This creamy Tuscan garlic chicken is so delicious! Packed with sun dried tomatoes, fresh spinach and pine nuts, it's a great dinner your family will love.
So easy to make with chicken breast, the sauce comes together with creamy ricotta cheese and lots of garlic!
There's very little to prepare and the dish only takes 20 minutes from start to finish, so it's perfect for busy evenings.
Bon appétit!
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Why you will love this dish
There’s nothing complicated about this creamy chicken and what’s better it can be ready in less than 20 minutes.
- perfect for a weeknight but elegant enough for a dinner party too
- very little preparation and cooking
- great texture from the crunch of the pine nuts
- add your own favourite vegetables
- full of Tuscan flavours to give you that holiday feeling!
What are the ingredients?
- I've used chicken breast in this recipe with each breast sliced into three lengthways, which really reduces the cooking time and keeps the chicken moist.
- Sun dried tomatoes for their sweet flavour. You can buy them in jars of foil packets and it's easy to make your own oven dried tomatoes too
- Pine nuts or pignolis for a sweet and nutty crunch
- Fresh spinach because it takes seconds to wilt down and adds amazing colour
- 3 cloves of garlic because you really want to taste it!
- chicken stock
- tub of ricotta cheese
- vegetable oil
- dried basil
- seasoning
How to make creamy Tuscan garlic chicken
Start by toasting the pine nuts over a medium heat in a dry pan for a few minutes. Watch them like a hawk as they can burn very quickly. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Heat the oil over a medium heat in a deep frying pan and brown the chicken for about a minute either side. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute.
Slice the tomatoes and add to the pan with the stock, ricotta, basil and tomatoes and stir until well combined.
After 5-10 minutes the chicken should be cooked through, so add the spinach and stir it through as it wilts.
Check the seasoning and scatter the toasted pine nuts over the dish before serving.
Serve with your favourite pasta or plain boiled rice.
Recipe FAQs
If spinach or tomatoes are not your favourite how about trying sliced mushrooms or sliced red peppers? Add them just after the chicken has browned and cook for a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Green beans would also work, but are best cooked separately and added in place of the spinach.
You can cook this dish in advance and reheat but the spinach is best added when you have reheated the dish or it will just turn to mush.
Top tips
- If you are entertaining with this dish it may be better to serve the chicken breast whole for presentation -allow another 10-15 minutes cooking time.
- While fresh spinach will give the best results you could use frozen spinach. Let it defrost and squeeze out as much water as possible before adding to the dish.
Simple, quick and delicious! I hope you will try it and tell me what you think.
More chicken recipes to try
📋 Recipe
Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 100 g sun dried tomatoes
- 30 g pine nuts
- 200 g spinach fresh
- 200 g chicken stock
- 250 g ricotta 1 tub
- 1 teaspoon basil dried
- 1 tablespoon oil
- seasoning
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and then set aside.
- Cut the chicken lengthways into 3 pieces each and brown in the oil in a shallow pan.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute before adding the stock, ricotta, basil and tomatoes.
- Cook for about 5 minutes more until the sauce is creamy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the spinach and stir through until wilted, check the seasoning and serve.
Notes
Top tips
- If you are entertaining with this dish it may be better to serve the chicken breast whole for presentation -allow another 10-15 minutes cooking time.
- While fresh spinach will give the best results you could use frozen spinach. Let it defrost and squeeze out as much water as possible before adding to the dish.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Jess
The sauce for this chicken is EVERYTHING!
Mirlene
I can almost feel the flavor coming out of the screen LOL This chicken is an absolute must-try - it looks so good!
David Crowley
Love the flavors of this dish! Plenty of garlic and the sundried tomatoes add good flavor, too.
Jen
I love the use of ricotta over a heavy cream. It adds so much flavor and great texture to the dish. Will definitely make again.
Helen
This sounds delicious - sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and pine nuts are three of my favourite things!
Amanda
Thanks Jacqui. I bet your tomatoes will be better than mine this year with the Italian sun!
Amanda
Thanks Shashi. They are great for throwing in all sorts of dishes aren't they?
Amanda
Thanks Helen. Thee's plenty going on in this dish!
Amanda
Thanks Alexandra!
Amanda
Thanks Rosa. The ricotta really blends in well too.
Rosa
I love sundried tomatoes so this dish sounds so yummy. I also love that you use ricotta for a lighter version! Sounds great.
Alexandra
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it was one I was going to adore. This is on regular repeat in our household.
Delicious! The whole family love it.
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
This sounds like such a delicious chicken dish, with lovely tender chicken and gorgeous sauce. I love the mix of ingredients, with the sun dried tomatoes and the added pine nuts.
Shashi at SavorySpin
I love sundried tomatoes - they add so much flavor so I am loving this dish - sometimes simple is best!
Jacqueline Debono
I love the flavours in this chicken dish. Ricotta is such a great alternative to cream and sun dried tomatoes are one of my favourite ingredients. In fact, in the past, we have dried tomatoes from our garden in the oven as you suggest. I hope to do the same this year!
Amanda
Thanks Karen. It really is full of flavour and the pine nuts add a nice crunch.
Karen
This chicken dish sounds great and I like the idea of topping it with some pine nuts.
Amanda
I normally use creme fraiche in creamy dishes as it behaves so well but ricotta works really well and can be lower in fat too.
Amanda
Thanks Michelle. It's definitely become a family favourite now.
Amanda
Thanks Melve. I love the sweetness of the tomatoes with the spinach.
Melve
A delicious creamy simple dish that is perfect for a family dinner. Thanks for the recipe.
Michelle
Oh my gosh! This is totally my kind of dish. I love it! Great flavors and fairly straightforward to make. I'm saving this one!
Ramona
I never tried this with ricotta cheese I normally use creme fraiche but I love ricotta and I think it tastes divine ?. Must give this a try - great idea. ??