I stumbled across this some time back when it was making the rounds on social media. My wife loves it. I like it too, but my son is neither here nor there on it. The sauce is great when you thicken it and put it over pasta. It was a Valentines Day request for my sweetie, but these pics are from a previous cook. I'm going to use them anyways since I don't have any from Valentines Day. I was too busy pitching woo (and before any of you rascals ask, NO, I don't have any pictures of that either!! 
)
I also made some changes to the recipe I found. I subbed out the oregano for Italian seasoning for more flavor as well as added finely chopped onion and chili flakes. I found that the cheese would burn to the bottom of the pan really quickly, so I add it in just before you remove the chicken for plating.Finally, find that a drizzle of balsamic glaze gives it a nice rounded acidic touch. I use it instead of lemon.
Although this is often referred to as Creamy Tuscan Chicken on social media, I've seen a number of Italian folks point out that it isn't actually Tuscan. Some of them got pretty touchy about it to boot! Anyways, it's a great dish that offers up some vibrant colors, great flavor, and is extremely simple to make.
Ingredients
· 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (I used more)
· 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I only used three here. One for me, my wife, and son)
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
· 1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
· 3 tbsp. butter
· 5 large cloves garlic
· 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (make sure to really chop the onion small since you don't want big chunks. I use a mandolin since it's quick and easy.)
· 1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
· 3 c. baby spinach
· 1/2 c. heavy cream
· 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
· Balsamic glaze for serving (drizzle when served)
· Lemon wedges, for serving (optional. I don't use them when I use balsamic glaze)
Directions
· Step 1 - In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper. Cook until golden, ~8 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
· Step 2 - In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add in olive oil as needed. Add onions to the pan and cook until translucent. It's also a good time to de-glaze the pan by scraping the bottom.
· Step 3 - Move some of the onions to the side. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. TIP: I usually drizzle a bit of olive oil over the garlic and spices to help cook them. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to soften then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt.
· Step 4 - Stir in heavy cream and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes. TIP: reduce the cream more than you think since the chicken addes a lot of juice back into the dish. Also be sure to stir occasionally as this can burn to the bottom pretty quick. Return chicken to skillet, cover and cook through, ~5 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the breast.
· Step 5 - Plate chicken and drizzle with Balsamic Glaze (or a side of lemon wedges). Serve along a side of pasta and crusty bread for dipping.
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Enough jibber jabber! On with the show!
Remove chicken breasts from packaging and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into well heated pan. Brown both sides. TIP: Start by browning the presentation side first since it lays flatter when you first place it in the pan. You want a decent sear on them, but you don't need to cook them through at this point. You can see that they're still pretty pink on the inside of mine at this point. Remove and set aside when you're happy with the sear.
Add in the onion and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and italian seasoning. Then add in cherry tomatoes and mix. For the record, I'm not concerned about the tomatoes in my cast iron. It's a very well seasoned pan and is my daily driver.
Once cooked down a bit, add in the spinache and cover. Cook until wilted.
Add in cream and simmer until reduced to desired thickness. Stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
Once reduced, add in chicken and cover to cook chicken through ~5 minutes or so. Once chicken is cooked through, add in Parmasean cheese and stir a bit. The cheese can burn to the bottom pretty dang quick, so it's best to leave it to the last minute.
Sadly, I didn't get a shot of it all plated, so you'll have to use artistic license and plate as you see fit!
)I also made some changes to the recipe I found. I subbed out the oregano for Italian seasoning for more flavor as well as added finely chopped onion and chili flakes. I found that the cheese would burn to the bottom of the pan really quickly, so I add it in just before you remove the chicken for plating.Finally, find that a drizzle of balsamic glaze gives it a nice rounded acidic touch. I use it instead of lemon.
Although this is often referred to as Creamy Tuscan Chicken on social media, I've seen a number of Italian folks point out that it isn't actually Tuscan. Some of them got pretty touchy about it to boot! Anyways, it's a great dish that offers up some vibrant colors, great flavor, and is extremely simple to make.
Ingredients
· 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (I used more)
· 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I only used three here. One for me, my wife, and son)
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
· 1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
· 3 tbsp. butter
· 5 large cloves garlic
· 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (make sure to really chop the onion small since you don't want big chunks. I use a mandolin since it's quick and easy.)
· 1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
· 3 c. baby spinach
· 1/2 c. heavy cream
· 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
· Balsamic glaze for serving (drizzle when served)
· Lemon wedges, for serving (optional. I don't use them when I use balsamic glaze)
Directions
· Step 1 - In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper. Cook until golden, ~8 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
· Step 2 - In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add in olive oil as needed. Add onions to the pan and cook until translucent. It's also a good time to de-glaze the pan by scraping the bottom.
· Step 3 - Move some of the onions to the side. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. TIP: I usually drizzle a bit of olive oil over the garlic and spices to help cook them. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to soften then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt.
· Step 4 - Stir in heavy cream and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes. TIP: reduce the cream more than you think since the chicken addes a lot of juice back into the dish. Also be sure to stir occasionally as this can burn to the bottom pretty quick. Return chicken to skillet, cover and cook through, ~5 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the breast.
· Step 5 - Plate chicken and drizzle with Balsamic Glaze (or a side of lemon wedges). Serve along a side of pasta and crusty bread for dipping.
--------------------------------------------
Enough jibber jabber! On with the show!
Remove chicken breasts from packaging and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into well heated pan. Brown both sides. TIP: Start by browning the presentation side first since it lays flatter when you first place it in the pan. You want a decent sear on them, but you don't need to cook them through at this point. You can see that they're still pretty pink on the inside of mine at this point. Remove and set aside when you're happy with the sear.
Add in the onion and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and italian seasoning. Then add in cherry tomatoes and mix. For the record, I'm not concerned about the tomatoes in my cast iron. It's a very well seasoned pan and is my daily driver.
Once cooked down a bit, add in the spinache and cover. Cook until wilted.
Add in cream and simmer until reduced to desired thickness. Stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
Once reduced, add in chicken and cover to cook chicken through ~5 minutes or so. Once chicken is cooked through, add in Parmasean cheese and stir a bit. The cheese can burn to the bottom pretty dang quick, so it's best to leave it to the last minute.
Sadly, I didn't get a shot of it all plated, so you'll have to use artistic license and plate as you see fit!
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