Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe
This tasty Tuscan chicken recipe is pan roasted and served with a creamy spinach, mushroom, and tomato sauce with Parmigiana Reggiano.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups sliced button mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 peeled small diced shallot
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup grated parmigiano Reggiano
- 4 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and briefly set them to the side.
- In the meantime, prepare the shallots, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese.
- Next, add the oil to a large 12” cast iron, non-stick, or stainless-steel pan over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
- Add in the seasoned chicken breasts, turn the heat down to medium-high, and sear for 4-5 minutes or until very well browned.
- Flip the chicken breasts over, turn the heat to medium, and cook for 6-7 minutes or until the chicken is just finished and is 160° F internally. Set the chicken breasts to the side.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan over medium heat and sprinkle them with ¼ teaspoons of coarse salt.
- Sauté the mushrooms for 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.
- Scrape the mushrooms to one side of the pan, and on the other side of the pan, add in the shallots, garlic, and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and quickly stir and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Then mix everything together.
- Deglaze with white wine and cook over high heat until au sec, or almost gone, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the cream and parmigiano Reggiano and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until it becomes thick, like an Alfredo sauce. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, and sundried tomatoes and mix over low heat just until the spinach is wilted.
- Adjust the seasonings with coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Add the chicken breasts back into the sauce and heat over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the chicken is warmed.
- Garnish with optional freshly grated parmigiana Reggiano and minced fresh basil.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This Tuscan chicken is meant to be served right away, but you could leave the cooked chicken breasts in the sauce covered in a pan and over very low heat for up to 20 minutes ahead of time.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating and serving. Feel free to store the sauce separately from the cooked chicken breast.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of chicken and sauce to a medium-sized pan and heat over low heat until warmed. Feel free to add ¼ cup to 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream or chicken stock to the sauce to help loosen it up.
You can also use chicken thighs or drums in this recipe.
Feel free to use assorted wild mushrooms.
Add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan after pan-frying the chicken before adding the mushrooms if the chicken has soaked it all up.
If you do not drink wine, replace it with chicken stock.
When a sauce can coat the back of a spoon, the consistency of the sauce is known as nappe.
Nutrition
Calories: 790kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 36gFat: 64gSaturated Fat: 32gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 407mgPotassium: 1395mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 5009IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 293mgIron: 3mg