This is the chicken dinner that makes an ordinary weeknight feel like you went out. Chicken breasts are seared until deeply golden, then finished in a silky garlic and Parmesan cream sauce studded with chewy sun-dried tomatoes and wilted spinach. Everything happens in one pan, and the sauce — rich, savory, with little bursts of tomato sweetness — tastes like something a restaurant would charge twenty dollars for.
Serve it over pasta, mashed potatoes or rice to catch every spoonful of sauce, or keep it simple with crusty bread for swiping the pan. From the first sizzle to the table takes about thirty-five minutes, and most of that is the chicken quietly simmering while you set the table and pour something cold to drink.
It is also a forgiving recipe for real life. The chicken can wait, warm, in its sauce while a side dish finishes; the sauce reheats gracefully the next day for lunch; and the ingredients are the kind a well-stocked pantry and one grocery stop can always produce. Readers tell us this is the recipe they make when they want to impress someone without actually working very hard, and we understand exactly what they mean.
Sear first, sauce second
The golden crust on the chicken is not decoration — it is where much of the flavor in the finished sauce comes from. Pat the chicken dry, season it well, and leave it undisturbed in the hot oil until it releases easily from the pan. Those browned bits left behind dissolve into the cream and turn a plain sauce into a deeply savory one. If the breasts are very thick, slice them in half horizontally into cutlets so they cook through at the same rate the sauce comes together.
Keeping the cream sauce smooth
Cream sauces split when they boil hard or when cold cheese hits a bubbling pan. Keep this one at a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, and stir the Parmesan in off the fiercest heat, a handful at a time. The sun-dried tomato oil is worth saving, by the way — a spoonful whisked into the sauce adds color and a concentrated tomato depth that plain oil cannot match.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or cutlets, about 1 1/2 lb total (680 g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (2 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (1.5 g)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml), or oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced (about 9 g)
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced (55 g)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (240 ml)
- 1 cup heavy cream (240 ml)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (65 g), plus more to serve
- 3 cups baby spinach (90 g)
- Fresh basil or parsley, to serve
- Cooked pasta, rice or crusty bread, to serve
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. Mix the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder and sprinkle evenly over both sides of each piece, pressing the seasoning in lightly.
- Sear until golden. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until deeply golden and cooked through to 165°F (74°C). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
- Bloom the garlic and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium. In the same pan, with all those browned bits, cook the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Do not let the garlic darken.
- Build the sauce. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- Melt in the Parmesan and spinach. Take the pan off the direct heat and stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time until melted and smooth. Fold in the spinach and return to low heat just until wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Return the chicken and serve. Nestle the chicken and any resting juices back into the sauce. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to warm through, shower with basil and extra Parmesan, and serve straight from the pan over pasta, rice or with crusty bread.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 430 kcal |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated fat | 14 g |
| Sodium | 760 mg |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of broth or cream, stirring now and then — a hard boil or a long blast in the microwave can split the sauce and dry the chicken. We do not recommend freezing this dish, as cream sauces tend to separate on thawing.
One-Pan Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Golden chicken in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. One pan, big flavor.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep — it is the easiest way to never miss one mid-recipe.
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. Mix the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder and sprinkle evenly over both sides of each piece, pressing the seasoning in lightly.
- Sear until golden. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until deeply golden and cooked through to 165°F (74°C). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
- Bloom the garlic and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium. In the same pan, with all those browned bits, cook the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Do not let the garlic darken.
- Build the sauce. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- Melt in the Parmesan and spinach. Take the pan off the direct heat and stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time until melted and smooth. Fold in the spinach and return to low heat just until wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Return the chicken and serve. Nestle the chicken and any resting juices back into the sauce. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to warm through, shower with basil and extra Parmesan, and serve straight from the pan over pasta, rice or with crusty bread.
Tested in the FryDaily kitchen, October 2026. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
