Tuscan Garlic Chicken is as decadent as it gets–tender chicken in a garlic parmesan cream sauce, but under 200 calories!
Are you sick of copycat recipes yet? That seems to be a majority of the requests I get from readers, and I’m happy to oblige. The Olive Garden version of this dish comes in at 38 points! Yikes.
I’m pretty sure they don’t have it on their menu anymore, so if you’re looking to recreate this meal with the added bonus of cutting some calories, then you’re in the right place!
Lightening it up
I tend to gravitate towards cream sauces when I eat at restaurants, and this sauce blows just about every other one out of the water.
Of course I love Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Chicken, and Skinny Alfredo is a staple in my home. But I love that I can sneak some leafy green in here without really tasting them. And the colors are gorgeous!
The key to lightening up cream sauces, I’ve found anyway, is a combo of almond milk, full-fat half and half, cornstarch to bind it all together, and parmesan cheese to add extra flavor. This technique always results in a luscious sauce that is lighter but doesn’t sacrifice flavor and texture.
What do i serve with Tuscan Garlic CHicken?
Even though the chicken is juicy and tender, the real star if, of course, the sauce. So serve this with something you can use to mop up all of that deliciousness.
One full serving is about 1/3 cup of sauce, so you could definitely serve this over plain pasta. That’s how I did it the second time around, and it was like a more complex chicken fettucine alfredo. Yuuum.
The first time around, I served it with Crispy Smashed Potatoes (a recipe that I’ll share next week). But plain roasted or mashed potatoes would be divine, too.
Even rice would work. Basically, anything starchy is what I’m getting at here. Lol. Pair it with a side salad or some roasted veggies, and you’re ready to serve dinner in just about 30 minutes.
What about Leftovers?
The leftovers reheat really well in the microwave or over the stove. Another advantage of skipping out on the heavy cream and butter in this sauce is that it won’t get oily and separate when you reheat it.
I’m not so sure about freezing these leftovers, though. I haven’t tried it myself, but I would think that the sauce might get too watery when you thaw it out. But if you give it a try, let me know in the comments how it goes!
More recipes like Tuscan Garlic Chicken
- One-Pot Louisiana Chicken Pasta
- Baked Goat Cheese Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Chicken
- Skinny Alfredo Sauce
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!
Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast cutlets (or 2 large breasts cut in half lengthwise)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- cracked pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fat free chicken stock
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best, or the kind in the refrigerated section)
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes NOT packed in oil*
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Add olive oil and a spritz of cooking spray to the pan. Swirl oil around to coat. Add chicken and sear until golden brown and mostly cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Add garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock in to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together almond milk, half and half, and cornstarch. Add this mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer.
- Mix basil, oregano, and sundried tomatoes into the sauce. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add parmesan and spinach. Stir until cheese is melted into the sauce and spinach is just wilted. Place chicken and juices back in the skillet and simmer until chicken is heated through. Taste sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Let rest for 5 minutes off the heat, so chicken can rest and the sauce can thicken a bit more.
This looks delicious. How much oil do you put in the pan when cooking the chicken?
1 tsp. Sorry! Just updated that.
This was amazing. Will definitely be on dinner rotations. Thank you!
Thank you so much!
This was SO good. My husband says it must go on our recipe rotation.
Love hearing this, Alli!
How much oil? It mentions adding oil but not how much. Thanks!
Sorry, just updated that. 1 tsp.
So insanely good!
Thank you, Amanda!
Made this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious!!! Thanks for another amazing recipe! ❤️
Awesome! Love to hear that.
Love this! So flavorful and easy to make. I love that the leftovers heat up so well!
Yessss I was so surprised that the cream sauce reheated so well! Thank you for the review!
This was SO yummy. I added a little more chicken stock than the recipe called for to increase the extra saucy deliciousness for the pasta I paired with it. Will definitely be making this recipe again!!
Oh I LOVE extra sauce, so I would do the same. Makes me so happy that you loved it!
Made this tonight and had over linguine! It was sooo good! Can’t wait to make it again next week! Love your recipes lady!
Thank you, Erin!!
Wow this was SO GOOD. I couldn’t find sundried tomatoes not packed in oil so I just omitted and it was still delicious. Definitely will make again!
I’ve seen a lot of people do the same, and they love it, too! Yay!
This looks great! Can I use regular milk instead of the half and half and almond milk and just adjust the points?
Yep!
Can you substitute regular milk for the almond milk?
Yep!
Delicious! My husband said put it on the rotation! Thank you
Hubby approved! Love that.
I can not find dried sun dried tomatoes. Not in water or oil. Will that work?
Aww that’s too bad. You could throw some fresh tomatoes in at the end!
This was so good! I definitively will be making this again. The cream sauce would be tasty over bow tie pasta.
I LOVE this over pasta!! So happy you liked it.
It looks delicious! We cannot do almond milk(tree nut allergies), do you have a substitution?
Skim milk or any other plant based milk would be good. Just might change the cals/points.
Would nonfat milk work as a substitute for the almond milk? Nut allergy here and can’t have almond milk.
Sure! I only use almond milk to lower cals/points.
Where are you finding the sun dried tomatoes not in oil? I’ve looked everywhere. I’m making tonight and have some roasted red peppers I might try but know that’s not the same.
Mainly Trader Joe’s hanging next to the canned tomatoes. I’ve also found them in regular grocery stores by the dried fruits. You can definitely use the ones packed in oil. Just drain, wash them, and pat them dry before you add them in.
We just made this last night and it was so good! This will definitely become a regular dinner in our house.
Love that! We make it at least twice a month.