This is the kind of dinner we dream about. Browned and juicy chicken? Check. Fresh mushrooms and leafy greens? Check check. Enough sauce to coat everything thoroughly? Ch— well, you get the idea. Creamy Tuscan chicken simply has it all, which explains why it finds its way to our dinner table at least once per week. Really, let’s be honest — it’s all about that sauce. Make sure you take your fair share and don’t leave any sauce behind. You can thank us later.
This recipe is great served over steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or our simple olive oil pasta.
Why Our Recipe
- A sauce that will have you wanting to lick the plate clean.
- Uses thin pieces of chicken for quick and even cooking.
- Ready in 45 minutes or less and can be served over rice, pasta, or potatoes for a complete meal.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breasts/Cutlets: The key is to have even, thin pieces for quick and uniform cooking.
- Granulated Garlic: Garlic powder can be used as an alternative in the same amount.
- Mushrooms: Button or crimini mushrooms both work well.
- All-Purpose Flour: Helps thicken the sauce to a creamy consistency. Can be left out, or replaced with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
- Baby Spinach Leaves: Softer texture than regular spinach and wilts down easier.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes: Finely chopped for easy incorporation. The kind packed in oil is preferable for this recipe.
- Minced Garlic: Use freshly minced for the best flavor, or use a garlic press.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: Use low sodium to allow you to better control the salt content and flavor.
- Heavy Cream: Creates the creamy texture of the sauce, but you can use half and half. You’ll just have a thinner sauce.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly grated for better melting. Canned and pre-grated parmesan cheese may clump.
Thin Chicken Breasts
This is the kind of recipe where you want thin, even pieces of chicken for quick and even cooking. It can be a little confusing to know what to buy at the grocery store because chicken breasts nowadays are sold under several different options. For this recipe, you’ll need about 1 pound of thin chicken breasts, regardless of the preparation method you choose.
Standard Chicken Breasts: Those traditional plump boneless skinless chicken breasts are your standard option. You slice them in half lengthwise as evenly as you can to create thin pieces.
Chicken Cutlets: You can also buy something called chicken cutlets, which are chicken breasts already sliced thinly for convenience.
Butterflied Chicken Breasts: Another option you might see at the grocery store is labeled as butterflied chicken. These are breasts that have been sliced horizontally, but not quite all the way through, creating a chicken breast that can open and close like a book, which is great for stuffed chicken. You can also use this and just finish slicing it in two.
Cooking Lesson: Saline Injected Chicken
Ever noticed that some chicken breasts release a lot of liquid during cooking? That’s because a lot of chicken is sold with a saline injection. That’s right, the chicken is injected with a little salt water to preserve it. It cooks out which is where all that liquid comes from, but it also means that you paid for that salt water in the price per pound. Here’s what you need to know:
Identifying Saline-Injected Chicken: Always check the labels closely when buying chicken. Saline-injected chicken is often labeled as being saline-injected or “enhanced with a solution” or something similar.
Non-Injected Chicken: For better results in every recipe, opt for chicken that hasn’t been injected with saline which should be on the same shelves at the grocery store. Look for labels that indicate the chicken is free from added solutions, is air-chilled, or says “no added water.”
Storage and Reheating Instructions
To reheat on the stovetop, place the chicken and sauce in a skillet and add 1 tablespoon of water or chicken broth. Heat the chicken over medium heat, stirring the sauce occasionally, until it is heated through. Flip the chicken every couple of minutes.
To reheat in the microwave, place the chicken in a microwave-safe dish and cover it with a damp paper towel. Heat the chicken in the microwave for 1 minute. Check the temperature, and continue to heat in 30-second increments until it is heated through.
This is one of the best recipes I’ve gotten here and I could easily eat it once a week.
Awesome. Everyone loved it and it’s minimal dishes. The chopped veggies are a great opportunity to bring kids into the kitchen so they can learn for when they’re older. I didn’t have parm for the sauce, so for extra flavor I marinated the chicken in mustard, juice, and spices beforehand. It made them extra flavorful. I also took the liberty of adding onions since I’m a firm believer that there is no such thing as too much onions. Overall it was a bit different from the intended recipe, but still delicious.