This tasty 30 minute skillet chicken in creamy sun dried tomato sauce recipe has bold and rich garlic, parmesan, and herb flavors that will leave you craving more!
Meal planning for this week? Here are more recipes to add to your repertoire: Best Baked Chicken Thighs, Sheet Pan Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice, French Onion Chicken, and Mango Salsa Chicken.
THIS SAUCE. That’s all I really have to say about this recipe. This rich, creamy, cheesy, sun dried tomato and garlic herb sauce is a big fat slice of heaven on earth and your weeknight chicken game will never be the same after you try this goodness. If you haven’t had sun dried tomatoes before…they’re really incredible. You can purchase them at any grocery store, usually near the olives.
This 30-minute chicken dish is easy enough to throw together for any busy weeknight, yet impressive enough to wow company and become a go-to for special occasions.
Why This Recipe Works
Just a few words on what makes this dish a real winner!
Sun dried tomatoes — in case you didn’t get the jist above, I’m in love with them! I discovered the beauty of sun dried tomatoes a while back in a salad I had at a restaurant. While I initially remember thinking that sun dried tomatoes sounded iffy to me, I ended up finishing the dish wishing I had a whole bowl full of sun dried tomatoes by themselves to devour.
One skillet — I’m the biggest fan of using as few dishes as possible and this chicken dish checks that box. Not only is it delicious but everything cooks up in just one big skillet!
Chicken thighs — With a deeper, richer taste than chicken breasts, I think chicken thighs are perfect in this dish and really balance out the flavors of the sun dried tomatoes. Of course, you can totally use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you like as well.
Easy pantry ingredients — Grab some herbs from your pantry, some half-and-half from your fridge, a little butter, some garlic, those tomatoes, and chicken and you’ve got yourself an easy, on-skillet chicken dish you’ll make again and again.
Here’s How You Make It
Making this one-pan chicken recipe is really so easy!
- In a large skillet (I love my cast iron) over medium heat, melt the butter then add chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover it to keep it warm while you make the sauce.
- Next, add to the pan the garlic, Italian seasoning, sun dried tomatoes, chicken broth, half and half or heavy cream, and ⅔ cup parmesan cheese to the pan and stir to combine. Bring all of this to a boil and keep stirring periodically until the sauce is thickened and creamy, or about 5-7 minutes.
- Finally, add the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Top the dish with salt, cracked black pepper, grated parmesan, fresh thyme or basil, and serve.
Ideas for Serving This Chicken Dish
There are so many delicious ways you can serve this dish. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Make your favorite pasta and drain. Add a piece of chicken, then ladle on some of that fabulous sauce. Top with more freshly-grated parm if you want and serve alongside a warm, homemade breadstick.
- Add the chicken and sauce on top of white, brown, or your favorite rice mix. Serve with a roasted vegetable like this popular broccoli recipe.
- Eat the chicken by itself (with plenty of sauce on top) and serve with an easy Italian side salad on the side.
- Serve with mashed potatoes on the side or with the chicken and sauce spooned over it — delish!
Expert Tips
- Don’t forget to drain that oil. You’ll have an oily clumpy sauce if you don’t. The oil keeps the tomatoes moist and lends a bold flavor, but you don’t need it in this recipe.
- However, if you buy sun dried tomatoes not in oil, you’ll need to hydrate them first before using or they will be too tough and chewy. To do this, put the ½ cup of sun dried tomatoes in a heatproof bowl or large glass measuring cup. Add about 1 cup of water to the tomatoes. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let them stand until the skins can be cut or pierced. Drain the water off the tomatoes and pat them dry before cutting and using them in the sauce.
- If you’re looking to add something into this sauce, some great ideas include: pine nuts (¼ cup), walnuts or cashew pieces (¼ cup), a squeeze of lemon, a cup of kale or spinach (let it wilt in the pan before serving), or some red pepper flakes or other hot sauce you like.
More Simple Dinner Recipes
Skillet Chicken in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken thighs - (I used boneless skinless), or 4 chicken breasts pounded to even thickness
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning - OR ½ teaspoon each dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme
- ½ cup juliened sun dried tomatoes - (they come in a jar packed with oil, be sure to drain excess oil)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup half and half - or heavy cream, (use heavy cream for a thicker, creamier sauce!)
- ⅔ cup shaved or shredded parmesan cheese + ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese for topping - (or more to taste)
- fresh basil or thyme, for topping
- salt and pepper to taste - (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm while you make the sauce.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, sun dried tomatoes, chicken broth, half and half or heavy cream, and 2/3 cup parmesan cheese to pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and continue to stir periodically until thickened and creamy (5-7 minutes).
- Return chicken to pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Top with salt, cracked black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, fresh thyme or basil, and serve.
Notes
- Don’t forget to drain that oil. You’ll have an oily clumpy sauce if you don’t. The oil keeps the tomatoes moist and lends a bold flavor, but you don’t need it in this recipe.
- However, if you buy sun dried tomatoes not in oil, you’ll need to hydrate them first before using or they will be too tough and chewy. To do this, put the ½ cup of sun dried tomatoes in a heatproof bowl or large glass measuring cup. Add about 1 cup of water to the tomatoes. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let them stand until the skins can be cut or pierced. Drain the water off the tomatoes and pat them dry before cutting and using them in the sauce.
- If you’re looking to add something into this sauce, some great ideas include: pine nuts (¼ cup), walnuts or cashew pieces (¼ cup), a squeeze of lemon, a cup of kale or spinach (let it wilt in the pan before serving), or some red pepper flakes or other hot sauce you like.
I bought the sundries tomatoes in a bag..then when I got home to make the recipee I see it was suppose to be in the jar…will this work as well or do I have to do anything different…I know I have to soak them in warm water as that’s What the package says…thanks for any advice.
Hi Carol- it should be fine! They are pretty interchangeable (dry packed vs. in a jar) The only difference might be that some of the jarred sun dried tomatoes are not only submerged in an oil but they might have some herbs and/or garlic. So maybe take that into consideration taste wise if you think the end result is missing something!
Can i use regular milk or evapo milk ins of half and ha milk ?
Hi Zenia- evaporated milk can be substituted in equal amounts for half and half, typically. I haven’t done that with this particular recipe though, so I can’t say for sure. Regular milk would work fine, however the half and half is intended to help make the sauce creamy, so my concern would be that regular milk would not make the sauce creamy enough!
What a great Recipe!
Pleased with the sauce, not too thin as some others experienced. Used 1/2 and 1/2. Had six boneless skinless chicken thighs so I used two large skillets. Next time I make it i’ll include mushrooms too! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Hi Lisa! I am super excited to hear that this dish turned out so good for you! I love adding mushrooms to this- I’m a big mushroom fan myself! Thanks for sharing your feedback! 🙂
Is an 8 in skillet large enough for the sun dried chicken recipe or do i need bigger? i only have the cast iron in 8″
I used a bigger one for sure, but you can see I had a little extra space! It might be a tight fit with that but probably possible depending on how big your chicken thighs/breasts are!!
Looks yummy
this is divine! i added mushrooms.
I love adding mushrooms to this dish! So excited to hear that you loved this dish, Missy! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
LOOKS so good
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! Everyone loved it! It takes a lot for my husband to express that hr likes anything, but he did so with this recipe, myltiolr tomes. and It was incredibly easy to Make!! thank you for sharing this!
Husband approved- alright!! Way to go! Thanks for stopping by, Darlene!
I am going to try this today with chicken and I’ll be adding spinach and mushrooms. I’m wondering if this would work with salmon?
Hi Jody- I haven’t done this particular recipe with salmon but I bet it would be delicious! I would love to hear how it turns out if you do!
Made this last night for dinner but my sauce never thickened. Any ideas why? I used heavy cream and shredded parmesan as recommended.
Hi Betty- sorry to hear this! That seems so strange, I never have issues with this sauce being too thin. Are you maybe not cooking it long enough? The sauce does tend to get thicker the longer it cooks.
Absolutely delicious! Will make this again and again!
So happy to hear that you loved this dish!! The sauce on this is my favorite! Thanks for your feedback, Jules!
Really good!!!!! My kids eat it and they eat nothing. Thank you
This comment totally made me laugh out loud! Sounds like something familiar here at my house, haha. Thanks for making me laugh! Happy to hear that you and your family loved this dish! Thanks, Derrick!
Does the type of pan you use make a difference? I don’t own a cast iron skillet-yet
Hi Alexandra- You don’t have to use a cast iron skillet but you do need to make sure you use an oven safe skillet!
I’m making this dish tonight and I’m adding mushrooms and spinach as others have suggested. My question is when do I add them into the cooking process?
I hope that you love this dish! Add them in step 2 while making the sauce! 🙂
I made this dish last night for company and they loved it. I sautéed the mushrooms before the garlic and added the spinach with the broth. I too had a thinner sauce than expected and the cheese did clump somewhat. Not sure why, but this dish will definitely be a regular.
Where can I buy your cookbook
I don’t have one quite yet, perhaps in the future! 🙂 Thanks for the sweet compliment!