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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
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.
Can u use jarred sauce?
Yes, you can use jarred tomato sauce.
Can I use half & half if no heavy cream?
Yes, you can.
Any recommendations could a substitute for cream? I would like a lower fat option
Can you make this in a cast iron skillet?
Yes, you can!
Deliciousness...
Currently making this and it is fab! Just a quick question, - roughly how long will it take the chicken to finish cooking once added back in? My thermometer broke last night and I wont be able to tell if still punk because of the sauce! Thanks so much!
will this freeze well?
You can freeze this. Let the dish thaw before reheating (don't reheat from a frozen state as the sauce might separate). When reheating, you might have to add extra milk or half-and-half to thin out the sauce.
I used fat free half and half for the cream - Also added a can of diced tomatoes to make more sauce and served over rice. Will definitely make this again!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your comment!
This sauce is so good! specially when youre tired of just marinara, I even added pasta to it.
What a great idea to serve this over pasta! Makes a perfect meal!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Just made this...used sour cream because i had no heavy cream....absolutely delicious!
So glad you liked it! Thank you for sharing that you used sour cream and that the recipe turned out well!
I didn't have any heavy cream, but had everything else. I used 1/2 cup sour cream, mixed well with the can of tomato sauce, garlic, and 1/2 tsp raw honey. Used fresh basil from garden & tiny fresh kale leaves. It was delicious and we poured the extra sauce over our baked potatoes.
Thank you for sharing your feedback about what you used instead of the heavy cream. Using kale leaves sounds delicious!
I just made this for tonight's dinner and I have to say this was one of the most delicious things I've ever cooked. I also made meatballs on the side since one of my guests doesn't like chicken and it tasted great! Thank you for this recipe.
You are very welcome! Thank you for such a wonderful comment! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
My, this was good. (To the respondent above, I like the Muir Glen tomato products - organic and affordable.) To keep cream - or my go-to when I don;t have cream, yogurt - from separating, I wait until the pan is off the burner and has stopped bubbling before adding.
Great tips about adding cream off heat to keep the sauce from separating!
Can I use bone in chicken thighs I dont have boneless
Yes, you can! Bone-in chicken thighs usually cook longer than boneless chicken thighs, so you might have to increase the cooking time.
Can you use any brand/type of tomato sauce? What’s your suggestion? Thank you 🙂
You can use any type of tomato sauce.
Can this be made with boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs? Will it be as tasty?
Yes, you can easily make this recipe either with skinless boneless chicken thighs or skinless boneless chicken breasts. The cooking times should be about the same. It depends on the thickness of the chicken breasts. If the chicken breasts are thick, it might take a bit longer to cook them.