Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken Recipe (Keto & Low Carb)

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This Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken is one of my favorite indulgent skillet meals! Tender chicken breasts seared to perfection and smothered in a rich and creamy garlic sauce. I can guarantee you won’t miss the carbs in this one! Cream, chicken breasts, tomatoes and spinach in a skillet

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe With Garlic (Keto & Low Carb)

I can’t resist one-skillet meals. They are just so easy and convenient, plus it saves a lot of time when cleaning up at the end of the night. This creamy, cheesy garlic chicken reminds me of going to a local Italian restaurant like Olive Garden or Carrabba’s, but a lot cheaper than those restaurant prices and made with NO pasta, so its keto-friendly!

Using a cast-iron skillet gives the chicken a nice brown sear while locking in those juices. The chicken breasts are seasoned with Italian herbs and served in a deliciously creamy, garlicky sauce. There’s so much flavor in one skillet! I have no doubt you’ll be going back for seconds…or maybe thirds!

Seared chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet.

What Is “Tuscan Style” Chicken?

Tuscan style chicken is simply chicken breasts (or thighs) seasoned with classic Italian herbs. The seasoned chicken is served in a garlicky cream-based sauce, similar to Alfredo sauce, with added Parmesan cheese. In this recipe, I also added Gouda cheese!

Fresh spinach leaves and tomatoes (fresh or sun-dried) are often added to the cream sauce as well.

What Herbs Are In Italian Seasoning?

The typical herbs you will find in Italian seasoning are:

  • dried basil
  • crushed rosemary
  • dried thyme
  • sage
  • fennel seeds

Spice blends are a quick way to infuse a lot of flavor in little time. If you don’t have an Italian spice blend already in your spice cabinet, you can make your own! Here is an Italian herb recipe you can make at home. Remove or add whatever you like to make it your own. You can add garlic powder or onion powder too.

Sauteed tomatoes and onions in a skillet.

How To Make Tuscan Chicken In A Cast Iron Skillet

*If you’re unfamiliar with cast iron, you may want to check out these six benefits to using one!

I love my cast iron skillet! It is such a great item to have in your kitchen that makes a huge difference in cooking! The cast iron holds in heat better than most skillets, which means your chicken, or whatever your cooking, will cook more evenly. So if you have one, I definitely recommend using it!

Here is a quick summary of what I did. See the full recipe below!

Step 1: Season, your chicken with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Add to a skillet over medium and cook it until evenly browned. Set it aside on a plate. You want to brown your chicken without burning it or overcooking it.

Step 2: Remove chicken, but do not clean your skillet. We want to allow the flavors to develop.

Step 3: Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices and de-glaze with chicken broth. All the flavors will start to come together. Cooking time may vary.

Step 4: Add your heavy cream, cheeses, and spinach and let simmer until the spinach starts to wilt. Add chicken back to garlic sauce. Serve hot!

See the FULL recipe below for added notes and details!

Skillet with sauteed spinach, cherry tomatoes and a garlic cream sauce.Can I Make This Skillet Meal Ahead of Time?

Yes, but you want to make sure you do not dry out your chicken!

If you want to make this meal a few hours ahead of time or even the night before, follow the directions as you normally would but when searing the chicken, remove it when its internal temperature reaches 155-160 degrees F. Since the internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees F, undercooking the chicken a little will keep you from overcooking the chicken when you reheat it later on.

Then, about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, cover with tin-foil and place the entire oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.Seared chicken breasts in cream sauce inside cast iron skillet.

What Can You Serve With Keto Tuscan Chicken?

Since this keto chicken is made without pasta, you may want to serve a side with it. I recommend something lighter since the sauce itself is very rich. Zucchini noodles would be a great substitute! This roasted cauliflower would also be delicious. Or you can try a side of these southern green beans. Both are keto-friendly and would pair well with the creaminess of this dish!

A cream sauce with chicken breasts, tomatoes and spinach in a skillet.

 

More Easy Keto Chicken Recipes:

 

 

How to Make Keto Creamy Tuscan Chicken Recipe:

chicken with cream sauce in skillet
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4.84 from 110 votes

Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Keto & Low Carb)

This creamy Tuscan chicken is a delicious one-skillet dinner your family will love! It is also keto-friendly and low carb!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, casual, Italian
Keyword: cast iron, creamy, one skillet
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 524kcal
Author: Kasey Trenum

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Season chicken with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper.
  • In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil.
  • When the skillet gets nice and hot, add your chicken and sear on both sides until brown. Put a lid on the top to help the chicken cook. Don't overcook the chicken. The internal temperature should reach 165°F. (Use a thermometer to help.) Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add butter, garlic, onion, and diced tomatoes to pan with Italian seasoning and paprika sauce for 5 minutes stirring occasionally on medium/ low heat.
  • De-glaze pan with chicken broth. Scrape the pan to remove the bits that might have stuck to the bottom. Make sure to keep them in the pan as they add incredible flavor.
  • Add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Gouda, and spinach and simmer on medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken stirring occasionally so that it doesn't stick. (It took mine approx seven minutes.)
  • Add the chicken back to the skillet, and simmer on low heat for two minutes.
  • Add remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top of chicken if desired.

Video

Notes

  • Using a cast-iron skillet will help sear your chicken more evenly and also develop the flavor better.
  • Use full-fat heavy cream to get the most out of the flavor and your keto diet.
  • Gouda cheese adds a nice flavor to the sauce, so try not to leave this out!
  • Fresh spinach is preferred in this dish as opposed to frozen.
  • You may substitute sun-dried tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes in this dish is you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 37g | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @kaseytrenumblogger or tag #kaseytrenumblogger!

Two images of chicken sitting inside a cast iron skillet in a creamy sauce.

87 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great recipe! Was wondering if I thawed some frozen artichoke hearts and added them to the recipe how that would be? And was wondering when I would add the artichoke hearts? I guess I would add them with the tomatoes and onions?

    1. I am not sure. I haven’t personally used artichoke hearts in this recipe so I don’t know. It’s worth a try if you like them.

    1. 5 stars
      I just made this today for Father’s Day!
      It was perfect! Delicious, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth chicken! I served it over egg noodles. My husband and two grown sons gobbled it up and went back for more! I definitely will make this again!
      Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.

  2. 5 stars
    Easy to make & keto/low carb friendly. I serve mine over Broccoli & my husband’s over pasta w/Broccoli on the side. It’s quickly become one of our favorite dishes & makes it into our meal rotation quite frequently!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this over the weekend and it was so flavorful! We used red onion, sun dried tomatoes, and added palmini noodles at the end. Thank you for the recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    This dish was incredible, I’ve been cooking for 34 years a day this is in the top 3 dishes I’ve made

    1. Wow! That is the most incredible comment I’ve ever gotten. I am speechless. Thank you so much for your kind words.

  5. 5 stars
    Easy to follow directions, and a delicious recipe the entire family enjoyed. I think this one will go into heavy rotation in our household!

  6. 5 stars
    One of our family favorites! Depending on what I have on hand, I’ve used chicken, skinless salmon, peeled shrimp, or scallops as the protein and have replaced grapes tomatoes with sun dried tomatoes on occasion. Sometimes I’ll add a little lemon juice or dry white wine, too. However, I have never bought Gouda cheese, but I will get some on my next trip to the store! Thanks for another great recipe!

    1. Hey, Amy, creamy sauces and the freezer don’t usually get along. The sauce would be really hard to reheat and get the right consistency. So, I don’t recommend freezing.

    1. I haven’t tried any substitute cheeses in this recipe so I cannot speak to what a different cheese may do to to the flavor or texture of the dish. Some use Cheddar, Provolone, Havarti, or Fontina as a substitute for Gouda.

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