This Crockpot Tuscan Chicken features juicy chicken breasts slow cooked in a rich and flavorful cream sauce. This recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep and makes the perfect dinner served over your favorite pasta!
Love your slow cooker? Enjoy more of the best Crockpot Chicken Breast recipes like Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken Breast, Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken and Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken.
This Baked Tuscan Chicken combines some of my favorite flavors into one delicious dish! There are days though that it feels really nice knowing that dinner is cooking away in the slow cooker (and we all love this Slow Cooker Chicken Breast!)
Enter this Tuscan Crockpot Chicken Recipe. It’s the best of both worlds!
It features those signature Tuscan flavors that we all know and love. Sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, spinach and more come together to create the very best flavor combo!
You can enjoy this creamy chicken dish all by itself with a side salad or veggies, or toss it on top of a heaping pile of rice or Buttered Noodles. It’s hard to go wrong with a meal that tastes this good!
Reader Rating
“This recipe is amazing! My husband literally could not stop eating it, and we all agreed that it tasted like something that you would get at a very nice Italian restaurant!” — Jenny
Why we love this crockpot chicken recipe:
- Easy: This is a true set it and forget it recipe. I love Crockpot chicken recipes like this one that require almost no prep work!
- Versatile: Add more or less spinach, garlic, seasonings, etc. This recipe is so easy to change up.
- Summery: With sun dried tomatoes and spinach, this recipe is lovely to serve during the warmer months when you’re craving some vibrant flavor.
Ingredients Needed:
- Chicken Breasts: I use boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will also work — you’ll need about twice as many or the same weight.
- Seasonings: We’re seasoning the chicken with a simple blend of salt, Italian seasoning, paprika and black pepper.
- Heavy Cream: The base for the cream sauce. You can lighten it up with half and half, but the sauce won’t be as rich and creamy, and won’t thicken quite as much.
- Cornstarch: Helps thicken the sauce as it cooks.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Since the chicken is well seasoned, we just need a little salt and pepper to spice up the cream sauce.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes: Choose oil-packed, but be sure to drain and chop the sun dried tomatoes into smaller pieces so they incorporate well into the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly shredded parmesan for the best flavor.
- Chopped Spinach: I recommend using fresh spinach for this recipe. Frozen spinach will water down the sauce, so be sure to thaw and squeeze it out if you are using it.
How to make Crockpot Tuscan Chicken Breast:
This Crock Pot Tuscan chicken recipe is a simple, flavorful dinner that takes just 10 minutes to prep! For more details about the process, just scroll down to the recipe card.
- Place chicken breasts in the Crockpot. Combine salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over chicken.
- Add the cream, garlic, cornstarch salt and pepper to a medium bowl and whisk.
- Stir in the sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese and pour around and over chicken in the Crockpot.
- Put the lid on. Cook on LOW for 3 hours or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Stir in the fresh spinach.
Variations and Substitutions
- Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. I would aim for 2 lbs of meat.
- Cream: You can use a lighter cream, but keep in mind that the sauce will not be as thick and rich. If you go this route, you may want to increase the cornstarch to compensate.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes and Spinach: Try swapping the sun dried tomatoes for roasted red peppers or the fresh spinach for kale if that’s what you have on hand!
- Artichoke Hearts: one commenter asked about adding artichoke hearts to the recipe — it’s a nice way to add more veggies to the dish.
How to store leftover chicken:
You can store leftover Tuscan chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave until warmed all the way through and be careful not to scald the cream sauce!
Can I freeze tuscan chicken breasts?
Yes! Let the creamy chicken completely cool to room temperature prior to freezing in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Let it thaw prior to reheating.
To quickly thaw frozen chicken, place it in a bowl of cool water and allow it to sit until thawed. Change the water out every 20 minutes so that it doesn’t get too warm. If you have more time, just place the chicken in the fridge until it defrosts.
Serving suggestions:
I love to serve the finished chicken sliced over a pile of Garlic Mashed Potatoes and topped off with a scoop of extra cream sauce! These Roasted Green Beans or Honey Glazed Carrots are great way to add veggie to your plate as well.
More Crockpot dinner recipes you’ll love!
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef — skip the takeout!
- Crockpot Salsa Chicken — just a few ingredients!
- Crockpot Meatloaf –so juicy and tender!
- Sun Dried Tomato Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes — a complete meal in one.
Crockpot Tuscan Chicken recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts , (about 2 lbs)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Tuscan Cream Sauce
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, (oil packed, drained and chopped)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken.
Tuscan Cream Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, cornstarch, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the tomatoes and Parmesan and pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken reaches 165°F. If the sauce separates as it cooks, simply stir it until smooth. Stir in the spinach.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Remove from the slow cooker and serve.
Video
Notes
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. I would aim for 2 lbs of meat.
- You can use a lighter cream, but keep in mind that the sauce will not be as thick and rich (you may want to increase the corn starch to compensate)
- Try swapping the sun dried tomatoes for roasted red peppers or the fresh spinach for kale if that’s what you have on hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Christopher Green says
Ridiculously good!!! Rich and creamy with tender fall apart chicken.
I often use enough thighs and breasts to double the recipe. Realistically feeds 6 real adult appetites
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Christopher!
Adela says
My family loved this! I didn’t have cornstarch so I used all purpose flour and I always add a little more seasoning than called for. I made the mistake of putting my crockpot on high instead of low so it wasn’t very creamy but it was still delicious. Good flavor. My sun dried tomatoes were also Julianne cut in a package not the bottle with oil.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Adela!
T says
Amazing! I used Olive Garden dressing instead of Italian seasoning. I also added cayenne pepper to taste. Wonderful! I WOULD increase the amount to sauce. It was so good, we wanted to lick the plate.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Mur says
So easy, so good!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Mur!
Jordan says
I’ve made this several times and it’s a fan favorite!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Amy says
Stuck inside for the Texas ice storm and I happened to have most of these ingredients. It was delicious! I used 1/2 shallot and added some white wine and paprika. Did not have cream so I googled how to make my own. My husband is lactose intolerant so we had lactaid milk (3/4) and butter(1/4). Melted together and added cornstarch as directed. Tired of pasta so I made polenta with some extra parmesean on top! YUMMY. ( I read someone stating about cream clumping and that also happen to me but I do think it was probably the parmesean so I will add atr the end next time before i put in spinach.)
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you for sharing Amy! Stay safe!
Julie says
This chicken is so yummy! Put on top of rice. Will be making the recipe on repeat.
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Julie!
Sarah B says
2 hours on low and it curdled big time. I had a feeling it would but the recipe comments from the creator said it wouldn’t. Disappointed, cream is expensive. 🙁
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Sarah! Heavy cream (30-35% fat) is resistant to curdling. Can you email me a picture of the recipe and I can try to figure out what happened? ashley @thereciperebel.com
Tina P. says
I loved this recipe! I seared my chicken before putting it in the crockpot to get maximum flavor. I also added a little tomato paste and a little white wine. It was divine! I will definitely be making this again. It’s amazing how something so easy to make yields such delicious results. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Tina!
Julie says
Could I substitute the heavy whipping cream with coconut cream? Half of my family is lactose intolerant.
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry, I haven’t tried but there may be some in the comments who have. The best option would be lactose free cream.
Becca says
This is one of my family’s favorite recipes and I make it all the time. I also will sometimes just make the sauce and pour it over pasta.
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great idea!
Trish says
Can you use frozen spinach in a pinch?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, but I would thaw and squeeze out and add it just at the end.
Rachel says
Too much water , def use fresh it won’t water it down
Anne Tierney says
I did!
Katy says
This sounds amazing! How could I modify it if I don’t have a slow cooker and just want to put it in the oven?
Ashley Fehr says
You can find the oven version here: https://www.thereciperebel.com/baked-tuscan-chicken-breasts/
Chris Edwards says
Made this tonight and it was fantastic, my slow cooker was a little bit bigger so I doubled the cream sauce
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Chris!
Amanda says
Can you use flour instead of cornstarch?
Ashley Fehr says
That would likely work, but I haven’t tried it
Nikki says
When I have made similar before, the sauce broke (the cream separated). Is there a way to keep that from happening? Otherwise, everyone loved it!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Nikki! Heavy whipping cream (35%) should be pretty resistant to separating and I haven’t had this happen. If you’re concerned about it, I would try my stove top (https://www.thereciperebel.com/creamy-tuscan-chicken-recipe/) or oven version (https://www.thereciperebel.com/baked-tuscan-chicken-breasts/). You could also try adding the parmesan at the end of the cook time in case what you are seeing is not the cream separating but the parmesan clumping.
Jacki Hettinger says
what if i use a 6 quart crock pot?
Ashley Fehr says
It will likely cook faster.
Jen says
If using a 6 qt pot, how long to cook on low for?
Ashley Fehr says
I would check it at the 2.5 hour mark.
Amanda Klaholz says
When do I add the spinach?
Grant says
At The very end right before serving. It will cook in 2 seconds Goodluck!
Rick says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Betsy says
Love that you just tried it and left a review, I’m trying it tonight