Tuscan-Style Chicken with Bacon and Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic Cream Sauce is gluten-free, low-carb, high-protein, and keto-friendly. Perfect when served with asparagus!
I love combining chicken breasts and sun-dried tomatoes, such as in this Mediterranean Chicken with Capers, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes or this Chicken Florentine Bake.
This recipe is no exception. Chicken breasts and bacon combine beautifully with the creamy cheesy sauce made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and cream. So good! The chicken is moist and tender!
This is KETO friendly recipe. Chicken breast is low-carb and high in protein. Bacon is low carb and has a high-fat content. Sun-dried tomato cream sauce is low-carb and high in fat. There are hardly any carbs in this recipe, and it tastes so good - like something you would order from a good restaurant! Enjoy!
Side dishes
What to serve with this Tuscan-style chicken? What would go great with the sun-dried tomato cream sauce? I suggest serving steamed or roasted veggies, such as asparagus and broccoli. Also, cooked spinach or cooked green beans would be great. Below are some KETO-friendly side dish ideas:
- Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Bacon, Garlic, and Asiago cheese
- Spinach Cooked with Garlic and Olive Oil
- Garlic and Bacon Green Beans
- Asiago Roasted Broccoli
- Asiago Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Tuscan-Style Chicken Breasts with Bacon and Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken Breasts
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil in a jar
- salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil either from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, or just use olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 lb chicken breasts large, halved horizontally (4 chicken breasts)
Cream Sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded (not fresh Mozzarella!)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes at least, add more to taste
- 8 strips bacon cooked and chopped
Instructions
How to cook chicken breasts in a skillet on stove top:
- Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sautéing as described below:
- In a large pan, on medium heat, saute garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of oil (olive oil or oil reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar - see note above) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Remove sun-dried tomatoes and garlic from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken breasts, halved horizontally, salted and lightly covered in paprika (for color) and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Cover the pan with the lid, remove from heat, and let the chicken sit, cooking in its own juices, off heat in a skillet, until completely cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet.
How to make cream sauce:
- Add 1 cup of heavy cream to the same, now empty, skillet. Add back the cooked sun-dried tomatoes and the garlic. Add basil and crushed red pepper - mix to combine.
- Bring to boil, add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, immediately reduce to simmer, constantly stirring to melt the cheese, until the cheese melts.
- Add 1 cup of milk gradually, whisking until nice and smooth, while on simmer. You might not use all the milk - add just enough to thin out the sauce to your liking.
- Add cooked chicken breasts. Top with crumbled cooked bacon. Reheat until warm.
Video
Notes
- Use pre-shredded Mozzarella cheese labeled as part-skim, low-moisture. It is usually sold pre-shredded or as a block of cheese.
- Do not use fresh Mozzarella, usually sold as large soft balls or a log.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Looks great, can you use cherry tomatoes as a alternative to sun dried tomatoes?
Hi Tony! You can but you will have to change the recipe. You will cook the chicken with garlic and spices first, then make the sauce as per recipe, and once the creamy sauce is made, add cherry tomatoes (sliced in half) and reheat.
Absolutely amazing!! Made it directly like the recipe said, except for cutting the chicken into large chunks for more even cooking. Served with brown rice. So good!
Thank you, Elizabeth, for your 5-star review - I really appreciate it! Love that you served it with rice! 🙂