Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (No Heavy Cream)

When it comes to easy weeknight dinners this sun dried tomato chicken recipe hits the spot. Tender juicy chicken breasts cooked in a creamy sauce made without heavy cream, and dressed up with spinach, olives, and sun dried tomatoes. It comes together in just 30 minutes.

This quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe of chicken with sun dried tomatoes comes together in just 30 minutes. Sun-dried tomatoes concentrate the natural sweetness of their namesake and add a bright pop of acidity to balance the creamy sauce and briny Kalamata olives. 

While the sauce in this recipe is creamy, I don’t use any heavy cream! Instead, I make a slurry of cornstarch and whole milk then stir it into the pan sauces from the chicken.

The result is a highly flavorful weeknight dinner low in saturated fat and calories, but high in flavor, color, and nutrition. It can be eaten as is or served over pasta or rice. I often serve it over spaghetti to feed my hungry teenagers alongside roasted broccoli or sauteed asparagus.  

Table of Contents

1. What’s in this Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Recipe 
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken 
4. What to Serve with Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
5. More Fancy-Feeling Weeknight Chicken Dinners
6. Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (No Heavy Cream) Recipe

What’s in this Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Recipe 

This chicken recipe is weeknight dinner perfection. Mostly because of how adaptable it is to each member of the family. Serve it as it is for a low-carb, high-vegetable, high-protein dinner. To add some extra heft serve it over rice to keep things gluten-free or if gluten’s not an issue serve it over your pasta noodle of choice!

• Chicken breasts: I used 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts made into cutlets in this recipe and it was enough to feed my family of four with leftovers. I opted for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but thighs would work just as well.
• Italian Seasoning: You can use a store-bought version, but I prefer this homemade blend as it doesn’t contain salt. It takes me less than 5 minutes to mix up a batch every couple of months, which means it’s ready when I need it.
• Kosher salt: I like to control the amount of salt and season as I go. (Another reason why I don’t like salt added to seasoning blends.) Salt is essential to enhancing the flavors of other ingredients. It makes them shine. Chances are if you eat something and it tastes flat or dull the flavors just need a bit of coaxing from salt.
• Extra virgin olive oil: This is my preferred cooking oil. I use it to saute vegetables, make homemade salad dressings, and even bake cakes, like this Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake, which would be a wonderful way to round out this sun dried tomato chicken dinner.
• Sun dried tomatoes: I use organic sun dried tomatoes from our shop, so they aren’t packed in oil, but oil-packed sun dried tomatoes would work as well. I sliver them so you just get a little sweetness in every bite. Use any leftovers to make Sun Dried Tomato Pesto.
• Yellow onion: Onions are the workhorse of the kitchen. They provide an earthy sweetness to this sun dried tomato chicken recipe, but you can also use a white onion it just won’t be quite as sweet. I don’t recommend a red onion as the color will bleed and impact the final dish.
• Garlic cloves, where would we be without them? These flavor-packed alliums are minced and sauteed right alongside the onion and sun dried tomatoes.
• White wine: White wine contributes acidity to a dish and brightens the flavor similar to the role of lemon juice or salt. I use it to deglaze the pan (scrape the fond or brown bits) to maximize flavor. If you don’t keep alcohol in the house, you can use chicken stock.
• Whole milk and cornstarch: Whole milk is much lower in calories and saturated fat than the heavy cream typically used in a recipe like this. While cornstarch is a wonderful gluten-free thickener. I prefer creating a cornstarch slurry and whisking it into whole milk over using heavy cream for several reasons: It has fewer calories, whole milk is less expensive than heavy cream and I can use it more places, it doesn’t leave a fatty coating on my tongue like heavy cream can. Using whole milk and cornstarch is a common method to thicken sauces and drinks. The same approach is used in this Italian Hot Chocolate recipe.
• Spinach: I cook for nutrients as well as color. We eat a lot of spinach in my house. It adds a pop of color to this recipe and a serving of leafy greens!
• Kalamata olives: I probably use Kalamata olives in too many recipes, but they add a hint of brine to balance the richness of the sauce in this recipe. Leave them out if you don’t love olives.

Ingredient Spotlight

At The Mediteranean Dish our love for the beloved sun dried tomato needs no trend. These sweet, dehydrated tomatoes are like the kitchen version of the LBD, it never goes out of style.

You can, of course, use these red bits of concentrated flavor in this sun dried tomato chicken recipe, but don’t stop there. We also put these tasty morsels on Antipasto Chicken Sandwiches, swirl them into Artichoke Dip, and add them to Pasta. They add a bright, sweet, and slightly tart bite to any recipe. They are an antioxidant powerhouse and keep in your pantry for ages. But you don’t have to take my word for it.

• TRY IT: We offer Suzy’s favorite kind of shelf-stable organic sun dried tomatoes in our shop.

How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken 

• Make the cutlets and season the chicken: To make chicken cutlets place the chicken breast on a cutting board. Place your non-dominant hand on top of the chicken breast and in your other hand hold a sharp knife parallel to the cutting board. Slice the breast in half horizontally. Repeat with the remaining breast(s). You should have multiple chicken cutlets, all of similar thicknesses. Season the cutlets with the Italian seasoning and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
• Heat the skillet: Into a large skillet set over medium-high heat add the olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the seasoned chicken cutlets. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, per side or until the thickest part of the cutlet reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. The bottom of the skillet and the chicken should develop some nice color. 
• Remove the chicken: Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest while you finish the recipe. To the skillet add the sun dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, white wine, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Scrape the fond (brown bits) off the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the onions soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Add the milk and make the slurry: Add the milk to the skillet, and make a cornstarch slurry by combining 3 tablespoons of cold water and the cornstarch In a small bowl. Use a fork to combine. Once the milk simmers in the skillet, stir in the cornstarch slurry. You will see it begin to thicken immediately. If it appears too thick just add more milk a 1/4 cup at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency. 
• Add the spinach, olives, and chicken: Reduce the heat to low, stir the spinach and olives into the sauce. Stir until the spinach wilts. Thinly slice the chicken and add it back to the pan to warm through. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Serve: Transfer chicken and sauce to a platter and serve. 

What to Serve with Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

This recipe goes with almost anything! Eat it as it is, serve it atop a bed of fluffy brown rice or pile it on top of your favorite pasta. The chicken is saucy enough so no need to make extra.

Even though this sun dried tomato chicken recipe comes with veggies, I love it with a crunchy salad like this Big Italian Salad or this Lemony Fennel Salad in the fall. I tend to make a lot of salads so I can eat leftovers for desk lunches, but if you want just a super simple side. Here are my top three:

• Roasted Broccoli with Lemon
• Sauteed Asparagus
• Italian Oven Roasted Vegetables

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