This Tuscan Garlic Chicken is simply the best! Moist, tender chicken topped with a creamy garlic and spinach white sauce and ready in just 30 minutes!
Looking for more Italian-inspired meals? I’ve got you covered with my Four Cheese Baked Ziti, Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup, and amazing homemade Lasagna (with my secret ingredient!).
Why This Recipe Works
So easy – Really! It just sounds fancy. It’s as simple as cook the chicken, make the sauce, put it all together on top of a pile of fettuccini, devour. You got this!
Simple ingredients – Use boxed pasta, skinless, boneless chicken, a few veggies, some flour and garlic powder for the sauce, butter, cheese, and a few other ingredients you have hanging around.
Feeds a crowd – Double this creamy Tuscan chicken if you have last-minute house guests. Add some rolls and a salad and you’ve got a fancy and impressive dinner. No one needs to know it only took you 30 minutes!
Make ahead – If you want to save even more time, you can make this alfredo sauce ahead of time and keep in the fridge or freezer. Reheat the sauce in a skillet, stir to get it smooth, and add the chicken back in before putting atop pasta.
Ingredients
Here is a quick look at what ingredients you will need to make this quick and delicious (and totally family-friendly!) Tuscan Garlic Chicken recipe.
Here’s How You Make It
First, cook the fettuccini noodles according to package directions. Drain them and set them aside.
Making the chicken
- In a large, shallow bowl, add ¼ cup of flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together, then dredge the chicken in the flour, getting it coated on all sides. (photo 1)
- Add oil to a large skillet and allow it to heat to medium. Place the chicken in the skillet, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Then flip it to the other side, cover and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the chicken is browned on both sides and white in the middle. Remove the chicken and set it aside. (photo 2)
Making the sauce
- Wipe the skillet with a dry paper towel. Add the butter and cook over medium till it’s melted, then add the garlic and sauté another minute or until it becomes fragrant. Now add flour and stir till it starts to clump. (photo 3)
- Add the half-and-half to the pan, whisking it into the roux until it’s completely combined. (photos 4-5)
- Now stir the red peppers and spinach in the sauce and cook them for about 2-3 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Add the parmesan, salt, and pepper and stir, stir, stir till the sauce is smooth and thickens. (photo 6)
Putting it together
- Top the noodles with the chicken and a big helping of sauce. Garnish with parsley if you like. (photos 7-8)
What to Serve With This Dish
- Nothing goes with this chicken with cream sauce like a lovely green salad and some garlic bread or knots.
- Want to pretend like you really are Olive Garden? Serve this creamy Tuscan chicken with some copycat gnocchi soup, salad, and breadsticks! Heck, serve it buffet style and pretend you ARE Olive Garden.
- For those looking for some low-carb options, you can serve this chicken and alfredo over some zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash instead of fettuccini.
Ideas for Customizing This Recipe
- If you don’t like spinach and red peppers or have other veggies in your crisper, use those instead. I also like to make the sauce with mushrooms and kale. Zucchini or yellow squash cubes work well too or throw in some frozen peas.
- Another favorite flavor combination of mine for alfredo is to add in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes (the kind packed in oil) to the sauce, and then sprinkle pine nuts and parsley over the top just before serving. Yum!
- I think chicken works best in this dish, but you could also use ground chicken or even ground beef. Just brown the meat first before following the rest of the instructions.
Expert Tips
- I usually make the chicken with cream sauce with fat free half-and-half, and it comes out perfect and creamy, but you can also make it with heavy cream for an even richer flavor.
- If you loooooove a really cheesy white sauce, you can add more parmesan.
- If you want to lighten this Tuscan garlic chicken up a bit, stick with the fat free half-and-half and save some parmesan cheese for sprinkling right on top!
- To prevent the noodles from sticking together after cooking and draining, toss them with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil so they don’t stick together.
More Delicious Chicken
- Easy Chicken Gyros
- Cajun Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Stuffed Chicken Marsala
- One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice
- Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
Did you make this amazingly creamy and delicious Tuscan Garlic Chicken? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Tuscan Garlic Chicken Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breasts - sliced in half lengthwise
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup packed baby spinach leaves - roughly chopped
- ½ red bell pepper - diced
- 8 ounces fettuccine noodles
Alfredo Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups half and half - (heavy cream or whole milk can be substituted)
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook your fettuccine noodles according to package instructions (boil til tender), drain, and set aside. (see note)
- Whisk together the 1/4 cup flour, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, being sure to coat all sides.
- Drizzle a large skillet with a little bit of oil (a couple of teaspoons will work) and allow to come to temperature over medium heat. Lay chicken in the pan, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes until browned on the outside and white though the middle. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Wipe out your skillet with a dry paper towel. Add butter and saute over medium heat til melted. Add garlic and saute another minute or so til fragrant. Sprinkle with flour and stir til mixture clumps to gather.
- Gradually whisk half and half into the pan until completely combined. Add spinach and red peppers and cook another 2-3 minutes until spinach is wilted. Add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and stir until melted and sauce is thickened.
- Top fettuccine noodles with chicken (sliced or whole), and pour the sauce over the top. Enjoy!
oh yummy! this is right up my alley!
I really love all of your recipes especially anything Mediterranean inspired — goat cheese, spinach and tomatoes, cream sauce & lots of garlic!!!
Sounds delicious & easy to make. I’ll definately try it later in the week. One issue I have is the way different bloggers describe how to slice the chicken for their recipe. I’m a seasoned cook, so I know exactly what they mean, but newbies might be confused. Personally, I would describe the slicing procedure as follows: Slice the chicken breast in half ‘crosswise’, to produce ‘2 thinner pieces’ from the piece you’re slicing. I read (on other blogs) that some newbie cooks sliced the chicken breast in half from the top to the bottom, b/c the instructions weren’t clear enough for them. I’m not criticizing you, since I LOVE your recipes, but I’m just saying….., since I was a once a new cook, and goofed-up many times when I didn’t quite understand the instructions. Thanks for allowing me to comment. 😍
Oh my goodness the chicken came out so tender. The sauce came out great. Plus, the spinach and peppers added color and flavor. If I keep finding these wonderful dishes, people will think I really know how to cook! Thanks for sharing!
I made this today and it was delicious. I used Kale, my family loved it. The alfredo sauce is creamy and flavorful, better than store bought. My daughters asked what brand it was. Could not believe it was home made. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
You are so welcome! I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!