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Creamy Tuscan Chicken is easy enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough for company! It’s a one-pot recipe that is rich, flavorful, and takes only about 30 minutes to make.
Making the creamy sauce in the same pan that you cook the chicken thighs gives the best flavor, and not to mention reduces clean up. Talk about a win-win! Serve this creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice, and a copycat Olive Garden Salad for a complete meal.
What’s in Creamy Tuscan Chicken?
Grab some chicken thighs and a few other simple ingredients to make this easy chicken recipe.
- Olive Oil and Butter – I use a combination of olive oil and butter to sear the chicken. Butter adds amazing flavor while the olive oil increases the smoke point. If you’d like, you could also use just olive oil.
- Chicken Thighs – Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for the best flavor.
- Spices – Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano, Onion Powder, Salt and Pepper
- Onion – white or yellow onion works
- Garlic – I prefer to mince fresh cloves, but you can also use the minced in a jar.
- Roma Tomatoes – It’s best to remove the seeds before dicing.
- Baby Spinach – fresh baby spinach is best! Frozen spinach has too much moisture.
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan Cheese – freshly grated.
- Fresh Parsley – optional, for garnish.
How to Make Tuscan Chicken
This Tuscan Chicken recipe is surprisingly simple to make! Just start by cooking the chicken then whip up the simple creamy sauce in the same pan.
Season the chicken. Start by patting dry the chicken thighs then seasoning with the spices. Be sure to get the spices on both sides of the chicken.
Sear the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the seasoned chicken thighs skin side down. Cook until the skin is golden, then flip and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the Tuscan sauce ingredients. Add the onions and garlic to the same skillet and cook until softened. Next stir in the tomatoes and spinach, cooking until wilted. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Stir the sauce frequently until it thickens. Be sure to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the chicken back to the pan. Add the chicken thighs back into the skillet – nestling them into the sauce. I like to spoon some of the sauce over the tops of the chicken.
Serve and enjoy. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!
Serving Ideas
The creamy Tuscan Chicken is great served with something starchy to help soak up some of the sauce. I love pairing it with cooked rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or even a loaf of crunchy bread.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Storage – Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be aware that the chicken skin will lose some of its crispiness in the fridge.
Reheating – For best results, I recommend reheating leftovers in a skillet on the stove over medium-low until warmed through. You can microwave as well, but be aware that the cream-based sauce may ‘break’ and slightly separate.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Try different add-ins. This is a perfect recipe to use up other veggies in your fridge. Some other great additions are asparagus or mushrooms.
- Don’t wipe out the pan after cooking the chicken. After cooking and setting aside the chicken thighs, there will be some bits left in the pan. Leave that in! That will add the best flavor to the creamy sauce. If you need, you can use your spoon to scrape it off the bottom to mix into the sauce.
- Swap in chicken broth for a lighter version. As written, this recipe is so decadent and rich. If you prefer a lighter dish, you can swap in some chicken broth (½ cup or 1 cup) for some of the heavy cream.
Yes, you can substitute boneless chicken thighs or breasts as well. Use the internal temperature as a guide to when the chicken is cooked as it will cook much faster than bone-in.
More Ways to Cook Chicken Thighs Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- Crispy & Juicy BBQ Baked Chicken Thighs
- Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Fried Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Broiled Chicken Thighs
Tuscan Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
- 3 cups packed baby spinach
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 to 1 cup Parmesan cheese use as much as you like
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter and melt.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and oregano. Season chicken thighs with the spices and place them skin side down in the skillet. Cook for 10-13 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy. Flip the chicken and cook for another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer to a plate. (meat will continue to cook to 165 F; if more time is needed, finish in a 375 degree oven).
- Add onions and garlic to the skillet and cook for several minutes until softened.
- Stir in tomatoes and spinach and cook until wilted.
- Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, stirring frequently until the sauce has thickened. Nestle chicken into the sauce, spooning some of the sauce on top of the chicken. Garnish with more fresh parsley.
- Serve immediately. Goes well with mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Hi! I want to make this but I am confused by the Parmesan in the recipe. Is it 1.5 cups or 1/2 cups? Thank you!
Sorry for the confusion. It should say 1/2-1 cup of Parmesan so you can add as much or as little as you like.