The most delicious Tuscan Chicken with white beans and spinach. Each bite of this dish is filled with tangy sundried tomatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and white wine, resulting in a beautiful depth of flavor. This is a must-try chicken recipe if there ever was one!
I’m not sure why, but it’s taken me a year to finally share this Tuscan chicken with you all. And I have to say, it is one of my favorite chicken recipes I’ve made!
Although this dish sounds very Italian, it originated here in the states, with of course, inspiration from the beautiful region of Tuscany. My version is a bit different than a classic Tuscan chicken as the dish is typically prepared with a lot of heavy cream, spinach, and chicken. But I’m not a huge fan of cream in savory dishes, so I opted to make this a little lighter by using only a touch of cream.
When I say this is one of the best chicken recipes you could make, I mean it. The flavors are beautifully developed; the chicken comes out tender and juicy, and the sauce, complemented by bites of vegetables, is what makes it truly shine. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do!
Ingredients
- Chicken breast – is the best chicken cut for this recipe, but you can also use cutlets, thighs, or even chicken tenders (cooking times will vary depending on the size of the cut).
- Veggies – this recipe uses yellow onion and garlic for flavoring the sauce, and white beans and spinach for added vegetables.
- Stock and white wine – to flavor the sauce, we’re using a dry white wine (I like Pinot Grigio for this recipe) and chicken stock.
- Herbs and seasonings – the chicken gets seasoned with dried oregano, paprika, and garlic powder with flour. Then, we’ll add fresh sage, rosemary, and red pepper flakes to season the sauce.
- Sundried tomatoes and tomato paste – sundried tomatoes are essential ingredients in Tuscan chicken. They add a beautiful salty flavor to the sauce! To add more flavor, you can also use the oil from the jar as the olive oil for the recipe. Tomato paste adds tomato flavor and helps thicken the sauce.
- Parmigiano Reggiano and cream—To add a salty, rich flavor to the sauce, you’ll need freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. I also like to finish the dish with another sprinkle! Then, adding heavy cream or half-and-half will add a slight creaminess to the dish.
How to Make it
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1
Pound/tenderize the chicken. Place the chicken breasts between plastic, parchment paper, or in a plastic ziplock bag and pound them with a meat hammer or roller pin until they are the same thickness.
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2
Prepare the rub for the chicken. Mix together on a plate the flour, paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.
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3
Dredge the chicken. Dip the chicken breasts into the seasoned flour on both sides, repeat for all the chicken breasts.
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4
Brown the chicken. In a large sauce pan, add 2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Brown the chicken breasts in the butter and oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. This won’t fully cook the chicken, but will add nice flavor and a golden crust. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate when they’re finished browning.
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5
Cook the onions and garlic. In the same pan you cooked the chicken, add a little more sun-dried tomato oil, and brown the diced onions for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic for the last 30 seconds. Then add the chopped rosemary and sage, tomato paste, and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.
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6
Deglaze the pan with wine. Then add 2/3 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrap up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes.
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7
Add the stock. After the wine has cooked add the chicken stock.
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8
Add the beans. Then the beans.
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9
Add the cheese, flavor the sauce, then add the chicken. Then add the freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream, season with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper, and then add the spinach and cook until it’s mostly wilted. Then add the chicken back to the pan, and partially cover and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the beans, spinach, and sauce and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano!
Types of chicken cuts you can use. While I make this recipe the majority of the time with chicken breasts, you can also substitute breasts for cutlets, chicken tenders, or thighs (if using thighs I recommend skinless).
Pounding the chicken keeps it tender. A simple trick for getting a tender chicken breast is tenderizing it by pounding them with a meat pounder or rolling pin. This breaks down the muscle fibers of the chicken and helps tenderize a part of the breast that are often tough and dry when cooked. Pounding the chicken also gives all the chicken breasts the same thickness which will result in an even cook all around.
Add as much or as little cream as you like. This recipe is low in cream to create a lighter recipe. I only like to use a touch of cream, but you can add as much or as little as you’d like.
Use oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for more flavor. A simple way to add more flavor to this dish is utilizing the olive oil from the sun-dried tomato marinade to cook the chicken in. Instead of using regular olive oil, this will add even more flavor to the dish! Some sun-dried tomatoes are marinated in other oils, so I like to make sure it’s specifically olive oil so I can use it for cooking.
Make it gluten-free. To make this gluten-free friendly use a one to one gluten-free flour blend or eliminate the flour completely.
Tuscan Chicken with White Beans
Video
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts,
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, The recipe calls for one Tablespoon of flour per chicken breast. Adjust this accordingly if you use four or more chicken breasts.
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil, I recommend using olive oil from the sun-dried tomato marinade
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 healthy pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, sliced or chopped
- 2/3 cup dry white wine, I used pinot grigio
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 14 oz white beans, navy or cannellini (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- salt & black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Tenderize the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in between parchment, plastic wrap, or in a ziplock bag and use a meat hammer (or rolling pin) to pound them until they're even in size and a little bit thinner.
- Coat the chicken in seasoning. On a plate, use a fork to mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and a generous pinch of both salt and pepper. Coat both sides of each chicken breast.
- Brown the chicken. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat – once it's heated add 2 Tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil and 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add the chicken breasts and brown for 2-3 minutes per side. Once they're finished, transfer them to a clean plate and set them aside. Note: the chicken is not cooked through at this point, only browned.
- Saute aromatics. In the same pan as the chicken, add another Tablespoon of sun-dried tomato oil and saute the diced onions with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add the minced garlic, rosemary, sage, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Note: if at any point you feel like the pan is too dry and is getting too dark, add a splash of broth to deglaze the pan slightly.
- Make the sauce. Add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook about for another 2 minutes, using this step to scrape even more from the bottom of the man. Then add the 1 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock, 3/4 to 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, white beans, and 2-3 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Season with a healthy pinch of both salt and black pepper.
- Add the chicken and spinach. Then add the spinach to the sauce, let it wilt, and add the browned chicken to the dish. Nestle it into the sauce and beans the best you can. Let the chicken cook with the sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temp should be 165F or more) and the sauce has slightly thickened. Serve the chicken with the beans and sauce and freshly grated Parmigiano if desired and enjoy!
I took a crack at making your Tuscan Chicken. Could not find any white navy beans so I got some white kidney beans. The result was definitely very tasty. Used a bit more cream than you suggested. I also served it on a bed of Basmati rice. I live alone so I do have some left over for another couple meals. Thanks for the recipe. I have passed it on to some friends.
Most delicious chicken dish I’ve ever made! Recipe was very easy to follow! Great job Bethany!
A bit of information, I just found at Costco 3 cans of San Mariano tomatoes for $11.99 that’s a great deal! They are from Cento.
That means so much to hear, Linda!! And those are also at my Costco, I will have to snag them next time I’m there. Thanks so much for the heads up and so glad you enjoyed the Tuscan chicken 🙂