Bet you wouldn’t guess that a beautiful skillet chicken recipe is just 30 minutes away, but this Quick and Easy Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is!
Dear friends, this one skillet chicken recipe is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. It’s creamy, flavorful and so crazy easy. If you love chicken, you absolutely must make our Quick and Easy Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
Phew, that’s a totally long name, I know, but trust me on this one, it’s absolutely worth the tongue tying trying to get that whole thing out of your mouth.
For two months now I’ve been making dinner, doing laundry or working on blog posts and I kept imagining this chicken, all golden and beautiful in a black cast iron pan with the most dreamy, decadent sauce full of mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes ever. I seriously thought of it so many times it was getting ridiculous.
Some people dream about vacations or what the love of their life will be like, I dream of chicken. It’s problem, totally aware. 😉
The problem was that life was so crazy busy as we were heading back out on tour with Time Out for Women that I just didn’t really have time to make and photograph another recipe.
Last week I made it happen and our entire family devoured it. THE KIDS you guys, the kids ate it! When do kids ever care about such an adult recipe?
Are Your Kids Good Eaters?
Let’s just get this out of the way right now. Everyone always wants to know if our kids are just the best little eaters.
NO.
Heck no.
They are the worst.
Nah, they aren’t really the worst, but they all start out that way. All of our kids have been incredibly picky toddlers and slowly get better and better the older that they get. Our 12 year old will at least try everything and most things she ends up loving. She never complains, she is just super supportive.
Our 8 year old is, meh. She will try things with a little prodding, still complains about some things, but is getting better every month.
The little guy, well you just never know with him. One day he will shock us and after some prodding totally eat dinner. Another day he pretty much flops around in his chair and refuses.
How to Change a Picky Eater
Some kids are picky for specific reasons, but today let’s just tackle one that is picky for no real reason other than it’s new and different and the child is little.
Textures and flavors are really hard for little kids to embrace. Start every meal with something familiar, whether that’s applesauce or corn it doesn’t matter.
Let your kids cook with you whenever possible. As they cook with you they will want to try their own creations and become familiar with tastes, textures and appearances.
Keep trying. We never make separate meals. Kids will eventually eat and I know it’s hard but if you just keep offering it without making another meal they will eventually cave in and even if it takes a few years it’s always worth it.
Do You Have to Add the Mushrooms?
I know that not everyone is crazy about mushrooms and I’m totally with you. Cade is more inclined to eat mushrooms than I am, and both of us mind less if they are in a sauce or have been cooked down.
If you want to skip the mushrooms or substitute a different kind, that’s totally ok! You don’t at all need the mushrooms in this recipe.
Oil Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes are a major component in this recipe. They are a bright pop of color and flavor against that rich sauce so don’t skip out on those.
Different kinds of sun-dried tomatoes are sold in the store; oil packed sun dried tomatoes and dry sun-dried tomatoes in a sealed package.
You absolutely must buy the jarred, oil packed sun-dried tomatoes as they not only cook up differently, but they also have that oil that we need for cooking down the mushrooms.
How Long to Cook Chicken in a Pan
We have an entire post about cooking chicken in a pan so that you don’t have to cut into it to see if it has been cooked through.
Check out how to cook chicken in a pan and learn all about how to avoid over cooked, dry chicken and the undercooked pink chicken fiasco!
Fresh Versus Dried Herbs
Alright, now if you have fresh herbs, by all means use those. Fresh is always best in my book. However, we never have fresh herbs during the winter without spending gobs at the grocery store. Because of that we keep dried herbs in our cupboard at all times.
- Fresh Herbs- For fresh herbs, use double the amount that you would dried herbs.
- Dried Herbs- Dried herbs you only need half the amount of fresh because they are condensed down.
Quick and Easy Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This Quick and Easy Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes starts off by seasoning chicken breasts and cooking them in a cast iron skillet.
Do I Need a Cast Iron Skillet?
We actually do prefer a cast iron skillet for these chicken and sauce recipes. The little browned bits of food called, Fond stick to the bottom of the pan and get whisked into the sauce creating a more caramelized, rich flavor.
- Which Cast Iron Pan to Buy–
If you don’t already have a cast iron pan, this is the one that we prefer to buy. It’s cheap, large and works like a charm, Lodge Cast Iron Pan.
Skillet RECIPES
Looking for more skillet recipes? Check out our these:
- One Skillet Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
- One Skillet Enchilada Recipe
- Garlic Butter Chicken
- Easy Garden Skillet
- One Skillet BBQ Chicken and Potatoes
- One Skillet Cheddar Broccoli Rice with Kielbasa!
To see all of our family dinner recipes, head here! These are a few of our favorites…
More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:
- Best Prime Rib
- Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Smoked Prime Rib
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- Korean Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Oven Braised Beef Roast
- Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
- Smoked Tri Tip
- Easy Garlic Butter Steak
- Authentic Italian Bolognese Sauce
- Beef Ribs with Charred Pepper Cream Gnocchi
- All our MAIN DISH recipes!
How to Make Quick and Easy Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Quick and Easy Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Description
Ingredients
For The Chicken:
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Parsley, dried
For The Sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1/2 Cup Tomatoes, oil packed, sun-dried
- 1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced Baby Bella *optional
- 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream, *see note
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
- Coat chicken breasts with the salt, garlic powder and Italian herbs.3-4 Chicken Breasts, 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder, 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- Heat a Cast Iron Skillet over medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Place chicken, breast side down in the pan.
- Cook chicken breasts until opaque and no longer pink inside (about 5-7 minutes each side).
- Transfer to a plate.
- To the same skillet, heat the butter and pour off some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, about 2 teaspoons, adding extra olive oil if you don’t have enough.1 Tablespoon Butter, 1/2 Cup Tomatoes
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes.1 Cup Mushrooms
- Add the garlic, with seasonings and a dash of salt, for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.4 Cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir quickly.1/2 Cup Tomatoes
- Stir in cream and cheese; season with salt and pepper, to taste.1 Cup Heavy Cream, 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Salt and Pepper
- Bring to a boil and while whisking, add the cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan until sauce has thickened slightly.1 teaspoon Cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon Water
- Reduce heat, add the chicken and simmer gently while the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle the chicken with parsley or dried parsley if desired, spooning the sauce over the breasts.1 teaspoon Parsley
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
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Debbi
The instructions refer to onion powder for the chicken but I can’t seem to find it in the list of ingredients.
Sweet Basil
Hi Debbi! I don’t know how in the world that got in there! I don’t use onion powder when I make it. I’ve updated the recipe card so the instructions don’t include that. Sorry for the confusion!
Sally Fridge
Back again. Here is the answer to my earlier question. I proceeded to finish as follows. I made noodles (med egg noodles); heated up tomato mix to where it was just on edge of hot and added cream/hand-grated Parmesan. Stirred it in then brought everything in sauce to a boil and added cornstarch/water and let sauce thicken. I added the cold, refrigerated, previously seared cutlets, done earlier in the day, back into mix, covering them with sauce. I let it all sit at a very low heat (almost off) for about 5-10 minutes. Because husband was not feeling good he only had one small taste of the sauce but thought it was really tasty! I had one cutlet with pasta, all well-covered with sauce, and a beautiful, ripe avocado on the side. Instead of parsley, I tore up a small amount of cilantro and sprinkled it on the chicken and pasta. It all turned out fine-quite delicious and very, very flavorful! It didn’t hurt this recipe at all by stopping preparations midway and cooling/refrigerating it all, then, several hours later, taking the cold portions and finishing the preparation. It didn’t curdle and the appearance was beautiful…just like in the pictures.
By the way, I doubled everything in the sauce mixture while I decreased everything in the chicken section to 1/4 of the recipe as I had only 1# of chicken breast cut into 4 cutlets. I am really glad I doubled the sauce (recommended by many reviewers) as it made up just a small amount of extra sauce-I thought it would be way too much but it wasn’t! Also, previously, to get that nice, crusty brown surface to the chicken cutlets, I ended up browning it more like 10 minutes per side. I was concerned that this might cause dry, overcooked chicken breasts but, as it turned out, they were just right! If I had seared them for the short time given in the recipe they would have been way undercooked!
In a more organized way, the changes I made were as follows:
1. Seasoned and seared cutlets for about 10 minutes/side, removed from heat, cooled, covered, placed in refrig. for about 4 hours. (steps 1-5)
2. Prepared, mixed, and cooked tomato mixture, removed from heat, cooled, covered, placed in refrig for about 4 hours. (steps 6-9)
3. Forgot to prewarm anything before restarting to cook! I should have let everything sit out for about 1/2 to 1 hour to bring it all closer to room temperature. This would have reduced the risk of curdling the cream when I added it in.
4. Cooked pasta.
5. Reheated sauce, finished steps 10-13, using cilantro instead of parsley.
Thank you for a great recipe and I hope this will help someone else in future who needs to stop mid-recipe for awhile for whatever reason but is afraid doing so might ruin it!
Sweet Basil
Wow! Thank you SO much Sally! Your willingness to share this much detail is so amazing and so kind. This information will be so helpful to our other readers. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Xoxo!
Sally Fridge
I will rate again once I finish the recipe but had a question. I don’t know why but my prep time and cook time take, literally, hours more time than any recipe indicates it should…and I consider myself a very good-excellent cook! At any rate, because my feet hurt so much and I get tired more easily (I am almost 69) I often try to prepare the recipe to what looks like the best stopping place and finishing it later. So that is what I did with this one and I want to see what you all think. I cooked the chicken and then cooked thru the step where the tomatoes and garlic and spices are cooked but before the cream is added to the mix. I figured I could store chicken and tomato mix separately from each other than tonight I will continue by heating the tomato mix and adding the cream. I am wondering if I should add the cream first and then heat it or leave cream out at room temp for about a half hour or so and then heat up tomatoes and add the cream/cheese at that point. What do you all think (especially would like Carrian’s opinion, if possible!)?
Sweet Basil
Hi Sally! Sorry for the late reply! We try not to work on Sundays. I think your plan sounds perfect. Definitely wait to add the cream until the end. Heat up the tomatoes, add the cream cheese, and then add the cream. Thank you for your support Sally!
Sara
I’ve made this chicken twice now, with and without mushrooms, and it was delicious both times!! What do you typically serve as a side with it? Thanks for sharing!!
linda Brown
turned out exactly as the recipe described. I put it over pasta with english peas. Husband loved it and he’s not a big chicken fan.
Sweet Basil
Yippee! Love to hear that Linda!
Meal Ideas
so delicious foods thank you for sharing this about making delicious foods.
Sweet Basil
Thank you!!
Heather H.
I don’t come up with anything close to this calorie count by entering the ingredients into MyFitnessPal (which has been fairly accurate on many others). It calculates at 504 calories per serving.
Sweet Basil
Oh man, our nutrition calculator must be acting up again. Thank you! I’ll look into it! I’d eat 4 times today if it was only 250 calories! 🙂
Trish
Your recipes have inspired me to be more creative in the kitchen. I made this tonight without mushrooms and it was fantastic! Next time I’ll try it with mushrooms. Thank you for all your hard work in maintaining the website and sharing delicious recipes.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Trish! We appreciate your support so much! Xoxo!
Simon
Just made the cream herb chicken with sun-dried tomatoes. Absolutely amazing. I will be doing this again
Sweet Basil
Hurray! We love to hear that Simon, thank you!!