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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.
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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!
I would love to try this. What are your thoughts on using boneless skinless thighs instead? We’re just not fans of the white meat.
Hi Debra! Sure that would work great! Just cook the chicken for a bit longer. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Easy and tasty: salt and lavender has my favorite recipies!
Aww thank you, Liza!
Absolutely delicious!!!! This is the 2nd or 3rd recipe I made of yours and its a huge hit, thank you times a million!!
That’s awesome!! 😀 You’re very welcome, Risa!
Another hit recipe from Salt & Lavender! I followed this one pretty much to a T, aside from not really measuring the liquids I added and just “measuring with the heart” 🙂
Also added grated parmesan right after stirring in the cream and allowed it to melt down to provide the extra bit of salt that I was looking for, rather than shaking in more salt and pepper. It was quick and a hit – will be adding this one to the rotation of recipes I return to frequently!
Measuring with the heart is the best way sometimes hehehe. Glad you liked it!!
Delicious and easy. A great way to use up tomatoes and basil from the garden. I doubled the sauce and served it over a blend of rices (wild, brown, white). There were just two of us so we had leftovers, which is nice! I like a little crunchy top to my creamy dishes, so added some homemade garlic croutons, crushed. It was really good!
Love that crouton idea! So pleased you enjoyed it, Sandy. 🙂
Hi Natasha,
What are your thoughts on substituting white wine instead of chicken broth? I think I’ve seen that substitution in some of your other recipes, but not sure if that can be applied universally, or if it’s best to stick with the chicken broth for this particular recipe? Love your recipes 😊
Thanks!
I think that’s a great idea!! 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
First try. So easy. I nailed it!
Fabulous! 😀
Delicious recipe! Simple to make and yummy 😋
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Nicole!
Let me first start with, I completely screwed thus recipe up lol. 1. The grocery store forgot the heavy cream in my order. 2. I completely forgot to dredge the chicken in flour even though it was sitting right in front of me. That said, the chicken still came out very yummy!! The tomato and garlic sauce gave it plenty of flavor. Can’t wait to try it with the cream 😋
Lol oh no! I’m glad you have a good sense of humor about it and it still worked out haha. Sometimes these things happen. 😀
Tomatoes and basil are two items that are out of control in my garden. This recipe is delicious and just what I needed haha.
Wonderful! 😀