Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

Creamy sun dried tomato chicken with spinach is one of our favorite easy dishes.  Chicken breasts are pounded until thin and cooked with spinach in an ultra-creamy sauce flavored 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.    

I love a good chicken dish. I especially love the ones that require very little effort, and minimal ingredients because they can be made on a whim.

This creamy sun dried tomato chicken is definitely one of those.

I always have a jar of sun dried tomatoes hanging out in the pantry.

This wonderful ingredient comes in handy for plenty of other easy recipes like spinach sun dried tomato pasta, red pesto pasta, and paccheri with sausage, sun dried tomatoes, and butter beans.

Chicken breasts are also a regular in our home and you can find me on any given day using them for chicken cutlets, chicken piccata, or any other number of chicken dishes.

I love that this creamy chicken with sun dried tomatoes was borne out of trying to use up what's on hand - a skill that was lovingly passed on to me from my mom and grandma, and one that Italian-Americans are known for.

How to make creamy spinach sun dried tomato chicken 

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Begin by slicing a ½ 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.
2. Place one piece of chicken into a plastic bag and pound it out evenly to approximately ⅜'s of an inch thick.

3. 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 ½ cup or less for the dredging process.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Add a ½ 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.

7. Add a ½ cup of low sodium chicken stock and bring the sauce to a simmer.  
8. Once simmering turn the heat to medium and cook for 3 more minutes to reduce.
9. Add ¾ cup heavy cream and a ½ cup of Pecorino Romano cheese.  Mix well.
10. Add the spinach.  Cook the sauce for 3-5 minutes until the cream is bubbly and starts to thicken.

11. 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.  
12. 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 ¼ cup of basil leaves and sprinkle on top.  Serve with crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce.

Top tips 

Making creamy chicken with sun dried tomatoes is fairly simple, but here are a few tips to help.

• Heat your pan.  I prefer to cook using a stainless steel pan.  When using stainless steel, it's important to allow your pan to heat up for about 3 minutes before adding the oil.  This will allow the oil to skate on the pan once added, and will help prevent your chicken from sticking to the pan.
• Sun dried tomatoes.  I always keep a jar of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes in the pantry for use in a pinch.  You can sometimes find dried ones in the grocery store, but I prefer the jarred as they're packed in oil and tend to be more flavorful.  I especially like adding some of the jar oil when searing the chicken.
• The greens.  I used baby spinach here for its mild flavor and accessibility, but feel free to use any green you'd like, such as kale or chard. 
• The chicken.  I used whole chicken breasts and filleted them myself.  If you prefer, you can buy cutlets that are already thinly sliced.  I'd still advise pounding them thin though as it creates a more even cooking and reduced cooking time.  If you prefer to use boneless/skinless chicken thighs, you can do so.  Just note you'd need to cook those for roughly 5-7 minutes per side.

More go-to chicken recipes

As I mentioned above, I use chicken breasts all the time for their versatility.  In addition to the chicken cutlets and piccata recipes mentioned above, here are a few more of my absolute favorites I know you'll love!

• 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.
• Chicken marsala - Thinly sliced chicken cutlets with mushrooms, smoked prosciutto, and Marsala wine.
• Chicken francese - Egg battered cutlets in a buttery lemon sauce.
• Spinach mushroom chicken - Chicken cutlets with spinach and mushrooms in a garlic white wine sauce.
• Chicken valdostana - Prosciutto, and fontina cheese in an easy white wine sauce.
• Chicken with capers and tomatoes - Another weeknight go-to, chicken cutlets with cherry tomatoes, capers, and parsley.

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