Creamy Tuscan Chicken for Two — Looks Like a Restaurant, Costs Under $9
This is the dinner that earns you a compliment before the first bite. Creamy Tuscan chicken — golden-seared chicken breasts in a rich sun-dried tomato, spinach, and parmesan cream sauce — is one of those dishes that looks wildly impressive and is secretly one of the easiest things you can make. Everything happens in a single pan in about twenty-five minutes. The sauce alone is reason enough to make this: thick, glossy, fragrant with garlic, and exactly the kind of thing you want to drag a piece of bread through when you think nobody is watching. Both plates come in under nine dollars. This is the recipe that sets the tone for the whole evening.
Ingredients
Method
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the same pan. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the parmesan and cook for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the spinach and stir until fully wilted, about 1 minute.
- Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over each breast. Simmer for 1–2 minutes to warm through.
- Plate each chicken breast with plenty of sauce spooned over the top. Finish with fresh basil.
Notes
Pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness before cooking ensures they cook evenly and stay juicy — use a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan and it takes fifteen seconds. Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes are cheaper than oil-packed and rehydrate beautifully in the cream sauce. A small block of parmesan grated fresh is more flavourful than pre-grated and costs less per serving.
