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    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

    By Julia | Updated: Jun 05, 2023 | Published: Feb 01, 2018 | 300 Comments

    239.4K shares
    • Facebook3.9K
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    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!

    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

     

    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!

    Skillet Chicken Thighs, Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce, spinach recipes, how to cook skinless boneless chicken thighs

    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

    Skillet Chicken Thighs, Creamy Tomato Sauce, tomato basil chicken thighs, how to cook chicken thighs

    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.

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    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:
    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

    Flip the chicken thighs to the other side and cook for 5 more minutes:
    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

    Remove the chicken, add tomato sauce, minced garlic, and heavy cream.  Stir to combine.  Add spinach and basil.
    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

    Cook the sauce until the spinach wilts.  Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed.

    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

    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.

    Skillet Chicken Thighs, how do you cook skinless boneless chicken thighs, skinless boneless chicken thighs recipes

    Spoon the sauce over the cooked chicken.
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    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

    best chicken thighs, how to cook chicken thighs, creamy tomato basil sauce
    4.78 from 465 votes

    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce

    Boneless skinless chicken thighs smothered in an easy-to-make creamy tomato basil and spinach sauce.  The whole recipe takes 30 minutes from start to finish!  
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories per serving 553 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    Nutrition Information
    Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    553
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    44
    g
    68
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    16
    g
    100
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    211
    mg
    70
    %
    Sodium
     
    852
    mg
    37
    %
    Potassium
     
    716
    mg
    20
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    6
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    2
    g
    2
    %
    Protein
     
    32
    g
    64
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    3550
    IU
    71
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    12.4
    mg
    15
    %
    Calcium
     
    145
    mg
    15
    %
    Iron
     
    2.5
    mg
    14
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    « Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Mozzarella
    Cranberry Spinach Salad with Cashews and Goat Cheese »
    239.4K shares
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Janice Moquin

      July 14, 2025 at 10:50 am

      Absolutely a "Winner" recipe. It was easy to make with ingredients i usually have on hand. Made it last night for the first time, my husband has asked me to make it again tonight!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 17, 2025 at 2:37 pm

        That’s great, Janice! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the recipe. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Maripat King

      July 06, 2025 at 11:54 am

      Is there a substitute for the heavy cream? I'd like to cut down on the fat and calories

      Reply
    3. Kit

      June 23, 2025 at 7:39 pm

      Hi Julia, I stumbled upon your recipe while looking for an Italian style recipe using chicken thighs. I used jarred sauce but added the garlic, cream, basil and spinach. I was going to make pasta to go with it but decided not. I had fresh roasted asparagus and bread to sop up the sauce! So good! And easy to make. I cut it down to one serving and happy you provide that option. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 26, 2025 at 11:34 am

        So glad you enjoyed it, Kit! I love that you paired it with roasted asparagus and bread - something different than the usual pasta. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Gen

      June 11, 2025 at 1:10 am

      Great recipe! Simple but flavourful- it will be in our regular dinner rotation from now on. I added a handful of mini boccocini balls at the end instead of the Parmesan- yum!

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 12, 2025 at 6:50 pm

        Thank you so much for your 5-star review, Gen! ❤️ I love the addition of Mozzarella "pearls"! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Holly

      April 16, 2025 at 12:33 pm

      Hello,
      When you say tomatoe sauce (I’m in the UK) what exactly do you mean? I’m guessing not ketchup which is the literal translation, so tomatoe puree, passata, tomatoe paste? I’m thinking, based on volume something akin to passata?
      Thanks in advance

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 08, 2025 at 7:50 pm

        Hi Holly! For this recipe what I used is a jarred Italian-style marinara sauce (with garlic, basil, etc) - something that is usually sold here in the US in glass jars. So it's not even tomatoe puree, it's something more elevated. Here are 2 links to similar sauces that I would use:

        https://www.amazon.com/Raos-Homemade-Marinara-Tomatoes-Seasonings/dp/B000R720OA?gQT=1&th=1

        https://www.amazon.com/Bertolli-Pasta-Sauce-Traditional-Marinara/dp/B07WMGWD4Q/

        Reply
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    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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