Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce - great idea for a quick weeknight meal! Boneless skinless chicken thighs are seared to perfection and served in a creamy tomato basil sauce with spinach, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. Easy dinner that a whole family will love!
As I've been shopping at my local grocery store, I realized that I hardly have any recipes with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Instead, I do have lots of recipes with bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. I decided to fix that small problem immediately, so I bought them right away and made these delicious skillet chicken thighs the next day. So glad I did! It's such a great cut of chicken meat and it cooks so quickly, this chicken dish took me only 30 minutes to make. Everything is cooked in a skillet on the stove top - no extra pans, just one skillet. So easy to make, minimal clean-up!
Creamy tomato basil sauce with fresh spinach is perfect for these skillet chicken thighs. So much flavor in one dish!
Ingredients you need to make these easy skillet chicken thighs:
olive oil
1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can tomato sauce
½ cup heavy cream
garlic
fresh spinach
fresh basil
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
How long does it take to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs?
They cook easy and fast. First, I seared the chicken thighs for 5 minutes on one side in the skillet on medium heat. Then, I flipped them and seared for 5 more minutes on the other side on medium heat. Next, I cooked them in the creamy tomato basil sauce for about 5 or 10 more minutes and they were done! Make sure the chicken is completely cooked through.
How to make skillet chicken thighs (step-by-step photos):
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet, and cook boneless skinless chicken thighs (seasoned with salt and pepper) on one side for 5 minutes:
Flip the chicken thighs to the other side and cook for 5 more minutes:
Remove the chicken, add tomato sauce, minced garlic, and heavy cream. Stir to combine. Add spinach and basil.
Cook the sauce until the spinach wilts. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Add the cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs back to the skillet, reheat the sauce with the chicken in it. Make sure the chicken is completely cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
Spoon the sauce over the cooked chicken.
What is a good side dish for chicken thighs?
These will go great over simple pasta. Or, serve with roasted potatoes, or creamy mashed potatoes. Other great side dish ideas are steamed asparagus, cooked spinach, or cooked Swiss chard.
If you enjoyed this skillet chicken thighs, you might like these recipes:
Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce
Bacon Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs , boneless skinless
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 oz fresh spinach
- 4 leaves fresh basil (or use ¼ teaspoon dried basil)
For serving:
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese , grated
Instructions
How to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs in a skillet:
- In a large skillet heat olive oil on medium heat. Season boneless skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add them top side down to the hot skillet. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, until the top side is nicely seared.
- Flip over to the other side and sear for 5 more minutes on medium heat.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate.
How to make creamy tomato basil sauce:
- To the same, now empty skillet, add tomato sauce, minced garlic, heavy cream. Bring to boil and stir.
- Reduce heat to low simmer. Add fresh spinach and fresh basil. Stir until spinach wilts and reduces in volume.
- Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Add back cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs, increase heat to medium. Reheat the chicken thighs in the skillet with the sauce and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
- To serve, spoon the sauce over the boneless skinless chicken thighs and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
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.
Hi Im wondering if you can freeze this meal?
Jaye, I wouldn't recommend freezing this because the creamy sauce usually doesn't freeze well and loses its creamy texture when thawed.
If I wanted to make this dairy-free, what would you recommend as a substitute for the cream? I usually use coconut cream, do you think the flavors would blend ok?
Brianna, yes, unsweetened coconut milk will work great here.
Hi Julia this was fantastic. I was a little confused by the ‘4 basil leaves’ so I went with my standard for basil in similar shrimp dish which is a handful leaves chiffonade style. Will make this again!
Tamara, thank you so much for such a wonderful and positive comment! Ha-ha - about 4 basil leaves - this is one of my earlier recipes - this should be corrected as definitely this recipe requires more than "4 basil leaves". 🙂
Can I use canned diced tomatoes or tomato puree in place of tomato sauce? If so, what other ingredients do i need to add to it?
1) Yes, you can use canned diced tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce in the same amounts.
2) You can also use tomato puree but that is more tricky as you will have to use a relatively small amount of tomato puree compared to the amount of liquid (chicken stock, vegetable broth, etc) to thin it out (as is usually done with tomato puree).
I used bone-in thighs because that's what I had. I had to cook them longer before adding the sauce and it was fine. I also had half and half and used that successfully. I put the spinach on top with a lid after the flame was off and let it steam while I drained the pasta. This was very good and I will pass it along!
Mindy, I love your detailed and very helpful comment! Glad you made this recipe successful with bone-in chicken thighs and half-and-half!
Miiiindy, your a life saver. Came here for this advice!
Shira, I agree - her comment is super helpful!
This recipe was easy to make, flavorful and delicious!
Cindy, I am so happy you liked it. And, thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Can this be made with chicken breasts instead?
Yes, use skinless boneless chicken breasts.
Can I prepare the sauce and seared chicken separately the day before or morning before serving and bring it to room temperature before adding to the pan to cook.
This is my fav recipe!
Happy to hear that! 🙂
Sorry but I'm not sure why this is getting 5 star ratings. It was OK but I wouldn't make again. I'd suggest adding some red pepper flakes. It could use some heat.
Made this tonight. Very easy and quick. Will be making again!
Mary, I am glad you found this recipe worth repeating!
I’m have surgery soon and would like to make ahead and freeze. How would I reheat this dish?
Pamela, I would thaw the frozen dish first, and then reheat it gently on the stovetop on medium heat. You might have to add some liquid to thin out the sauce: it can be chicken broth, milk, half-and-half, or cream.