Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken is a mouthwatering, one pan, creamy chicken recipe that is ready for dinner in 30 minutes or less! Chicken thighs or breasts are seared and simmered in a creamy tomato basil and parmesan sauce making for an easy dinner the whole family will rave about!
Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken:
What’s not to be crazy about? A sauce like this is crazy simple to make with ingredients you most likely already have at home. I even use dried basil here to accommodate those of us that aren’t always able to find fresh basil. This is a go to chicken recipe for us right along with our reader fave, Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs! This is honestly a super budget friendly recipe (thighs are typically cheaper) and uses a lot of pantry/fridge staples. The sauce is SO GOOD I could honestly drink it! It’s a simple mixture of tomato sauce, cream, parmesan and seasonings but it’s so silky and delish! The best part is, this chicken comes together in 30 minutes with hardly any prep and you can serve it with whatever you have on hand!
I really love this chicken in particular because you can easily customize and change up simple things to make it your way!
Tomato Basil Chicken Recipe Notes:
- This makes a really good amount of sauce! Serve it with rice, your favorite pasta, mashed potatoes or just a side of green veggies to keep it lighter.
- I use heavy cream to make a nice rich sauce. If you want to keep it little lighter, feel free to use half and half instead.
- Use chicken breasts or thighs! I use skin on thighs because I think they have a great flavor. You can use chicken breasts instead if you want. Keep in mind that they will generally cook through faster than thighs. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t dry out.
- If you want A LOT of sauce, you can double the sauce ingredients, and even add a couple of extra chicken thighs too.
- This sauce is really best with freshly grated parmesan if possible. If all you have is bagged/shaker parmesan you can use it just keep in mind that the sauce won’t be quite as smooth.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Be sure to check out our video for this recipe below and follow along on Facebook where we always share the tastiest recipes!
Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Thighs or Breasts
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Clove Garlic Minced
- 1/2 White Onion Chopped
- 1 Can Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Tabelspoons Dried Basil
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Heat one Tablespoon of olive oil and one Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 5-6 minutes, without turning. Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, heavy cream, parmesan, and basil. Bring to a simmer, return chicken to pan. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 5-7 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wasn’t sure what side dishes to make with this. Any ideas?
We really love it with some pasta and roasted green beans 🙂
This recipe has become a staple on our list of ones that EVERYONE loves! I haven’t made it with heavy cream. I instead use a can of coconut milk as a substitute and have found it to be really delicious and a bit healthier than the cream! From the comments it truly is a versatile recipe!
Made this today with chicken breasts. It was scrumptious! It’s even better the next day as the flavors really bloom. I added baby spinach and fresh basil to the sauce and cooked until they wilted. Will definitely make again.
I made this last night and it was amazing!!! I did a mixture of boneless breasts and thighs and used 1/2 n 1/2 vs. heavy cream. Served it over whole wheat pasta garnished with fresh basil, with seasoned green beans and a nice light rose and it was wonderful. Thank you!!!
Absolutely delicious! Made exactly as written, only difference was my chicken thighs needed just a few minutes more to be cooked through. Will become one of our favorites!
Made this last night for supper. It is awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
hello is this recipe keto friendly?
Sorry, I’m not familiar with Keto so I can’t be sure
How much tomato sauce please?
What size can of tomato sauce? Making this tomorrow, looks delish!!
Hi! Sorry about that, it should be a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce 🙂
Thanks!
Definitely trying this. Step 5 says add the remaining oil and butter to pan…but step 2 says add 1 tbls of oil and 1 tbls of butter for searing which is all the recipe calls for..
Where am I going wrong?
Hey! That was just a typo. It’s fixed now. Let me know how you like this! 🙂
This looks perfect!