Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Tuscan chicken is a delicious and rustic dish originating from the Tuscany region in Italy. It includes chicken cooked in a flavorful sauce made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and cream, resulting in a savory and comforting meal.

This impressive one-skillet dish is perfect for a restaurant-worthy meal.

Serve on its own or with a side dish. Either way, you’ll have a flavorful and filling dish ready and on the table in less than an hour.

💛 Why you’ll love this recipe

• A one-pan recipe, which means less clean-up after cooking.
• Can be made and served in 40 minutes.
• Low-carb, keto-friendly, and gluten-free.

➡️ Ingredients

• Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• Ghee or unsalted butter
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Onion
• Jarred sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• White wine (optional)
• Fresh garlic
• Italian seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Heavy whipping cream
• Fresh baby spinach

(Need ingredient substitution suggestions? See that section below for my recommendations.)

⏲ How to make this creamy Tuscan chicken recipe

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• De-Bone Chicken Thighs: Start by de-boning your chicken thighs. If some of the thighs are quite thick, transfer them to a storage bag, and, using a rolling pin or a meat mallet, roll or pound them a few times to flatten them so they cook evenly.

Recipe Tip: Follow this method to de-bone your chicken thighs. You can use boneless chicken thighs to avoid the hassle of de-boning your chicken. I’ve often found that bone-in thighs are the more affordable option, so keep that in mind when you’re shopping.

• Crisp Chicken Skin: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons of ghee or unsalted butter. Once melted, add the chicken thighs skin-side down, increase heat to high, and cook for 2 minutes before reducing heat back to medium and cooking until the skin has crisped up, about 1-2 minutes.

Recipe Tip: Grease may splatter while you’re cooking the chicken. I use a splatter guard to avoid a mess on my stovetop while they cook.

• Cook Chicken: Flip the chicken over and cook until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10-13 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken from the skillet to a plate, loosely cover the plate with foil, set aside, and allow the chicken to rest. Do not discard cooking fat from the skillet.

Recipe Tip: Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken as it cooks. Once it reaches 165 degrees F, remove the chicken from the pan to ensure it is juicy, tender, and not overcooked.

• Start Making Sauce: To the same skillet with cooking fat in it, over medium heat, add chicken broth, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, white wine (optional), garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a slight boil, stir, then reduce heat to low to simmer the mixture. Simmer on low heat for 3 minutes before adding grated Parmesan, heavy cream, and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of ghee or unsalted butter.
• Finish Making Sauce: Cook for an additional 3 minutes on low heat until the mixture thickens. Carefully taste test to check seasoning and, based on taste preferences, add more salt and/or pepper.

• Final Steps: Add spinach and gently stir through until almost wilted, about 1 minute, before adding the cooked chicken back to the skillet and spooning the cream mixture atop the chicken.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

• Skin-On, Bone-In Chicken Thighs: Chicken breasts will work just fine here, but the resulting dish will have less flavor as breasts are a leaner cut of meat. You can also use skinless and boneless chicken thighs.
• Ghee: Unsalted butter can be substituted for ghee at a 1:1 ratio. I prefer ghee here because it leaves no milk solid sediment in the pan.
• Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: Regular chicken broth will work, but you may need to lessen the amount of added salt, so keep that in mind when cooking.
• Fresh Garlic: Use 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic instead.
• Italian Seasoning: Make your own Italian seasoning by combining ~½ teaspoon each of dried basil, dried marjoram, dried oregano, dried rosemary, and dried thyme.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese: Substitute shredded Parmesan cheese or shredded or grated Asiago cheese.
• Fresh Baby Spinach: Use thawed and drained frozen spinach instead. Fresh arugula will also work.

✨ Variations

• Add in a handful of mushrooms and/or artichoke hearts for flavor, texture, and nutrient density. Start cooking these after you cook the chicken in the same pan. You can keep them in the pan as you make the sauce.
• Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for some added heat and flavor. Add these in when you add in the other seasonings to make the sauce and/or at the end to garnish the dish.

〰️ How to serve

• Vegetables – Serve on top of cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower, zucchini noodles, mashed potatoes, or spaghetti squash. Or, serve alongside broccoli or asparagus.
• Rice – Serve atop or alongside white rice or jasmine rice.
• Pasta – Serve atop or alongside penne pasta or egg noodles.
• Bread – Pair with a slice of crusty bread.

💬 FAQs

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