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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Kelsey says
Is there anyway to make this recipe take longer in the crockpot? I leave for work at 8am and dont get back until 4:30– so if this takes only 3 hours that might be tricky!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kelsey! Not really without overcooking the chicken. I would recommend my baked recipe (https://www.thereciperebel.com/baked-tuscan-chicken-breasts/) or my skillet recipe here (https://www.thereciperebel.com/creamy-tuscan-chicken-recipe/).
Mama Monk says
I never leave reviews…
I felt that this was worth the time. I’ve made this recipe at least a dozen times already and my husband and boys (12 and 15) ask for it every week!
I double and sometimes triple the sauce recipe as they really enjoy it over their pasta and it holds pretty well for leftovers.
I followed the recipe as is the first time and it was great!
After a dozen times though I’m used to my variations which include the below if anyone was interested:
First, a beat the chicken down a bit with a meat mallet and sometimes score the chicken. It cooks in my crockpot on low in about half the time that way.
I double all the ingredients (except for the chicken) to have more sauce for our pasta. I use rotini as it holds the sauce well. Lastly, I add baby bella mushrooms. I cook them with a bit of garlic, salt and pepper on the stove then throw them in last with the spinach.
Thank you for this great recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you for sharing!
Kelsey says
Did I miss where to put in the spinach? Kind of hoping it goes in at the beginning!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kelsey! You’ll see it in step 5. It wilts quickly so I don’t like to add it at the beginning
Jalil Townsend says
I making this dish right now and can’t wait . I used the whole sun dried tomatoes with Italian seasoning and just cut them up myself.
Ashley Fehr says
I hope you enjoy it!
Greg says
Made this tonight for dinner. Loved, Loved, loved It!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Greg!
Jeanne says
I made this last night and it is excellent! The only deviation from the recipe was I added more parm than the recipe called for, approx. 3/4 cup. I used sundried tomatoes not packed in oil (produce department), if anyone has questions about that. It is so flavorful and tasty. I served it over linguine and some roasted broccoli on the side. Excellent meal!! It’s a keeper.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Jeanne!
Carol says
Haven’t tried this yet. Question:
What would the cooking time be at
a low setting?
Ashley Fehr says
HI Carol! Yes you’ll cook on low as mentioned in step 5
CAROLYN says
This is my kind of recipe nice ans simple, I just threw it in the crockpot, can’t wait for dinner tonight!
Ashley Fehr says
I hope you enjoyed it!
Yvonne says
Can this recipe also be cooked in an instant pot?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! I have a similar Instant Pot recipe here: https://www.thereciperebel.com/creamy-italian-instant-pot-chicken-breasts/
Lorraine Tokelove says
Just made this and pleased all 4 of us, my son wants to give up his take away night for me to cook this lol. An absolute hit in our house. Xx
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Lorraine!
Diane says
Would evaporated milk work instead of the cream?
Ashley Fehr says
Evaporated milk doesn’t thicken as much when cooked, so you may want to add additional corn starch
Nancy says
I liked this recipe. But I do not like sundried tomatoes, so i replaced with roasted red peppers. Delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Diana says
Love this recipe!
If I wanted to double it, how does that change the cooking time?
Ashley Fehr says
If a slow cooker is more full it will take a little longer.
Jan says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Lorretta Johnson says
I made this last night and my husband and I both agreed that it was EXCELLENT–even though I forgot the spinach! Leftovers tomorrow night so will add some spinach during the reheat. Served it on top of linguini and next time I will increase the sauce (1-1/2) so there is plenty for meat and pasta. The recipe did not specify if the sun-dried tomatoes were dried or oil packed. I used julienne cut, oil packed tomatoes that I drained and patted dry with paper towels. They worked great. Thanks for an easy, yummy recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Loretta!
SJ Schenk says
The best chicken dish I have ever had and I’m old! We used chicken thighs. Absolutely delicious.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much!
Melinda says
This was so easy to make and delicious!
Janet says
Making this today for lunch! Can’t wait to try it! I’m sure it will be delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Enjoy!
Heather says
This was good. Definitely very rich. A little too much. I’d cut it with a good amount of chicken broth next time. I used 5 lbs of chicken tenderloin and cooked on low for about 3 hours. Added a little extra spices, including Traders Joes 21 salute spice blend. Over all I’d recommend.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Heather! You can definitely thin the sauce with chicken broth if you like.
Judy says
I’m making this right now with fresh bought ingredients this a.m. and it will be delicious! I’ve made it before. It’s simple. No need for dozens of this and that. Right here is all you need. Keep it simple.
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