»The way to a man’s (or woman’s) heart is through his (her) stomach«, they say. I can only confirm this. I do prefer a delicious meal to flowers or chocolates… ;P There is a dish called »marry me chicken«, which fits the theme of love and food quite well. This Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Pasta may not be this special dish with powers to convince someone to marry you, but it’s certainly a delicious meal! If you want to make someone happy, you should definitely organize all the ingredients and start cooking immediately…
We are not big fans of calling something »the best of the best« or »the tastiest xxx you’ve ever eaten«. When a statement like that is made, we’re absolutely convinced that claim is true. But that might only be true for yourself. ;P There is no proof that a chicken dish has ever led to marriage, right? So maybe we should just stick to »it’s delicious!«. ;P
Anyway. The name »Creamy Tuscan Chicken« is also a bit misleading, to be honest. I don’t think this dish is from Italy. It might be inspired by Italian and especially Tuscan cuisine, but it’s probably an American invention. Olive Garden or other restaurants with Italian-inspired menu seem more likely to be the origin of this dish. I don’t know, to be honest. Do you know?
This recipe here is actually a combination of several recipes I found online. A Frankenstein chicken recipe, so to speak. Well, not quite. ;P Many »Creamy Tuscan Chicken« recipes ask for chicken breast – something you can use here as well – but I opted for chicken thighs, because they add much more flavor to the dish. More fat, more flavor. It’s easy. ;P
If you don’t want to handle the skin and bones of the chicken, you can, of course, use skinless deboned chicken thighs or chicken breast. Just keep in mind that the meat might need less time to cook – especially when switching from the darker chicken thighs meat to the lighter chicken breast meat. You don’t want to end up with dry chicken on your plate.
Well. In case you like the combination of creamy sauce, tomatoes, and spinach, you might want to take a look at our Ravioli with Tomatoes & Spinach – similar recipe, just without any meat. The sauce is very versatile. It also works with gnocchi or plain pasta.
If you like chicken and want to cook something with chicken, you could also take a look at our Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Chicken with Veggies & Coconut Rice. An Asian inspired dish we love to cook here. It’s a crowd-pleaser, for sure. ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
some olive oil for frying
4 chicken thighs (with bones/skin on)
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
1 cup (240ml) chicken broth
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
1.8 oz. (50g) Parmesan, grated (plus some more)
3.5 oz. (100g) sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped
5.3 oz. (150g) cherry tomatoes, halved
3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach leaves
1 tsp. cornstarch plus some water (if needed)
salt, pepper
17.6 oz. (500g) dry pasta (we like to use linguine here)
(4 Portionen)
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
4 Hähnchenoberschenkel (mit Haut & Knochen)
1 rote Zwiebel, fein gehackt
3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
120ml trockener Weißwein
240ml Hühnerbrühe
240ml Sahne
50g Parmesan, gerieben (plus etwas mehr)
100g getrocknete Tomaten in Öl, gewürfelt
150g Cherrytomaten, halbiert
100g Babyspinat
1 TL Speisestärke plus etwas Wasser (falls notwendig)
Salz, Pfeffer
500g Pasta (z.B. Linguine)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start by preparing the veggies. Peel and finely chop the red onion and garlic. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces. Wash and dry the tomatoes and halve them. Wash and dry the spinach. Set everything aside. Prepare a large pot with salted water for the pasta.
2. Clean the chicken thighs, remove any unwanted parts, and pat dry with a piece of kitchen paper. Season well with salt and pepper from both sides.
3. Heat up a large Dutch oven or large pan with some olive oil. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and fry/cook them for about 10 minutes until nicely browned. Flip the thighs and cook/fry them for another 10 minutes from the other side. Remove the thighs from the Dutch oven or pan. Place them on a plate and keep them warm (e.g. in the oven). Remove any liquid (it’s mostly fat) from the pot.
4. Add a bit more olive oil to the Dutch oven/pan, add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté until soft and glossy – takes only a few minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and let the wine cook down until almost gone. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven/pan, where all the flavor is. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream. Next, add the grated Parmesan and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and mix to combine. Add the chicken thighs back to the Dutch oven/pan, cover, reduce the heat, and let the sauce and chicken bubble for about 10 minutes.
5. While the sauce is bubbling, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
6. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and the spinach to the sauce and let cook until the spinach has wilted. If the sauce seems too liquid, mix some cornstarch with a bit of water and add to the sauce – let cook for a moment until the sauce has thickened nicely. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add your pasta to bowls, add a chicken thigh to each bowl, and add the sauce. Sprinkle with some extra grated Parmesan to your liking.
1. Mit dem Gemüse starten – die rote Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein hacken. Die getrocknete Tomaten in kleine Stücke schneiden. Die Cherrytomaten waschen, trocknen und halbieren. Den Spinat auslesen, waschen und trocknen. Alles zur Seite stellen. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser für die Nudeln vorbereiten.
2. Die Hähnchenoberschenkel säubern, alle unerwünschten Teile entfernen und mit einem Stück Küchenpapier trocken tupfen. Von beiden Seiten gut mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen.
3. Einen großen (gusseisernen) Topf oder eine große Pfanne mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen. Die Hähnchenoberschenkel mit der Hautseite nach unten etwa 10 Minuten anbraten, bis sie schön gebräunt sind. Die Schenkel umdrehen und die Unterseite ebenfalls etwa 10 Minuten anbraten. Das Hähnchen aus dem Topf bzw. der Pfanne nehmen, auf einen Teller legen und warm halten (z.B. im Backofen). Zurückgebliebene Flüssigkeit (das ist hauptsächlich Fett) aus dem Topf entfernen.
4. Falls notwendig, noch etwas Olivenöl in den Topf/die Pfanne geben und erhitzen. Die gehackte Zwiebel und den Knoblauch dazugeben und glasig andünsten – dauert nur ein paar Minuten. Mit dem Weißwein ablöschen und den Wein fast komplett einkochen lassen. Was am Boden des Topfes/der Pfanne festhängt, sollte sich jetzt leicht lösen – das bringt ordentlich Geschmack in die Soße. Die Hühnerbrühe und die Sahne dazugeben und unterrühren. Geriebenen Parmesan und gehackte (getrockneten) Tomaten dazugeben und unterrühren. Die Hähnchenoberschenkel zurück in den Topf/die Pfanne geben, mit einem Deckel abdecken, die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und die Soße mit dem Hähnchen etwa 10 Minuten köcheln lassen.
5. Während die Soße köchelt, die Nudeln nach Packungsanweisung kochen.
6. Die halbierten Cherrytomaten und den Spinat in die Soße dazugeben und mitkochen lassen, bis der Spinat zusammengefallen ist. Sollte die Soße zu flüssig sein, Speisestärke mit ein wenig Wasser verrühren und in die Soße geben – die Soße sollte recht schnell andicken. Mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken. Die gekochten Nudeln in Schüsseln geben, jeweils einen Hähnchenoberschenkel dazugeben und die Soße darüber gießen. Nach Belieben mit etwas geriebenem Parmesan bestreuen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Pasta
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: United States
Description
Not quite “marry me chicken”, but close – this Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Pasta is definitely a great dish for a date night with a loved one ;)
Ingredients
some olive oil for frying
4 chicken thighs (with bones/skin on)
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
1 cup (240ml) chicken broth
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
1.8 oz. (50g) Parmesan, grated (plus some more)
3.5 oz. (100g) sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped
5.3 oz. (150g) cherry tomatoes, halved
3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach leaves
1 tsp. cornstarch plus some water (if needed)
salt, pepper
17.6 oz. (500g) dry pasta (we like to use linguine here)
Instructions
1. Start by preparing the veggies. Peel and finely chop the red onion and garlic. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces. Wash and dry the tomatoes and halve them. Wash and dry the spinach. Set everything aside. Prepare a large pot with salted water for the pasta.
2. Clean the chicken thighs, remove any unwanted parts, and pat dry with a piece of kitchen paper. Season well with salt and pepper from both sides.
3. Heat up a large Dutch oven or large pan with some olive oil. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and fry/cook them for about 10 minutes until nicely browned. Flip the thighs and cook/fry them for another 10 minutes from the other side. Remove the thighs from the Dutch oven or pan. Place them on a plate and keep them warm (e.g. in the oven). Remove any liquid (it’s mostly fat) from the pot.
4. Add a bit more olive oil to the Dutch oven/pan, add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté until soft and glossy – takes only a few minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and let the wine cook down until almost gone. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven/pan, where all the flavor is. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream. Next, add the grated Parmesan and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and mix to combine. Add the chicken thighs back to the Dutch oven/pan, cover, reduce the heat, and let the sauce and chicken bubble for about 10 minutes.
5. While the sauce is bubbling, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
6. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and the spinach to the sauce and let cook until the spinach has wilted. If the sauce seems too liquid, mix some cornstarch with a bit of water and add to the sauce – let cook for a moment until the sauce has thickened nicely. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add your pasta to bowls, add a chicken thigh to each bowl, and add the sauce. Sprinkle with some extra grated Parmesan to your liking.
Notes
Let your creativity shine in the kitchen!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
