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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Rebecca says
Absolutely delicious! I used chicken breast tenders and made extra sauce for the pasta. It was a total crowd pleaser … will definitely add this recipe into my rotation.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Patsy says
I made this last night! The flavor was excellent, we put it over noodles, My husband gave compliments! Imagine that😄 most men just eat! I also made a loaf of French bread to go with it. This recipe is a keeper! Thank You! We really enjoyed it!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Patsy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Sue says
If I were to use baby tomatoes instead of sun dried, how much would I use? And any tips to avoid cream curdling as others have commented happened?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sue, I’ve only tested this with sun dried tomatoes, so you would be experimenting if you substitute any of the ingredients. Also they will likely add more moisture to the dish. I haven’t had problems with this curdling, but you need to make sure you use heavy cream. Hope you enjoy it!
MW says
Could this recipe work with pork loin?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! I’ve only tested the recipe as written so couldn’t advise about the pork loin. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Dejana says
I have never tasted better chicken before. This meal was super delicious and easy to make.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with the rest of the world.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Dejana, So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Don Black says
Is the páprika smoked and hot or just plain used for colour more or less
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Don, the paprika in this is just regular paprika, I would always indicate if it were the smoked one. Paprika adds a subtle earthiness, with a sweet and peppery taste, so not just used for color. Hope you enjoy it!
KAREN BOTTORFF says
I made this dish for my family last night. Doubled the sauce, added mushrooms and served over rice. Wow! Super easy and a huge hit. This has made it into my go to week night dinners.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Karen! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Melissa says
Could I make this the night before and cook the day of?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Melissa, 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!
Don Black says
Is the páprika smoked and hot or just plain used for colour more or less
Amber says
This was so good! Thank you for sharing so I can save to my foodie favorites! This will be a weeknight dinner at our house from now on. So easy and quick!
Alissa says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I tweaked it slightly by browning the breasts in a fry pan with spray to keep them moist. To eliminate the extra fat from the heavy cream I used 1/4c. low fat sour cream and 3/4c. broth in its place. Turned out amazing. Even my kids enjoyed it. Not a drop left. Will definitely make it again.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alissa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Kim says
Very easy to put together. Nice flavor combinations. A previous review mentioned his curdled. Mine did as well. Wasn’t very pretty but still tasted good. If I can figure out what went wrong I’d make again.
Cindy says
This is absolutely delicious!!! It tastes like I spent hours preparing it but it is so quick to throw together after a day at the office! Thank you for sharing this recipe it is definitely on my favorites list!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cindy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Laurie Sutton says
Can you do it with chunks of chicken rather then breasts? When you double the sauce do you put it all in the oven with the chicken? Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Laurie, I haven’t tried it with chunks of chicken before, so you would be experimenting if not using breast. And yes, others who have doubled the sauce they just follow the same instructions in the recipe.
Sami says
This was so delicious and easy. It will be on the dinner rotation list for sure!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sami! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Jade says
I just made this but I forgot the corn starch and spinach and it was still good. Sub’d it for flour and served it over pasta also doubled the sauce it was so good. Thank you for sharing !
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jade! So glad it worked out for you!
Katie says
Made this for dinner tonight and loved it! I’m not a fan of sun dried tomatoes so I used roasted red peppers per your recommendation and it was perfect!
Thank you for sharing!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Katie! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Rebecca says
Absolutely loved this meal, we doubled the sauce and served it over fettuccine noodles, 2yr old ate it and husband kept saying it was sooo good:)
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Ann P says
Really delicious. I doubled the sauce mixture and so glad I did. My kids ate every last bite and a lot of bread dipped in the sauce. I sliced the chicken and pounded them down but made them a bit two thin, so cooking for 15 minutes was too much. My kids liked the thinner slices so just need to reduce the time for next time. And there will definitely be a next time. It’s been awhile when everyone at the table loved the dinner and there was no leftovers! Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ann! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Nicole says
What type of shredded parm? Hard shredded or shredded in the refrigerator section (like Kraft)
The Recipe Rebel says
HI Nicole, it’s freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. Hope this helps!
Krista says
Made this tonight for dinner. Everyone loved it. I also doubled the sauce. Completely forgot to buy Parmesan cheese, so substituted Provolone. Looking forward to making again with the correct cheese to see the difference in taste.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Krista! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Irina walker says
It’s so good. I’ve made it several times. Tonight I added a whole cup of spinach.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Irina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Ashley says
Soooooo delicious!!! Left overs are going into my salad for the week!
I didn’t have corn starch so, I did floor!
Ashley says
Flour **** hahah
Natalee says
This also happened to me…lol!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ashley! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!