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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Anna says
My cream completely curdled. No idea why. 😔
Ashley Fehr says
The cream may separate some with cooking, but when you stir in the spinach the sauce should come together. If you use heavy cream or whipping cream, it shouldn’t curdle with cooking.
Beverly says
My family loved this recipe! Doubling the spinach would even work. The chicken was so tender and the sauce was fantastic.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Beverly!
Amy says
This is the best recipe that I’ve ever made!!! Delicious and so easy 😋
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so glad!
Jane says
I made this for dinner last night and it was incredible! First it’s so easy, I served it over angel hair pasta and it was so good with an Italian salad! Thanks for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your review Jane!
Sue says
I would love to add chanterelle mushrooms to the dish. How do you think I can incorporate this into the recipe? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
I think that would work great! You could saute them first or just add them right in.
Laura says
This recipe is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a HUGE hit. Delicious!!!!! Served over rice as the main course with a salad on the side. Will definitely make again. I followed the directions and cooked in a 6 quart crock pot for 3 hours and it came out perfect!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura! I’m thrilled you loved it!
Kay says
I’d like to double this recipe and take it to a family reunion.
Could I use chicken tenders in place of breasts so that the chicken would go farther?
If tenders would work, would the cooking time change? Cook on low?
Since I will be taking this to a reunion, can the ingredients stand alone or do I need the pasta or rice?
This recipe sounds fabulous and I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you so much for answering my questions. Blessings and Joy!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kay! You can use chicken tenders or just cut the chicken breasts into smaller pieces. You will need less cook time if you go this route – I recommend checking after 1.5-2 hours on low. The ingredients can stand alone but it’s nice to have something to soak up the extra sauce. I hope that helps!
Bailey says
I don’t have heavy cream.. can I use whole milk instead?
Ashley Fehr says
I don’t recommend it because it won’t thicken. If you want to try it, you would need to whisk in some corn starch or flour before adding to the recipe.
Sherry Goodloe says
Made this for myself about a month ago. I’m visiting my beau for a couple of weeks, so in it for him for dinner tonight! He’s going to love it 😉
Ashley Fehr says
The perfect date night meal!
Audrey Luttrell says
This was 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 Definitely a new favorite for my husband and me!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! Thanks Audrey!
Amy says
Would you change anything about this recipe in order to have shreddable chicken at the end? I’m wanting to do this and stir it through some pasta or rice.
Ashley Fehr says
I think it should be shreddable at the end of the cook time.
myndeigh says
love this recipe is crockpot recipe. made a similar tuscan chicken where the chicken is breaded but it fried and the recipe was cooked on the stovetop, delicious but time consuming. this is just as tasty but much easier
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Jillian says
100% hands down a 5 star recipe.. easy, delicious, and not many dishes at all!! I will dream of this meal for days to come now that I’ve eaten it.. I served on top of Parmesan couscous and topped with a little extra fresh grated parm.. and omg.. yes and yes. Thank you for posting this!!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Jillian! I’m thrilled that you loved it!
Sandy says
This is delicious! A few years ago, my son made a fussy recipe that tasted very like this one. Putting all of the ingredients into a crockpot and coming back in 3 hours to an amazing meal is priceless! I first made this for dinner at my Dad’s, there was so little left over, I made it again the next day! Truly a wonderful recipe, thank you!!
Ashley Fehr says
I love that! Thank you Sandy!
Giannina says
Hi Ashley! My crockpot only has a low setting for 8 and 10 hours and a high setting for 4 and 6 hours. Which should I use?
Ashley Fehr says
You will just turn it on low and set a timer to turn it off at the correct time. You will not want to let it cook for any of those times.
Shantel Thomas says
Everyone in my family loves this recipe! I do have to add a little heavy cream half way through the cooking because the sauce gets too thick but, that is probably just my crock pot 🙂
Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Nicole says
Can I use chicken tenders strips instead? If so how long and follow the same measurements for the other ingredients? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! They will just cook a little bit quicker
Sherry Conklin says
Super quick and easy! I did triple the seasoning, doubled the garlic and cheese and substituted kale for spinach. I served with rice because the sauce was runny and not enough for pasta. Would double sauce next time.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback, Sherry!
Stewball says
How would i cook this either in the oven or on the stove?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! Here you go: https://www.thereciperebel.com/creamy-tuscan-chicken-recipe/ Enjoy!
Amy says
Could I use canned coconut milk instead?
Rose Mack says
This recipe is out of this world fantastic! I doubled the recipe and used an instant read thermometer to check temp of chicken and it took about 3 1/2 hours. I did use frozen chopped spinach well drained at the very end and added about 1 extra teaspoon of cornstarch when preparing the sauce. I love that I could season the chicken in the dish and make the sauce in advance, keep it in the fridge, then just mix it all together and let the crock pot do the work. I made Jasmine rice, and thin spaghetti so everyone could pick their preference.
My daughters were raving about this the entire night and my step-daughter who had been to a VERY expensive restaurant here in Nashville the night before told me this was so much better than her chicken dish there. Seriously, this is so good it tastes like it took hours of work. This will be my go to when I need something everyone will love. Please don’t substitute ingredients, it’s absolutely perfect as is.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Rose!