Creamy sun dried tomato chicken with spinach is one of our favorite easy dishes. Chicken breasts are pounded thin and cooked with spinach in a creamy sauce with basil, sun dried tomatoes, white wine, and garlic. This satisfying chicken dish can be on your table in about 35 minutes which means little effort for a lot of flavor.
Editor’s Note: Originally published on December 30, 2021. Updated with expanded information.
I love a good chicken dish, especially ones that require little effort, and minimal ingredients; creamy sun dried tomato chicken is one of those.
I always have a jar of sun dried tomatoes in my pantry and they comes in handy for plenty of other easy recipes like spinach sun dried tomato pasta, red pesto pasta, and sun dried tomato tapenade.
Chicken breasts are also a regular in our home for chicken cutlets, chicken piccata, or any other number of chicken dishes.
This creamy chicken with sun dried tomatoes (referred to by many as Marry Me Chicken, or even Tuscan Chicken) was borne out of trying to use up what’s on hand – a skill that was lovingly passed on to me from my grandma, and one that Italian-Americans are known for.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. I used whole chicken breasts and filleted them myself, but you can also buy cutlets that are thinly sliced.
- Sun dried tomatoes. I use the ones packed in oil as they have great flavor. Adding some of the oil from the jar when searing the chicken is great!
- White wine. Use a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, and if you can’t have wine feel free to omit it.
- Chicken stock. Use homemade chicken stock for best results, or a stock made from chicken base, such as Better Than Bouillon.
- Cream. Use full-fat heavy cream to prevent the sauce from breaking.
- Spinach. Fresh baby spinach is best with creamy sun-dried tomato chicken, but feel free to sub in other fresh greens if you’d like.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Begin by slicing a 1/2 cup of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes into strips. Also, slice 5 cloves of garlic. If using store-bought thin cutlets, skip to step 3. Begin by filleting the 2 chicken breasts and cutting those fillets into two more pieces each. You should have 8 total pieces from 2 chicken breasts. (Photo #1)
- Place one piece of chicken into a plastic bag and pound it out evenly to approximately 1/2 an inch thick. (Photo #2)
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides. Then, dredge the chicken in flour and shake off the excess. Place the dredged pieces on parchment paper or a plate off to the side. Note: The remaining flour should be discarded so only use a 1/2 cup or less for the dredging process. (Photo #3)
- Heat a stainless steel pan to medium heat and wait 3 minutes before adding the oil. Once the pan is hot, add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved sun dried tomato oil and sear the chicken on both sides until browned and cooked through (should take about 3 minutes per side). Work in batches and do not crowd the pan! Place the seared chicken on a plate off to the side and tent with foil to keep warm. (Photo #4)
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic. Add a bit more oil if the pan is dry. Once the garlic turns slightly golden add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for 30-60 seconds more. (Photo #5)
- Add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine and turn heat to high. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits. Cook the wine out for 1-2 minutes until it reduces by about half. (Photo #6)
- Add a 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken stock and bring the sauce to a simmer. (Photo #7)
- Once simmering turn the heat to medium and cook for 3 more minutes to reduce. (Photo #8)
- Add 3/4 cup heavy cream and a 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese and mix well. (Photo #9)
- Add the spinach and cook the sauce for 3-5 minutes until the cream is bubbly and starts to thicken. (Photo #10)
- Once the sauce has thickened (it should coat a spoon well and not drip off) add the chicken. Coat the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes until the chicken is hot. (Photo #11)
- Taste test the sauce and make final adjustments to salt and pepper. With the saltiness of the Pecorino and sun dried tomatoes you might not need any extra salt. Once satisfied with the taste, turn the heat off and add the basil. Hand tear a 1/4 cup of basil leaves and sprinkle on top. Serve the marry me chicken with crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce. (Photo #12)
Top tips
- Heat your pan. I prefer to use stainless steel pans when making dishes like sun dried tomato chicken, and the trick is to allow your pan to heat for 3 minutes before adding the oil. This allows the oil to skate on the pan once added and prevent sticking.
- Chicken. You can save money by buying whole chicken breasts and filleting yourself. I strongly suggest pounding them thin to create an even and reduced cooking time.
- Use homemade stock. One way to amp up any dish that calls for stock, is to use homemade. Homemade chicken stock not only has better flavor but gives you control over sodium levels in your dish.
More go-to chicken recipes
As I mentioned above, I use chicken breasts all the time for their versatility. Here are just a few of my favorites.
- Chicken parmigiana – Perfectly fried chicken cutlets topped with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Chicken pizzaiola – Seared chicken cutlets with bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and white wine.
- Spinach mushroom chicken – Chicken cutlets with spinach and mushrooms in a garlic white wine sauce.
If you’ve enjoyed this Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (aka Marry Me Chicken) Recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and tell us about it in the comments below.
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Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (Marry Me Chicken)
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets filleted and pounded to about 1/2" thick
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup flour for dredging
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes drained, cut into strips
- 3 tablespoons sun dried tomato oil
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, chardonnay, etc
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces baby spinach
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano grated
- 1/4 cup basil leaves packed, hand torn
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides then dredge in flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat a stainless steel pan to medium heat then add in the olive oil. Cook the chicken cutlets for 3 minutes per side or until well browned and cooked through. Work in batches if required and do not crowd the pan. Place the cooked chicken onto a plate and tent with foil.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and add the garlic to the pan. Cook until fragrant and golden (about 1 minute). Next, add the sun dried tomatoes, cook for 30-60 seconds more, then add the wine and turn heat to high. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits.
- After 1-2 minutes and once the wine has reduced, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the cream, spinach, and Pecorino and cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add the chicken to the pan. Cook until the chicken is hot and the sauce thoroughly coats the chicken (about 2-3 minutes). Now is the time to taste test the sauce and make final adjustments to salt and pepper.
- Once satisfied with the taste, turn off the heat and hand tear the basil leaves on top. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted. You will need to cook them longer (about 5-7 minutes per side) than thin-sliced cutlets.
- Use either store-bought thin chicken cutlets or fillet and pound them out to about 1/2″ thick. A thinly pounded cutlet will allow even cooking and will only take a few minutes per side to cook.
- Sun dried tomatoes are sold dry or in jars packed in oil. Either can be used, but the oiled-packed ones tend to have more flavor plus the oil can be used for searing the chicken.
- Parmigiano Reggiano can be subbed for the Pecorino Romano.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on a stovetop over medium heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published on December 30, 2021. It was completely updated with expanded information on January 5, 2024.
Oh my gosh!! Delish!!
This was truly outstanding. Every recipe of yours I have tried is a winner! Love the channel and your family, thanks for sharing your delicious creations with us.
We’re so happy to hear this and appreciate your comment!
Excellent
This is a great recipe, I scaled it up and doubled it, and it came out great, a real crowd, pleaser, very tasty and comes together quickly. Nice work, James!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Jeff!
Great dish, comes together quickly, pretty foolproof, flavors play well with one another. Tired to post a photo of my finished dish but I guess that isn’t allowed here. As always, great job, James.