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This creamy tomato basil chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken in a delicious garlic cream sauce with garden tomatoes and fresh basil. It’s ready in about 30 minutes!
You may also like my Creamy Tuscan Chicken or Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
This easy chicken recipe makes use of in-season tomatoes and basil straight from the garden for the best summer flavors. The fresh combination can’t be beat, and it’s a great way to lighten up the creamy garlic sauce with Italian herbs. It’s simple yet impressive!
In warmer weather, I definitely like to spend less time in the kitchen. That’s why this tomato and basil chicken is ideal since it’s ready in just half an hour! It also uses no fancy ingredients, and you probably have most of them in your pantry and fridge already.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using chicken breasts
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, this will infuse flavor right into the cutlets
- Flour – for dredging and getting a great crust on the chicken and thickening the sauce a bit
- Olive oil and butter – for pan searing
- Garlic – it adds deeper savory flavor
- Chicken broth – the base of the sauce
- Dijon mustard – my go-to trick to add more depth of flavor to sauces; you don’t taste it individually
- Heavy cream – the taste and texture it adds is incredible!
- Italian seasoning – it’s an all-purpose blend of dried herbs all in one jar
- Fresh tomato and basil – the perfect summer duo
Pro tip
I always like to cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that they cook faster and more evenly. That way, they stay tender and juicy!
How to make creamy tomato basil chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken to make four thinner cutlets, season with the garlic powder and salt & pepper, then dredge in flour. Heat up the oil and butter, then pan fry the chicken until golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the garlic, Dijon, and broth to the skillet.
Let it bubble until fragrant while stirring and scraping up the browned bits. Stir in the cream, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and basil. Return the chicken, and simmer until it’s cooked through and the sauce thickens. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Mince garlic effortlessly with a garlic press (no peeling needed), and easily measure out the butter with this butter dish that tells you where to cut.
- This is the cast iron skillet I use.
- Chicken is cooked when it’s 165F internally. Avoid under or overcooked meat with an instant read thermometer.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something else (e.g. half-and-half or milk) because the tomatoes are likely to curdle the sauce. Coconut milk may work, but the flavor will of course change.
- Try swapping the chicken broth for dry white wine if you’ve got an open bottle. Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio would be great.
- Add a handful of fresh spinach near the end of cooking time if you wish.
What to serve with creamy basil tomato chicken
- You can serve this dish with some parmesan cheese grated over top if you wish!
- Serve it over pasta like my Quick Buttered Noodles, or try my Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Roasted Red Potatoes. Steamed veggies or this Easy Roasted Cauliflower work too.
- For a salad, I recommend my Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat so that the chicken doesn’t dry out.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one because it has dairy, and the texture will likely change.
More easy chicken recipes
If you made this fresh tomato and basil chicken, please leave a star rating and review below! I love hearing from readers. Tag me on Instagram with any of your S&L creations.
Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 small handful fresh basil chopped/torn
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and salt & pepper. Coat the chicken in flour.
- Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook it for about 4-5 min/side until the chicken is nice and golden. Remove the pan from the heat, and take the chicken out of the pan and transfer to a plate.
- Add the garlic, Dijon mustard, and chicken broth to the pan and return it to the heat. Let it bubble for about 30 seconds, while stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and incorporate the mustard.
- Add in the cream, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and basil. Once it starts to bubble, add the chicken back in and cook it for another 5 minutes or so (sauce will thicken up a bit and the chicken will cook through). You may need to reduce the heat if it's boiling too furiously. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- I do not recommend subbing the heavy cream for half-and-half or milk; the sauce will end up thinner and likely curdle due to the high heat and acidity of the tomatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on May 9, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Think it’s possible to skip the flour? Or would something like almond flour work?
Hi! You could, but the sauce won’t thicken as much. It’s not a super thick sauce at all to begin with. You could give almond flour a try, but I don’t think it’ll thicken the sauce in the same way. Maybe a little cornstarch and water?
so easy and so delicious!! The sauce amount was plenty, but next time I will double the sauce because it was just THAT good!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Loved this recipe! One minor thing- the ingredients list is missing tomatoes currently!
Just kidding I am blind. It’s on there. Great recipe.
Haha oh thank goodness… I sometimes do miss ingredients despite all my proofreading efforts. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Very easy and very Delicious!
So glad you liked it, Erin!
I just made this and it came out amazing!! I changed a few things. If you don’t mind me sharing with you and others. I didn’t add the flour. I seasoned the chicken breast with grated fresh garlic and fresh basil. I did not have dijon mustard or chicken broth and I added fresh mushrooms. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Love and light
Sounds delish, Jan!!
Is there a dairy substitute you think I could use in place of the heavy cream? Looking to make for my gf tonight and she is sensitive to dairy. Excited to try it though. Thank you!
Hi Travis! Honestly, no. Some readers try my recipes with coconut cream (the stuff that you skim off the top of a can of coconut milk), but it’ll give the dish a slight coconutty flavor and not be the same. I personally have not tested it, so I can’t say if the results will be good or not. I wish there was a good dairy-free substitute for heavy cream that tastes/acts the same, but I have yet to find one unfortunately.
My son is allergic to dairy we use the silk brand whipping cream we found at Walmart.
Thanks for the suggestion, Jennifer! A reader actually told me about the same product recently, and so I’ve been recommending that one. I need to see if they sell it here in Canada and give it a try myself. 🙂
I am excited to make this tonight! Do you think it’d go okay with boneless chicken thighs? The store was out of breasts….
Yes, that would be fine! Just make sure they’re cooked through thoroughly 🙂
I made this with boneless thighs and it was SO good!! Definitely recommend – had with cous cous and side of broccoli 🙂 I think I’d double the recipe next time to have extra leftovers!
Wonderful!! 🙂
It will go great boneless thighs has alot more flavor then breast. Get a good sear on them and you’ll be good to go! Hope u enjoy
I made this it was delicious!!
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for letting me know! XO
This was fantastic! Added green beans while the sauce was thickening. I’ll make this again.
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Maybe asparagus or mushrooms! I can not see any bean cut any way working well here. It is throwing me off balance thinking about that.
Can’t wait to make this! You’re awesome! Your recipes are simple yet so delicious!
Thank you!! ♥️ Let me know if you make it.
Great recipe! I followed it exact and I felt that it was a little thick (served over angel hair pasta). Next time (and there will be a next time), I will increase the liquid and use wine instead of chicken stock and add a little pasta water to finish the sauce if I feel it is still too heavy when ready to serve. Other than that, it was well balanced and I liket the use of garlic powder and fresh garlic together. I feel that really helped because there is never enough garlic in any one recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I am crazy about garlic too haha. Thanks for leaving me a review!