Tuscan Chicken

Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.

Season the chicken breasts with a drizzle of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon), a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. Toss or rub into the chicken to coat, and marinate for 10 minutes.

Next, place a large heavy-bottom pan or braiser (about 3 to 4 quart size) over high or medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add in the seasoned chicken breasts (work in batches if necessary), allowing them to sear to golden-brown color for about 3 minutes on the first side. Then, flip, and sear on the second side for 3 minutes more. Set the chicken aside on a plate to hold, repeating with remaining chicken breasts as needed.

Reduce the heat to medium-low under the pan, and add in a drizzle more olive oil, if needed. Add in the shallots and sauté those for about 1 to 2 minutes, just until softened. Next, add in the garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and the sun-dried tomatoes, and continue sautéing those until aromatic, about 1 minute.

Add in the white wine and allow it to vigorously bubble up, reducing completely, for about 30 seconds.

Next, add in the chicken stock and the heavy cream, and stir to incorporate. Once this begins to bubble, add in the spinach leaves, and stir them in until they wilt, about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese, and whisk to blend into the sauce, which will be fairly thin in consistency, rather than thick and heavy. Next, nestle the seared chicken breasts into the sauce, and allow things to very gently simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes, uncovered, just to completely cook/heat the chicken through.

Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the basil, if using. Serve with some of the sauce over bow tie (farfalle) pasta (or your favorite type), over mashed potatoes, or simply with warm, crusty bread.