This healthy Tuscan chicken on rice is a light and very satisfying dish. It’s simple enough to make as a weeknight meal and fancy enough for your next dinner party.
We love the flavours of our sun-dried tomato pasta with chicken but sometimes we want something lighter. Enter this easy, healthy and delicious alternative. This Tuscan chicken on rice is a simple dish that doesn’t require any special skills.
The flavours of the sundried tomatoes take over the dish turning it into something spectacular. It is the flavours of this dish that make it perfect to serve guests.
Once you try this meal you’ll be adding it to your hosting menu for sure.
Preparing Tuscan Chicken on Rice
Ingredients
Meat
Chicken Thighs: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this dish. They are easy and quick to cook and
keep their moisture well.Pantry
Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a mixture of multiple spices. Typically it includes oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary and marjoram.
Sun-dried Tomatoes in oil: Sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have been dehydrated in low temperatures. We use sun-dried tomatoes that have been packed in oil as we also use the oil to add even more flavour to the sauce.
Olive Oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.
Chicken Stock: Stock adds the base for this delicious sauce so the flavour it brings is very important. Make sure you don’t have one that’s too salty. If it is, reduce the amount of salt you add to the recipe.
Dairy
Heavy Cream: Cream is one of the main stars of this dish. Ideally, you want to use heavy whipping cream or heavy cream which has between 36% and 40% fat content. I find that this isn’t typically available in the grocery stores near me so I settle for whipping cream which is usually between 30% and 35% fat. This cream will thicken nicely and create an almost fluffy texture to the sauce.
Produce
Onion: Onions add sweetness to this recipe. I like to use a simple yellow onion which has a nice sweet flavour once cooked.
Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more. This is important to know because recipes will often call for a specific number of cloves but you want to make sure you know what the actual measurement is to add the right amount.
Spinach: Spinach is a leafy green vegetable. It is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants and is often sold pre-washed and ready to eat.
How to Make Tuscan Chicken on Rice
Most of the prep happens while we cook so gather all of your ingredients for easy access and let’s get cooking.
Step 1: Brown the Chicken
We will start by searing the chicken thighs.
Add the oil from the sundried tomatoes to the pan along with some olive oil and heat it up on medium-high heat. You can use a deep pan with a lid or a Dutch oven.
While the oil warms up, season each of the thighs with half the salt and a pinch of ground black pepper.
Once the oil is hot add the chicken to a pan skin side down. Cook for roughly 5 minutes. Then flip and once again cook for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the flavour
When the chicken is cooking dice the onion, and mince the garlic. If you don’t have a garlic press you can finely chop it with a knife.
You also need to either dice or slice the sundried tomatoes.
When the timer for the chicken is up, remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
Next, add the onions to the pan and sauté for a couple of minutes. Then add the sundried tomatoes.
Finally, add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant, roughly 30 seconds or so.
Now add the cream and stock and stir everything to combine making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
Put the chicken back in the pan skin side up, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Cook the Rice
In the meantime, add the rice and twice the water or stock to a microwave-safe dish like CorningWare. Add the remaining salt, cover and cook for 20 minutes on 60% power.
Step 4: Final Touches
When the timer for the chicken goes off, add the spinach to the pan, cover it once again and cook for another 5 minutes.
Substitutions
Chicken Thighs: You can use any cut of chicken for this dish including boneless varieties. Take any changes into account and adjust your cooking time accordingly. Boneless thighs will need about 5 less minutes of cooking time.
Serving Tuscan Chicken on Rice
This is a complete meal on its own. All you have to do is plate the rice, put a chicken thigh on top and pour a quarter of the sauce over everything.
If you feel like adding some freshness to this meal serve it with a side salad or a slaw.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Tuscan Chicken on Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (approximately 100ml)
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup onion approx. ½ onion
- ½ Tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¾ tsp salt (divided)
- Pinch ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- Fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Put both oils in a deep pan and heat up on medium-high heat.½ Tbsp olive oil, ½ Tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- While the oil is warming, season chicken on each side with pepper, Italian seasoning and ¼ tsp salt.1 lb chicken thighs, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ¾ tsp salt, Pinch ground black pepper
- Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear on each side for approximately 4-5 minutes. Then flip the chicken to the other side and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, peel and dice the onion and peel the garlic. Dice the sun-dried tomatoes.¼ cup onion, 1 clove garlic, ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
- Add the onions to the pan and cook for a minute. Then, add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.¼ cup onion, ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Press the garlic into the pan and cook for 30 seconds, then add the cream, stock and ¼ tsp salt and simmer for 2-3 minutes.1 clove garlic, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 cup chicken stock, ¾ tsp salt
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cover with a lid. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.1 lb chicken thighs
- To your CorningWare or other microwave-safe dish with a lid, add the rice, 2 cups of water (or stock) and remaining salt. Stir to combine.1 cup uncooked rice, ¾ tsp salt
- Place the dish in the microwave with the lid on. Set the cooking time to 20 minutes and the power level to 60%.
- After 20 minutes, to the pan with the chicken add a cup of spinach and gently stir everything to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes to let the spinach wilt.1 cup fresh spinach
- Once the chicken and rice are done, serve the chicken on a bed of rice then pour some sauce over everything and top with julienned fresh basil for garnish if you wish.Fresh basil optional
