Description
Sun Dried Tomato Chicken features tender chicken cutlets in a creamy garlic sauce loaded with tangy sun-dried tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives, and fresh spinach. This one-pan Mediterranean-inspired dish is ready in just 30 minutes and tastes like something from a fancy Italian restaurant. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something special without spending hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1½ pounds chicken breasts, made into cutlets
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 3 ounces sun dried tomatoes, sliced (the kind packed in oil work beautifully here)
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced (don’t skimp on this!)
- ⅓ cup white wine (or swap in chicken stock if you prefer)
- 1¾ cups whole milk (trust me, whole milk makes the creamiest sauce)
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
For the Finish:
- 2 cups baby spinach (it wilts down to nothing, so don’t worry about the volume)
- ¼ cup sliced Kalamata olives (these add the perfect salty, briny bite)
Instructions
Place your chicken breast on a cutting board. Put your non-dominant hand gently on top (like you’re giving it a little pat) and hold a sharp knife parallel to the cutting board. Carefully slice the breast in half horizontally, working slowly and steadily. Repeat with the remaining breasts until you have multiple cutlets of similar thickness. Season both sides with Italian seasoning and ¾ teaspoon of the kosher salt.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Watch for the oil to shimmer slightly – that’s your signal it’s hot enough. Add the seasoned chicken cutlets to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side, or until the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. You want to see some gorgeous golden-brown color developing on both the chicken and the bottom of the skillet.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest while you work on the sauce. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look super pretty right now – it’s about to get sauced up and gorgeous!
To that same skillet (with all its flavorful bits still clinging to the bottom), add the sun-dried tomatoes, sliced onions, minced garlic, white wine, and the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Use your wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up all that fond – those brown bits stuck to the bottom are pure flavor gold. Cook until the onions start to soften and turn translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Your kitchen is going to smell absolutely amazing right about now.
Pour the milk into the skillet and give everything a good stir. While that’s warming up, grab a small bowl and use a fork to combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a smooth slurry. Once the milk starts to simmer gently, stir in that cornstarch mixture. You’ll see the sauce begin to thicken almost immediately – it’s like kitchen magic! If it looks too thick for your liking, just add more milk ¼ cup at a time until you’ve reached your perfect consistency.
Turn the heat down to low. Stir the baby spinach and sliced Kalamata olives into the sauce and watch as the spinach wilts down into silky ribbons. Thinly slice your rested chicken and nestle it back into the pan, spooning some of that gorgeous sauce over the top to warm it through. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Transfer everything to a serving platter, making sure to get every last drop of that incredible sauce. Serve this beauty while it’s hot and watch everyone’s faces light up!
Notes
Make sure your skillet is truly hot before adding the chicken. If the oil isn’t shimmering, give it another 30 seconds. This ensures you get that beautiful golden crust instead of sad, pale chicken that sticks to the pan.
When making the cornstarch slurry, always use cold water. Hot water will make it clump immediately, and nobody wants lumpy sauce. Mix it right before you need it so it doesn’t settle and separate.
If your sauce breaks or looks grainy, it’s usually because the heat was too high. Keep things at a gentle simmer once you add the milk, and you’ll have silky-smooth results every time.
Save some pasta water if you’re serving this over noodles! A splash of that starchy water will help the sauce cling to the pasta like a dream.
Can’t find Kalamata olives? Black olives work in a pinch, but they’re milder. Green olives will give you more brininess if that’s your thing.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired