Skillet Tuscan Chicken Recipe
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Chilly nights call for easy, cozy dinners like this Tuscan chicken recipe! It is all kinds of delicious, and super simple to make in a skillet on the stove top. Plus, it’s budget friendly!
Why This Recipe is a Must-Make
This is one recipe you’ll come back to again and again! There’s just so much flavor in every bite. This Tuscan chicken recipe is indulgent without being heavy, the perfect balance of savory goodness and healthy ingredients.
I like to make this dairy-free chicken dinner for date night, or if I’m entertaining guests with dietary restrictions. Really, I just make it anytime because when is there ever a bad time to dig into a creamy, delicious comfort food.
Tuscan chicken has truly become one of our favorite budget-friendly meals. The juicy chicken is just so flavorful and tender, I can’t stop eating it!
If you’re having an especially busy week, make my crockpot Tuscan chicken recipe!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my mom-tested tips to make this easy Tuscan chicken recipe. I’ve made this countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the cooked chicken breasts and see if they have reached a safe internal temperature of 165°. This will keep you from overcooking the chicken!
- If you are using smaller chicken breasts, they may not need as much cook time.
- For best results, try to use similar sized breasts. This way, they’ll finish cooking at the same time.
Ingredients
I love that this meal is made with just 8 simple ingredients, most of which I have on hand all the time anyhow! This Tuscan chicken recipe features:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- sun-dried tomatoes
- artichokes
- sundried tomato oil or olive oil
- minced garlic
- fresh baby spinach
- coconut milk or cream:
- chicken or vegetable broth
- salt and black pepper
Substitutions and Variations
Tomatoes: I prefer to use the sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil, but whatever you have will work great. I then use the oil from the sundried tomato jar, because it adds loads of flavor, but olive oil or avocado oil will do the trick too!
Artichokes: For this recipe, I typically use frozen artichoke hearts but canned artichoke hearts will also work.
Spinach: Feel free to substitute kale instead of using spinach. However, keep in mind that it needs a bit longer to cook. If you use kale, add it to the skillet along with the artichokes and tomatoes.
Coconut milk: I use full fat coconut milk from a can. If you haven’t used it before, it’s solid at room temperature but melts into the sauce when heated and brings a lovely, rich, creamy element to the sauce. Can’t have coconut? Then you can swap it out for unflavored, unsweetened almond milk. If you’re not dairy free, you can use heavy cream or whole milk.
Olives: I personally don’t like olives, and choose to leave them out of this dish. But kalamata olives would be a beautiful addition to this dish if you like them!
Cheese: If you don’t need to be dairy-free, you can add parmesan cheese to this dish to make a creamy parmesan cheese.
Chicken: You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breast if you want!
How to Make this Tuscan Chicken Recipe
You won’t believe how easy it is to make healthy, crowd pleasing tuscan chicken recipe with a creamy sauce. My preferred method is in a skillet, since it’s faster and I’m always in a hurry, but the slow cooker works wonderfully to make these tender chicken breasts too!! Here are instructions for both:
Skillet
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and then brown the chicken breasts on one side. Then flip the chicken and add in the artichokes, sundried tomatoes, and minced garlic.
Sauté everything together until well combined. Then stir in the chicken broth and coconut milk.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the spinach and cover the dish.
Once the spinach wilts, season the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce to taste and serve!
Serving Suggestions
If your dietary restrictions don’t exclude pasta, you could serve this dish over fusilli or penne pasta. Or if you can have rice, fresh jasmine rice would soak up this cream sauce and pair so well with the chicken. And if you can have beans, my Mediterranean inspired cannellini bean salad would go beautifully with this, too.
Air fryer garlic mushrooms are also another tasty addition to pair with this meal. Easy bacon wrapped asparagus would go well with this dish too.
Serve this dish with a crunchy quinoa arugula salad if you want something healthy and light to pair with this rich and creamy dish!
Tuscan Chicken Recipe FAQs
Because of the fresh spinach in this dish, it tastes best served fresh. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the spinach may not reheat well. If you know ahead of time that you will have leftovers, then I would just leave the spinach out of the dish.
The creamy sauce in Tuscan chicken is most often made from garlic, sundried tomatoes, butter and spinach. Many people add cream cheese or heavy cream to make the sauce extra creamy. This recipe uses full fat coconut milk to make a creamy sauce!
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Tuscan Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lbs chicken breasts
- 1 cup artichoke hearts
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes preferably packed in oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup coconut cream or milk
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, optional
- 1 Tablespoon oil from sundried tomato jar or regular olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning, optional
Video
Instructions
Do the Prep Work
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. If the thickness of the chicken breasts is uneven, place the chicken, one at a time, between two sheets of wax or parchment paper or inside a gallon plastic bag, and gently pound to a standard thickness. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Mince the garlic.
Cook the Dish (Skillet Instructions)
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and brown for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chicken once it easily releases.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, and artichokes to the pan and saute as the chicken browns on the second side, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the broth and coconut milk and seasonings. Bring to a simmer, then add in the spinach and olives, if using, and cover. Allow to cook together for about 5 more minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is cooked through.
Notes
- Add the chicken, stock, garlic, and seasonings to your slow cooker or crock pot.
- Cover and cook on low for 3.5 hours or high for 2.5 hours.
- Stir in the artichokes, sundried tomatoes, and coconut milk. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes on high or 30 minutes on low.
- Stir in fresh spinach, and cover just until wilted.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
