Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
This bright Chicken in Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce has the bold flavors of garlic, Parmesan, oregano, and thyme all packed into a cozy dish. All done in one skillet and 30 minutes, it’s delicious for family dinner, elegant enough for guests.
A dinner to dazzle.
This chicken dinner has all the elements of a permanent upgrade to your weeknight routine. It’s quick and straightforward to make in one skillet. Moreover, the sauce is to die for, thanks to garlic, butter, herbs, and the key addition, sun-dried tomatoes. These little guys are bright red, bold, and beautiful. They add a simultaneously sweet and tangy flavor to every bite.
Serve this with garlic knots and a simple steamed veggie for busy weeknights, or homemade breadsticks and pesto green beans to elevate things when you want to. Either way, be prepared — you may find yourself wishing for more leftovers!
Key Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I absolutely notice a difference in the quality of a finished dish based on the quality of the chicken I purchase, so if it’s possible for you to buy organic, air-chilled chicken breasts, I do recommend it. You will most likely be glad when you take that first bite.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Look for the oil-packed, julienned variety.
- Low-sodium chicken broth or stock.
- Cream. This is a key component of getting the richest, most flavorful sauce. You don’t need much. Substitute half and half if needed but expect the sauce to be thinner and possibly to separate.
- Pantry staples: kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, all-purpose flour, olive oil.
- Fridge staples: butter, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese. I prefer fresh minced garlic but jarred minced garlic is a great time-saver when you really need it.
- Fresh lemon juice and fresh oregano or thyme for optional garnish. The lemon juice adds a very subtle freshness to the sauce, but I would not make a special trip to the store just for it.
Oil-Packed vs. Dehydrated Sun-Dried Tomatoes
For this recipe, it’s most efficient to use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which are typically sold in a jar and located either near the olives or sometimes near croutons and other salad add-ins. If you’re using dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrate them with a 20- to 30-minute soak in hot water or broth before adding them into the sauce. You may also find whole sun-dried tomatoes vs. julienned – those are fine, you’ll just want to chop them into smaller pieces.
How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
I’ve included a few step-by-step photos here to make this recipe extra easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Season and brown the chicken breasts. The brown bits rendered by the chicken are called fond, and they will get incorporated directly into the sauce for maximum flavor with the minimum number of pans to clean.
Start the sauce. After removing the browned chicken breasts to a plate, sauté the garlic in the same skillet, then quickly add the broth, lemon juice, and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a simmer and let it reduce slightly.
Add cream and chicken. Stir in the cream, then return chicken to the pan and let everything simmer for another few minutes to bring the flavors together and ensure the chicken is cooked through. It should read 165 degrees F in the thickest part.
Garnish and serve. A generous sprinkle of Parmesan over each piece of chicken and a sprig of fresh herbs for the pretty factor, then dinner is done.
Top Tips for Recipe Success
- Slice the chicken breasts into thinner cutlets. This allows for quicker, more even cooking. You can also purchase “thin-sliced” chicken breasts in the store, which is a convenient shortcut, though sometimes more expensive per pound.
- Free flavor. Use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes for your olive oil in the recipe. Just spoon out a little bit from around the tomato slices.
- Try not to use fridge-cold cream. Set out the cream at room temperature during the early steps of the recipe, so it’s not straight-from-the-fridge cold when you add it to the bubbling sauce. This helps it incorporate more smoothly.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. This simple guidance is so common it’s easy to dismiss, but it’s really important to consistently making dinners that you and your family like. I might only add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to this dish, but that is plenty for me and the kids, and my salt-loving husband doesn’t mind grinding a little extra over his portion. Salt wakes up all the other flavors. If your whole family prefers a dish like this with, say, 1/2 teaspoon of salt incorporated into the sauce, that small change is going to be the difference between a dinner you loved vs. one you just thought was so-so.
Serving Suggestions
For a weeknight dinner, keep it simple and pair this chicken with some garlic knots, Texas toast, or plain pasta — the extra sauce from the chicken will be delicious on a small serving of rotini or bowties. Simple greens with Italian salad dressing, steamed green beans, or roasted baby carrots will complete the meal.
To dress things up a little more for company, serve this chicken alongside roasted garlic green beans, pesto green beans, or bundles of asparagus, with a lemon arugula Parmesan salad and homemade breadsticks on the side. This will impress every time!
Storage & Reheating
- Storage: Place leftover chicken and sauce in any airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. (These are our favorite meal prep and storage boxes.)
- Warming: Reheat on 50% power in the microwave until warmed through. Using half power reduces the odds that your chicken will dry out in the microwave; it’s worth the extra few seconds it takes.
- If the sauce gets too thick, don’t worry. It will loosen up a bit as it warms.
- Freezing: I don’t really recommend freezing this.
Related Recipes
Love a simple chicken skillet and looking for some new ideas? Lemon thyme chicken, lemon chicken pasta, balsamic chicken with mushrooms, and chicken pasta marinara are all tried and true here. Want something even easier? Italian dressing chicken requires just five minutes prep then bakes away to perfection.
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Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano divided
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes see note
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Parmesan
- fresh oregano or thyme optional
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets. Generously season them with salt, pepper, and about 1 teaspoon of the oregano. Lightly dredge them through the flour.2 large chicken breasts, kosher salt and black pepper, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Warm a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.olive oil
- Add another small drizzle of olive oil to the skillet, along with the butter. When butter melts, add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant.1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, 2-3 cloves garlic
- Pour in the chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Scrape the pan to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let it bubble for 3-4 minutes, until slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I usually add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 6-8 cranks of black pepper.)3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Stir in the cream and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes, spooning a little sauce over the chicken occasionally, until the sauce is reduced and the chicken is cooked through.1/3 cup heavy cream
- Sprinkle Parmesan on top, and fresh herbs if you like. Serve right away.Parmesan, fresh oregano or thyme
Notes
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: For this recipe, it’s most efficient to use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which are typically sold in a jar and located either near the olives or sometimes near croutons and other salad add-ins. If you’re using dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, you’ll want to rehydrate them with a 20- to 30-minute soak in hot water or broth before adding them into the sauce.
- Bonus Flavor: Use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes for your olive oil in the recipe.
- Gluten-Free: Omit the flour entirely, or use any gluten-free blend. It’s main purpose is to help the chicken develop a slight crust, but it does also help to thicken the sauce a bit.
