Get cozy with creamy baked Tuscan chicken – ready in 30 minutes! Dress it up for a date night, or prepare it for Sunday dinner. The sauce combines sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and cheese, perfect for pasta, rice, or roasted potatoes.
What is Tuscan Style Chicken?
Tuscan-style chicken originates from Tuscany, a region in central Italy. The dish has been popularized in the United States by Olive Garden. The meal, also called Marry Me Chicken, typically consists of chicken breasts simmered in a creamy herb-spiced sauce flavored with warm spices, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan cheese. Finish the meal with pasta or crusty bread for a perfect one-pan dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken: Slice the chicken breasts into cutlets so they cook evenly, or pound the chicken breast until they are thin. You can also use pre-cut chicken cutlets or chicken thighs.
- Salt + Pepper: Coat the chicken cutlets with kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
- Olive Oil: Sear the chicken in olive oil before finishing it in the oven.
- Garlic: I suggest using three cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I use sun-dried tomatoes in oil, but be sure to separate the tomatoes from the oil when adding them so the dish doesn’t become oily.
- Tomato Paste: Adding a small amount of tomato paste intensifies the sauce’s flavor and deepens its color.
- Chicken Broth: Enhance the taste of the sauce by including chicken broth.
- Heavy Cream: What’s a creamy sauce without cream? Use half and half if you want to cut the calories.
- Spices: Finish our baked Tuscan chicken with dried thyme, dried parsley, dried oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Cornstarch: Thicken the sauce with cornstarch.
- Spinach: Make the chicken breasts a complete meal by including some greens. I prefer fresh spinach, but you can also use fresh kale.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese is a common ingredient in Tuscan-style chicken. And pro-tip, you should buy the parmesan by the block and grate it yourself for the very best flavor. You can also use mozzarella or feta if you prefer.
Additions and Substitutions
- Vegetables: Include more vegetables like mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, or artichoke hearts.
- Toppings: Crumble bacon or pine nuts over the top of the dish or garnish with fresh basil.
Tools Used to Make the Recipe
Make our baked Tuscan chicken a one-pan meal by searing the chicken cutlets and baking them in an oven-safe pan like a large stainless steel skillet, saute pan, or cast-iron skillet. You can also cook the chicken in a skillet and add the remaining ingredients to a 9×13 baking dish to finish the meal if you can’t bake in your skillet or if all you have is a smaller one.
How to Make Baked Tuscan Chicken
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, warm oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Generously coat the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Step 2: Sear both sides of the chicken in oil, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set them aside.
Step 3: Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste to the same pan and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
Step 4: Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth, careful to scrape up any brown bits left behind from searing the chicken.
Step 5: Then, whisk in the heavy cream and season with thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
Step 6: Whisk in the cornstarch and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 7: Then, nestle the chicken breasts into the pan. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.
Step 8: Then, remove the pan from heat, stir in the spinach, and top with parmesan cheese. Set it aside to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- For the juiciest baked Tuscan chicken, slice the chicken breasts in half to make chicken cutlets to ensure they cook evenly. You can also pound chicken breasts or use a rolling pin to even out the thickness of each breast.
- If your oven-safe cooking pan or baking dish doesn’t have a lid, cover it with foil before baking.
- The size and thickness of the chicken breasts will impact the cooking time. Insert a food thermometer into the chicken to ensure it’s fully cooked; the safe cooking temperature is 165°F (73°C).
- Rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes to allow the chicken cutlets to absorb the sauce and come to temperature, and it also provides time for the cheese to melt and the spinach to wilt.
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What to Serve with Tuscan Chicken Breasts?
Serve our Tuscan-style chicken with al dente pasta, such as penne or fettuccine. Crusty bread is another popular side dish and a perfect way to soak up all the creamy sauce.
- Potatoes: Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Baked Potatoes
- Rice: White Rice, Brown Rice
- Bread: Breadsticks, Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread, Garlic Bread, Dinner Rolls, Pao de Sal
- Salad: Orzo Salad, Spinach and Arugula Salad, Spinach and Arugula Salad
- Vegetables: Air Fryer Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Air Fryer Acorn Squash, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
What to do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze – Because of the dairy in the sauce, the consistency may change once frozen. Let the dish cool, then transfer the leftovers to a freezer-safe container or bag. Baked Tuscan chicken freezes for 4-6 months.
- Thaw – Defrost the leftovers in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat – Warm the leftovers on the stovetop, and prepare your sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tuscan chicken sauce made of?
The sauce cooks in the same pan as the chicken to deepen the flavor. It also features chicken broth, heavy cream, and spices like dried thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. I also include tomato paste for an additional boost.
What’s Marry Me chicken?
Marry me chicken, or Tuscan chicken, gained popularity on social media platforms like TikTok. The dish earned its nickname because it’s so delicious that it might make your partner propose after trying it.
More Italian-Inspired Recipes:
Baked Tuscan Chicken
- Whisk
- Baking Dish (optional)
- 3 chicken breasts, boneless, sliced in half
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1½ cup chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ cup fresh spinach
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, warm oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Generously coat the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Sear both sides of the chicken in oil, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set them aside.
- Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste to the same pan and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
- Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth, careful to scrape up any brown bits left behind from searing the chicken. Then, whisk in the heavy cream and season with thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Whisk in the cornstarch and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, nestle the chicken breasts into the pan. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.
- Then, remove the pan from heat, stir in the spinach, and top with parmesan cheese. Set it aside to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- For the juiciest baked Tuscan chicken, slice the chicken breasts in half to make chicken cutlets to ensure they cook evenly. You can also pound chicken breasts or use a rolling pin to even out the thickness of each breast.
- If your oven-safe cooking pan or baking dish doesn’t have a lid, cover it with foil before baking.
- The size and thickness of the chicken breasts will impact the cooking time. Insert a food thermometer into the chicken to ensure it’s fully cooked; the safe cooking temperature is 165°F (73°C).
- Rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes to allow the chicken cutlets to absorb the sauce and come to temperature, and it also provides time for the cheese to melt and the spinach to wilt.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.