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
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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Patricia Benedetto says
Followed your recipe as written. Absolutely delicious and so quick and easy to make! Thanks so much!
Susan says
Wonderful, delicious recipe! The only thing I left out was the paprika because it gives my husband heartburn, but it was super flavorful anyway. And so easy!, perfection! Love your website.
Lori says
My brother introduced us to this and is was Amazing! I’m Lactose Intolerant so we used canned Coconut Cream and it was perfect. We also added mushrooms but should have pre-cooked them to release their liquid but still very good ( or probably could add a bit more cornstarch. Plus added a few fresh basil leaves Serving for company tonight 😋😋😋
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Lori! And thanks for the feedback on using coconut cream!
Vanessa G says
This was fantastic!! I love the simplicity of mixing up a quick sauce and putting it all in the oven to keep it easy and hands free! I knew my family would want more sauce for on top of pasta, so I added 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1 tsp chicken bouillon in place of salt. Subsequently, I added more cornstarch to help the sauce thicken more in the oven. The house smelled wonderful while this was baking and it tasted amazing!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Vanessa!
Bryan says
Great recipe! Very easy to follow and overall a nice dish that’s quick to make. I made some light adjustments due to personal preferences by adding more paprika (1/2 tsp) and spinach (cup and a half), plus made the Italian seasoning myself.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Bryan!
Rachael says
Could this work in the crock pot? 🤔
Jamie says
I’d be worried the heavy cream will curdle or separate
The Recipe Rebel says
It doesn’t. It normally happens when you are using a lower fat cream.
The Recipe Rebel says
Yes! Here you go: https://www.thereciperebel.com/crockpot-tuscan-chicken/ Enjoy!
Jennifer says
This is another delicious recipe. We have tried it with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs, both are delicious! It really is very easy and the whole family loves it, even my pickiest eater.
kc says
Made this for dinner the other day. Super simply and pretty tasty.
Tammie says
Turned out great!
However I used double the amount of cornstarch and cooked it for 25 minutes.
Also added a little extra of the spices.
Wanted to add a photo but won’t let me.
Chicken came out really tender.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad it worked out for you, Tammie.
Amber Drake says
What kind of pasta are you serving it on in the picture above?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amber! It’s called pappardelle. I would Google Garofalo Pappardelle (which is the pasta I use) and you’ll see where it is located near you. Enjoy!
Vanessa says
This was a winner! Quick, easy and my entire family loved it. Thank you! This recipe will be on my weekdays rotation.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you!
Faith Mayes says
Darn good stuff…I would serve this for guests or for a crowd as it would hold up and not dry out in a chaffing dish. I’ve catered quite a bit and this would be great for that. Thank you for a great recipe..
The Recipe Rebel says
THank you!
Amanda Gertel says
This was totally delicious. I used half and half instead of heavy cream and it was just as good.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad it worked out for you, Amanda!
Kendall says
I made this tonight and served it over rice. My husband and I both thought it tasted amazing! So easy to make and very tasty!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Kendall!