One-Pan Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken
Dinner with maximum comfort, minimum thinking.
If you’re tired and still need dinner on the table, this is the kind of recipe that helps: one pan, familiar flavors, and no complicated prep. It gives you juicy chicken in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce that feels like you put in more effort than you did. Make it on a weeknight when you want something cozy but not heavy, and when you’d rather cook than order takeout. It’s not fancy, and that’s the point—just a reliable skillet dinner that comes together quickly, uses pantry-friendly ingredients, and leaves you with a real meal instead of another decision to make.
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast — cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 0.75 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes — drained if packed in oil, then chopped
- 0.75 cup chicken broth
- 0.5 cup heavy cream
- 0.25 cup grated parmesan
- 2 cup baby spinach
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh basil — optional, chopped
Method
- 1 Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned and cooked through. Remove it to a plate.
- 2 Lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, then cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
- 3 Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 4 Add the spinach and let it wilt, then return the chicken to the skillet. Stir in the lemon juice and basil, then serve right away.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Replace the chicken with 2 cans of drained cannellini beans and add them after the sauce thickens; simmer just until heated through.
- Faster swap — Use thin chicken cutlets instead of bite-size pieces so they cook in about 4 minutes per side.
- Ingredient swaps — Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a lighter sauce, or swap spinach for chopped kale and cook it a minute longer.
Notes
For the fastest version, use pre-cut chicken and sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a splash of broth. Serve over rice, pasta, or with crusty bread if you want to stretch it further.
Equipment that helps
- Large skillet — A wide pan helps the chicken brown quickly and gives the sauce room to reduce.
- Tongs — They make it easy to turn the chicken and move it back into the sauce without extra fuss.
Find more dinners like this
More like this
