multi-dimensional without being heavy. My family of very picky eaters ages 1 – 63 kept commenting on how good it tasted. My adult son said this recipe is definitely a keeper! It is simple to make, comes together quickly and could be adapted for seasonal veggies in addition to spinach. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

  9. Penny D. says

    This recipe is just amazingly yummy! “Nice restaurant” caliber! I think I will make extra sauce next time. I served with noodles and my Japanese green beans for a strong difference in flavor and texture.

  10. Susan says

    Loved this. I cook a lot and am gluten and lactose free. I used a can of coconut milk, added mushrooms and cut up tomatoes instead of Sundried. Served over steamed broccoli. Excellent.

  11. Toni says

    I found this recipe a couple of weeks ago and made it. We LOVED it!!
    Iโ€™m actually making it again, itโ€™s in the oven. How simple to put together but has such a rich flavor.
    Thanks for sharing!

4.95 from 1088 votes (751 ratings without comment)

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