• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • RECIPES
    • All Recipes
  • ABOUT
    • Privacy Policy
  • RESOURCES
    • How to Start a Food Blog

Chefjar logo

Home / CHICKEN RECIPES

Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken (Video)

Jump to Recipe

Tender chicken breasts. Creamy tomato sauce bursting with flavor. Crunchy, tasty kale. All in one skillet! That’s what we’re making with this awesome creamy tomato basil chicken recipe.

creamy tomato basil chicken

While creamy, cheesy meals with tomato are delicious, they aren’t exactly what most people think of when they want to eat healthy. With this meal, you’ll satisfy your pasta cravings while avoiding the heavy carbs of pasta.

Think of this as ticking all the baked pasta boxes without actually involving pasta!

Like all great Mediterranean style food, this recipe is simple, using fresh, high quality ingredients. It’s deceptively healthy (ish) too! With the addition of kale, a genuine superfood, you’ll be shocked at how light and healthy you feel after indulging in this creamy dinner.

creamy tomato basil chicken

How This Recipe Works

The combination of salt and sweetness, fresh ingredients and good cheese really make this recipe a star. It will satisfy even the most stubborn of carb cravings without actually requiring you to eat a bowl of pasta or a loaf of bread.

Here’s the secret stars of this recipe.

  1. Tomato sauce. This is pretty much tomato flavor concentrated, cooked down to remove almost all of the tomato’s natural moisture. It is great to add intense tomato flavor to your dish without making it overly watery or creating too much volume.
  2. Cheese. Cheese is delicious, but did you know that Italian parmigiano-reggiano is a “perfect food”? Its balanced flavor - salty and sweet, light but rich, grassy but nutty - isn’t its only feature. Parmigiano-reggiano can compete with virtually any food with its pound-for-pound levels of for calcium, amino acids, protein, and vitamin A. It’s like a mixed martial artist of cheese! Try to get authentic imported parmigiano-reggiano for this dish, but if you can’t then ordinary Parmesan cheese will do.
  3. Half & half or Cream. The half & half we use in this recipe makes this dish filling and satisfying. It brings a gratifying weight to the sauce, which will help satiate any of your carb cravings.
creamy tomato basil chicken

What You Need to Make This Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken

One of the best things about this recipe is it only needs a few kitchen staples. Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper are probably already in your pantry. All you need is a few extra ingredients and you’re on your way to an awesome chicken dinner.

  • Chicken breast
  • Half & half
  • Tomato sauce/ marinara
  • Garlic
  • Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Kale
  • Basil
ingredients for creamy tomato chicken

How To Make Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken

  • Brown your chicken breasts in oil in your skillet, getting a good sear. Set the chicken aside.
seared chicken
  • In the same skillet, throw in your garlic and red pepper flakes .
  • Add the half & half and tomato sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Then, add in your parmesan and kale.
  • Once your kale starts to wilt, put the chicken breasts back in the skillet.
  • Cook for about 1 minute, and serve topped with more parmesan and basil.

You’ll Need:

  • A medium to large skillet
  • A can opener
  • Tongs
  • A sharp knife (blunt knives are prone to slipping)
  • Cutting board
  • Grater, preferably microplane if you’re using a big hunk of parmesan
creamy tomato basil chicken

Skillet Dinners

Single-pan skillet dinners are an awesome weeknight treat. These easy-to-make dinners are even easier to clean up after, because you’ve only used a single pan. They save time both before and after cooking, which is perfect for busy families and working people.

Cooking this awesome skillet dinner shouldn’t take much longer than twenty minutes, or half an hour at the most.

You can serve this dinner on its own, or with a side salad. If you’re not watching your carb intake, try serving it alongside some crusty bread or over pasta.

Creamy Tomato Chicken Tips

If you don’t like (or don’t have) any of the ingredients above, you can make some minor alterations to the recipe. Some things, like half & half, chicken, and tomato sauce, can’t be changed, but a few of the other ingredients can.

  • You can make this recipe with the crushed red peppers, or use spicier chili flakes if that’s what you like.
  • Add your basil earlier for a more subtle flavor, or very late in the cooking process for a fresher, more intense basil taste.
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, with its awesome flavor and crumbly texture, is by far the best cheese for this dish. However, you can substitute it for regular parmesan. You can even use the parmesan that comes shredded, grated, or shaved in the packet. If you’re using a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and you end up with the cheese rind, you can add the rind to the sauce during the simmering stage.
  • This sauce can be very sweet, so be sure to taste as you go. If it is too sweet, a small amount of salt will balance this out. Similarly, it may lack in acidity. If that’s the case, add about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon’s worth of red wine vinegar.
  • If you like to cook with wine, you can also use a small amount (such as a tablespoon) of red wine. This will help the tomatoes to mix with the heavy cream, and add depth of flavor. This, like the red pepper flakes, is completely optional, and up to depends on your own palate.
creamy tomato basil chicken

Serving Suggestions

Naan bread

Cucumber and tomato salad

Cabbage and cucumber salad

Homemade pasta

Cacio e pepe

pinterest-chefjar

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
creamy-tomato-basil-chicken

Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken


  • Author: chefjar
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Tender chicken breasts. Creamy tomato sauce bursting with flavor. Crunchy, tasty kale. All in one skillet!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 lbs chicken breasts ( 2 large), cut in half lengthwise
  • Salt, as needed
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup half & half 
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 4 cups kale, ribs removed, cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons basil leaves 

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Season with salt and ground black pepper on both sides.
  • Add the chicken to the skillet and sear until golden and cooked through (165°F|74°C), about 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
  • In the same skillet, add the garlic and red chili flakes, and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Pour in the tomato sauce and half & half.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add in the Parmesan cheese and kale, stirring until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes.
  • Return the chicken back into the skillet and cook further for 1 minutes. 
  • Garnish with basil leaves and extra Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Equipment

Pepper Mill

Buy Now →
red chili flakes

Red chili flakes

Buy Now →
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Category: Chicken recipes
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Calories: 450.64kcal
  • Sugar: 6g
  • Sodium: 954.17mg
  • Fat: 15g
  • Saturated Fat: 7g
  • Carbohydrates: 15.44g
  • Fiber: 4.06g
  • Protein: 35.62g
  • Cholesterol: 107.59mg

Keywords: creamy tomato chicken, chicken breast recipes, chicken dinner

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

All rights reserved. CHEF JAR. All images and content are copyright protected. PLEASE do not use my images without my permission. If you want to share this recipe, PLEASE provide a link back to this post.

Chicken Recipes

  • Oven baked chicken wings
    OVEN BAKED CHICKEN WINGS WITH TIKKA SAUCE
  • Russian cutlets
    Russian Ground Chicken Cutlets
  • Chicken briyani
    Chicken Briyani Recipe
  • Chicken kiev
    CHICKEN KIEV ( AUTHENTIC RUSSIAN RECIPE)
  • Malai kebab
    MALAI KEBAB ( AUTHENTIC INDIAN RECIPE)
  • Malai chicken
    SMOKED CREAMY MALAI CHICKEN
  • Pelmeni
    RUSSIAN PELMENI RECIPE
  • Chicken Enchilada recipe
    THE BEST CHICKEN ENCHILADA RECIPE ( Enchiladas de pollo)
  • Rosemary chicken
    MEDITERRANEAN GARLIC ROSEMARY CHICKEN
  • Chicken shawarma
    Lebanese Chicken Shawarma
  • buffalo chicken wings
    BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
chefjar

More CHICKEN RECIPES

  • Juicy and flavorful Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers cooked to perfection in an air fryer basket, ready to be served.
    Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
  • Cilantro lime chicken in the skillet, garnished with fresh cilantro leaves and lime slices.
    Cilantro Lime Chicken
  • iinstant-pot-tuscan-chicken
    Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken
  • Za'atar chicken with roasted cauliflower, shallots, and lemon on an oval white plate. The chicken is golden brown with crispy skin and is served on a bed of roasted vegetables. The dish is garnished with fresh herbs and a drizzle of zaatar oil.
    Za'atar Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

LOOKING FOR RECIPES? SEARCH HERE!

About Me

Hi, I am Tati and welcome to my online kitchen. A foodie, wife and mom of 2 adorable boys. Read More…

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Phone
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube



Search Recipes

Footer

SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE RECIPES STRAIGHT INTO YOUR INBOX!

CONNECT WITH ME – CHEFJAR

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Privacy Policy
  • ABOUT ME
  • Recipe index

Copyright © 2023 · CHEFJAR