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Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Spinach, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is a quick and easy 30-minute ONE-PAN meal that will become one of your favorite dinners! It's keto, low-carb, gluten-free, and high in protein.
If you love Italian-style recipes, give a try to this pan-seared Tuscan chicken. What makes it special and different from many other recipes is that the creamy garlic sauce uses a wide array of vegetables: spinach, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes. Capers add a little tang to the already flavorful sauce.
In this one-pan recipe, the boneless and skinless chicken breasts are coated with Italian seasoning and then quickly seared before being smothered in a silky garlic Tuscan cream sauce. The cooked chicken has a perfect texture: soft and juicy, without a hint of dryness.
The recipe takes only 30 minutes. It's a great family-friendly weeknight dinner that incorporates many veggies and tastes like something from a high-end restaurant. This is a low-carb and gluten-free recipe.
This recipe is similar to the Tuscan salmon recipe I posted a while back - it features a similar sauce with the same veggies. If you love veggies, serve this creamy Tuscan chicken with sautéed spinach or Asiago roasted broccoli (you can also use Parmesan instead of Asiago).
Tips for searing chicken
- What type of chicken to use? Use thinly sliced skinless boneless chicken breasts.
- Pat dry chicken. Make sure the chicken breasts are completely thawed. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels to get rid of extra moisture.
- What pan to use. Use a large skillet (stainless steel, cast iron, or non-stick).
- What temperature? Heat the pan on medium-high heat until hot, and then add olive oil. Immediately add seasoned chicken breasts.
- How long to sear? Sear for about 4 minutes on one side on medium-high heat, then turn over to the other side and sear for another 4 minutes. In this particular recipe, the chicken will continue cooking in the sauce until it's completely cooked through.
Garlic cream sauce for chicken
The cream sauce is made with heavy cream, garlic, and veggies. There is no flour or cheese used. It's a gluten-free, low-carb sauce. Chicken breasts are generously coated with the sauce which helps to keep the chicken moist, tender, and flavorful.
How to make creamy Tuscan chicken
1. Season chicken on both sides with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and other spices.
2. Sear the chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat, about 4 minutes on each side.
Sear the chicken in a large skillet
3. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
4. To the same, now empty, skillet, add minced garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute on medium heat.
Sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, capers in a skillet.
5. Add fresh spinach.
Spinach, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers in a skillet
6. Cook until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes, on medium heat.
Wilted spinach with other veggies in a skillet
7. To make the sauce, add 1 cup of heavy cream and paprika to the skillet with sautéed vegetables. Bring to simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring. Season with salt, if desired. Add more paprika, if you like.
The cream sauce in a skillet
8. Add cooked chicken to the skillet with the cream sauce.
9. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and simmer for about 2 minutes (or more), until the chicken is warmed up and completely cooked through. Season with salt, if needed.
Creamy Tuscan chicken
What to serve with creamy Tuscan chicken
- Green Veggies. The garlic cream sauce will work great over roasted green veggies. I recommend roasting or steaming broccoli, asparagus, or green beans. You can also serve the chicken over sauteed spinach, kale, or Swiss chard.
- Pasta. What can be more perfect than pairing some pasta or ravioli with the delicious Tuscan cream sauce and the chicken? Use thin pasta, such as angel hair or spaghetti. You can use many types of store-bought ravioli with this recipe. You can also make your own homemade ravioli if you like.
- Spaghetti Squash. For a healthier side dish, roast spaghetti squash in the oven and then scrape out the spaghetti squash strands with the fork.
- Zucchini Noodles. Another healthy alternative is to use zucchini noodles. You can buy those in the store or make them yourself!
Other creamy chicken recipes
Chicken is an excellent source of protein, and when prepared appropriately it makes a great addition to your diet. Here are some ideas for your next weeknight dinner:
- Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce
- Chicken and Bacon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
- Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce
Other Italian-inspired recipes
Italian recipes are always flavorful and often feature a cream sauce and/or lots of veggies. That's why they are a great choice for a delicious family dinner! Below are my favorites:
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon
- Italian Ravioli with Spinach, Artichokes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Capers
- Linguine with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Spinach, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (30 Minutes, ONE-PAN)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless (thin)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper coarse
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic flakes
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (dried herbs: thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Garlic Cream Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes chopped (about ¼ cup)
- 14 oz artichoke hearts drained and chopped (1 can or about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 6 oz spinach fresh
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- salt to taste
Instructions
How to sear chicken
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt, paprika, coarse black pepper, garlic flakes, Italian seasoning.
- Heat the large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium. Flip the chicken to the other side. Sear for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet.
How to make garlic cream sauce
- To the same, now empty, skillet, add minced garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute on medium heat.
- Add fresh spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes, on medium heat.
- To the skillet with sautéed vegetables, add 1 cup of heavy cream and paprika. Bring to simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring. Season with salt, if needed. Add more paprika, if you like.
Assembly
- Add cooked chicken to the skillet with the cream sauce.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and simmer for about 2 minutes (or more), until the chicken is warmed up and completely cooked through.
- Season with salt, if needed.
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.
This was delicious! Next time I make it I think I’m going to double the sauce !
Yes, the sauce is so delicious and goes away quickly when freshly made! 🙂 I am glad you loved this recipe and took the time to share your comment! 🙂
I loved this recipe and will be making it again soon for me and my guy who loves Italian food. I really like that it uses the thinner chicken breast which remained very tender. I served this with Papperdelle pasta from Italy which was perfect. Thank you!
Valerie, your comment made my day! So glad you found this recipe useful. Love that you served this with Pappardelle pasta - what a great choice!
What a great idea. Pasta is perfect! Thanks.
Christine, yes, this is a great recipe to serve with any kind of pasta!
We made this last weekend and it was delicious! Thank-you!
Christina, I am glad it was enjoyed! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Wonderful. The only addition I made was a little fresh grated Parmesan at the table. I also rinsed and drained the artichokes as I’m on a low sodium diet.
Maryam, I am glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
I’m just confirming the artichokes are the non-marinated variety?
Lisa, the artichokes I used were Roasted Artichoke Hearts in Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Seggiano brand. Enjoy!
I added Kalamata olives and shredded fresh Parmesan cheese to the top at time of plating. Serve with a green salad of romaine lettuce an avocado with a homemade creamy vinaigrette, and Homestyle sourdough Italian French bread like my Nana used to make.
Joe, I love your additions of kalamata olives and your choices of side dishes! Sounds so good!
My husband and I loved this recipe! It had some of our favorites - sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and capers. Absolutely delicious!
Beth, thank you so much for taking the time to share such a wonderful comment! 🙂 I really appreciate the feedback, especially the positive one, ha-ha! 🙂
Just made this this evening it was delicious, both my husband and I loved it.
Will be making it again.
I am so happy you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you for the 5-star rating! 🙂
Do you have to use dried garlic flakes?
You don't have to use garlic flakes, but I wouldn't use fresh garlic to sear the chicken - it might burn.
I just made this recipe tonight. I did not have capers, so I used olives instead. It was perfection! Thanks for posting this recipe. My family, including three teenagers, loved this!
Kim, I am so glad your whole family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for posting your feedback - it's important to me. 🙂 Using olives instead of capers is a great substitution.
Great recipe. Can I add white wine, if so when is the best time?
Yes, you can add white wine. I would add it after this step:
1) To the same, now empty, skillet, add minced garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute on medium heat.
2) Add 1/2 cup white wine, and bring to simmer.
3) Add spinach and cook until it wilts.
4) Proceed with the rest of the recipe.
This was good but a little sour for my tastes and very rich sauce. We enjoyed it but I don't think I'll put it in rotation. I think if it sounds good to you it definitely worth trying. I may make it again with fire roasted tomatoes instead of sundried.
Jennifer, I am glad you gave this recipe a try! For less sour taste, skip the capers or reduce the number of artichokes. For the lighter sauce, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
This was fantastic. I should have used a larger pan if I was having more people. It was perfect but I had some italian olives and threw them in, with some mushrooms, which didn't really do anything to this already perfect recipe. I had the extra ingredients and would have to throw them out so I threw them in and it was a winner winner chicken dinner! I will make this one for company. Lovely presentation. Thanks for such a great, well written recipe.
I just love your comment - thank you for sharing how you improvised with this recipe by adding Italian olives, mushrooms, and other stuff. Glad you've enjoyed it, and thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Very good!
Thank you! 🙂
Where is the nutritional info on this recipe?? Was very good - my husband said it's the "one of the best healthy recipe I've had"
Marla, thank you! I am glad the recipe was enjoyed! 🙂 I just updated the recipe to include the nutritional information.
I LOVE this recipe!! It's one of my favorites and am going to serve it at a small family Christmas gathering!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Chris, thank you for such a generous comment and the 5-star review! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I finally — FINALLY — made a perfect chicken dinner! The chicken I had was thick, so I halved it.
Glad you've enjoyed the recipe!
This recipe has become one of my family’s favorites. My son. Made it for his family and substituted coconut milk for the heavy cream because of lactose intolerance. It really tasted great with this substitution.
Lynn, I am so glad to hear the recipe was enjoyed! Thank you for sharing the feedback about the coconut milk - it's really helpful for other readers, too!