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One-Pan Tuscan Chicken Is Our Most Popular Recipe of 2024 (So Far) — Everyone’s Cooked It!

Patty Catalano
Patty CatalanoFood Editor at The Kitchn
The only subject that has ever held my attention has been food, because there’s no end to what you can taste, smell, learn, and cook. I patchworked my way to recipe development and food writing by earning degrees in Family & Consumer Sciences (you may have known it as Home Ec) and Food, Nutrition, and Culinary Science, and working anywhere that would take me: university food services, local bakeries, and the set of Good Eats on Food Network. Early on, I asked my mom how she knew what a cookbook recipe (with no pictures) would look and taste like. While my mom was there to teach me, I realized that not everyone has someone to turn to for trusted cooking guidance. I try every day to be that person for The Kitchn’s readers by sharing smart recipes they can feel proud to serve. Recipe development is the most fun job I can imagine, but it also comes with a lot of dirty dishes and hours spent in the grocery store. I’ve found that I actually really love grocery shopping — especially at Costco and Aldi — and it brings me such joy to share my finds with The Kitchn readers.
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published Sep 18, 2024
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overhead shot of tuscan chicken in a cast iron skillet.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: Kelli Foster

Every week I go through the same meal planning mindgame. I start with weeknight dinner inspiration and narrow it down from there. My goal is to mix and match freshly purchased ingredients with pantry staples that need to be used up, and sit down to a delicious dinner at the end of it all. It would be impossible to cook all of the recipes here at The Kitchn that catch my eye in real time, so I make sure to save them to my Recipe Box for a curated reminder that I can come back to.

One recipe that topped my “To Cook” list was Kelli Foster’s recipe for Tuscan Chicken. This one-pan dinner was made with weeknights in mind. It starts with chicken breasts and transforms a few basic ingredients into a creamy sauce that’s full of flavor. I’ve made more chicken dinners than I could ever count, but this is the recipe I’ll keep coming back to.  

Get the recipe: Tuscan Chicken

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: Kelli Foster

What Makes Tuscan Chicken So Good

I serve chicken breasts a few times a week, and most nights, it gets the job done but is anything but memorable. As soon as I took my first bite of Tuscan Chicken, I knew I’d be thinking about this delicious dinner long after the dishes were dried and put away. 

The recipe starts with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, a cut often maligned for being bland and dry. Kelli takes care to make sure the chicken breasts are well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. One smart technique she calls for is butterflying the chicken breasts, which just means cutting them in half horizontally before beginning. That’s because one end of chicken breasts are often much thicker than the other, so slicing them into thin cutlets ensures even cooking. I also love this technique because it helps me stretch my dinner budget by using only two chicken breasts to feed four people. 

Once the chicken is seared to golden brown, it’s time to make the sauce. Onion and garlic develops flavor in the pan while a jar of sun-dried tomatoes gives the sauce a rosy hue along with a more concentrated flavor. I prefer oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes because of their plump texture, but if you only have dry-packed variety, those will rehydrate just fine in the sauce. Dried Italian seasoning adds herby notes to the sauce without relying on a variety of fresh herbs. Finished with Parmesan cheese and a generous amount of heavy cream, it’s an elegant yet comforting dinner that’s easy enough for a weeknight. 

Get the recipe: Tuscan Chicken

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