Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Cream Sauce
By Sophia Reed
Prep
5 min
Cook
195 min
Total
200 min
Servings
6
For a prep-friendly dinner, cook this six-serving Tuscan chicken in the slow cooker and portion the chicken with its sauce for later meals. The creamy sauce can be made before the cooker starts, and the finished dish has tender thighs, wilted spinach, Parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Butter, sun-dried tomato oil, and garlic form the base before chicken stock and heavy cream simmer until thickened. Grated Parmesan is stirred in for a richer sauce, while dried basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper season the boneless, skinless thighs directly in the slow cooker. Sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes sit over the chicken before the sauce is added.
The sauce should look thickened after its first simmer, then become smooth again as the Parmesan melts during the additional simmer. Keep the garlic moving for its brief sauté, because the source specifically warns not to brown it. After the chicken cooks, remove it before stirring in the baby spinach so the leaves can wilt under the covered lid without being overworked.
Serve the chicken with the spinach cream sauce spooned over the top. Store leftovers in an airtight container; the recipe notes that frozen portions may show separated cream after thawing, but whisking the sauce as it reheats helps bring it back together.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Makes six servings, so the slow cooker batch can be portioned with sauce for several planned dinners instead of requiring a separate meal each night.
- The cream sauce is built before slow cooking, letting the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and seasonings cook together while other meal-prep tasks are finished.
- Leftovers store in an airtight container, making it practical to divide the tender chicken and wilted spinach sauce into ready-to-reheat portions after dinner.
- Freezes for up to a couple of months in an airtight container, according to the source, so extra portions can be saved rather than rushed.
- Reheated sauce can be whisked if the cream separates after thawing, giving frozen portions a straightforward way to regain a more unified texture.
- Using boneless, skinless thighs avoids picking bones from the sauce after long cooking, which makes portioning and serving the tender chicken simpler.
Ingredients
- •1.5 lb chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
- •3 oz baby spinach
- •1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- •1 cup heavy cream
- •0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes (sliced, packed in oil)
- •0.5 cup chicken stock
- •4 cloves garlic (minced)
- •3 tbsp unsalted butter
- •1 tbsp oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- •2 tsp dried parsley
- •0.5 tsp dried basil
- •0.5 tsp salt
- •0.25 tsp dried oregano
- •0.25 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- 1
Add the butter, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic to a saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Sauté for about 20 seconds, making sure not to brown the garlic.
- 3
Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream, then simmer for about 8 minutes or until thickened.
- 4
Stir in the Parmesan cheese and continue simmering for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- 5
Add the chicken to the insert of the slow cooker and sprinkle the basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper over the tops.
- 6
Add the sun-dried tomatoes on top of the chicken.
- 7
Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- 8
Remove the chicken and set it aside, then stir in the spinach and cover until wilted.
- 9
Serve with the sauce poured over the top.
- 10
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
464
Protein
35g
Fat
36g
Carbs
5g
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