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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Betty says
what kind of sundried tomatoes, from a package or in a jar with oil?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Betty! Either would work but if it contains oil, you might need to drain it some.
Emma says
This recipe is awesome!!! Question though: if I have a smaller 8×8 or 9×9 square pan, the chicken is covered with sauce completely. I’m wondering how this will change my cook time?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Emma! Great to hear! I’m not sure, I would just check the internal temperature and then keep an eye on it.
Chris M says
I made this for dinner tonight and overall I am very happy with it. My sauce didn’t thicken very much and I’m not sure why – perhaps my corn starch is too old. I think next time I will add a little more salt, and a little more sun dried tomato and spinach.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Chris! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Karen Stevenson says
OMG! This chicken recipe is top notch! I served it over mashed potatoes! It was devine! I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! 🙂😋
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Karen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Den says
I’m not sure what went wrong 🙁 the sauce ended up super super thick and chunky not saucy at all. What did I do wrong 🙁
allison says
I really love this recipe and have made it many times. I use chicken thighs, pounded thin, olive oil and double the parmesan. Den, you might have used too much cornstarch. Also, your cream might have curdled. Make it again. It is worth it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Allison! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
The Recipe Rebel says
Sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe Den! It’s really hard for me to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. I’ve not had this problem, so unsure about what could of caused it.
Rebecca says
I’m interested in trying to make this tonight with rice as the side instead of noodles. Should I make the rice separately in my rice cooker or can I add the uncooked rice to the pan with the chicken & sauce to cook in the oven?
Chris M says
I made this tonight and served it with rice. I made the rice completely separate and plated it first, then set the chicken on top of the rice and spooned sauce on top of it all.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rebecca, I’ve not tested this with cooking rice in the chicken so I can’t recommend it. I think I would just make it separately.
Sidney says
Absolutely delicious. I opted for grape tomatoes and mushrooms in place of spinach(although I plan to try it that way, as well!)
This is a simple, accessible, and delectable recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sidney! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Wendy Doucette says
I love this recipe! It turns out perfect every time. I’ve tried it with roasted red peppers a few times and tonight tried sun-dried tomatoes. Delicious both ways 😋
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Wendy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Cynthia Martin says
Made it last night and was very impressed by the appearance and flavor. The whole family enjoyed it with rice. Will try next time with pasta. Thanks.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cynthia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Sheila K says
This was so good, I shared it with three people at work. I made enough (I thought) to take to work for lunch. But my boys ate it all!! I added mushrooms and had to substitute diced tomatoes for the sun dried and it was still flavorful. I will use the correct tomato next time I make this. Thanks for the recipe- it’s a WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sheila! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Gg says
Can I sub collards for the spinach?
The Recipe Rebel says
Maybe you could, I just haven’t tried it myself.
Amanda M says
Looking to make this recipe but does it matter if I use olive oil or avocado oil?
The Recipe Rebel says
Nope it just might change the flavor some.
Nicole says
We made this last night with chicken thighs and it’s so good. The whole house smelled divine while this was being cooked. Make sure to make extras. You will want 2nds maybe even 3rds. This also went well with a nice crusty type bread instead of noodles.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Nicole! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Teri Crosmas says
Super flavourful!! Love this recipe. I made it for the first time tonight and it was a huge hit. Definately going in my recipe book.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Teri! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Debbie says
Our family favorite recipe! The only thing that I added to this recipe was fresh mushrooms.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Debbie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Jessica Green Foley says
I loved this, I added pepper flakes because I didn’t have paprika, the only thing is it was way too garlicky – but I haven’t seen anyone else complain so maybe I accidentally added more than 2 tsp, overall it was super yummy !
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jessica! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Sara says
I’m so happy to have found this! My husband raved about it the entire dinner and said it should be added to our rotation. The only thing I did that was different was adding slivered shallot to the cream mixture along with the chopped sun dried tomatoes. I served thos with a side of roast asparagus and golden potatoes. Yum!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sara! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Tracy says
The whole family loved it
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Tracy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Dee says
Hello again!! After reading all your notes, I didn’t dry the chicken so maybe that was the problem.
I did remove the chicken and put All the sauce in a pan and whisked it (found the parm wasn’t totally melted either) and I have to say it was PERFECT!!!
Next time, I will for sure dry the chicken but honestly, it was an easy fix! It was DELICIOUS!
Thank you!
(Can you sub shrimp for chicken, I have some beautiful shrimp in the freezer)
We all loved this dinner, had it over papadarlle pasta! Yum!
Bill says
I plan to use shrimp next time for certain!! I think it would go perfectly. Shrimp cooks quickly, so I can see the time being reduced.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Dee!
Richard F says
This recipe was a hit for the whole family. Easy and quick. I made it with 3 thick breaststroke that I halved and pounded thin. They were too big for my casserole dish so I used an aluminum pan. All went well and I don’t think the leftover portion will last the night. Definitely a keeper.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Richard! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!