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I’m Obsessed With The Sauce On This Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
The sauce is definitely the best part of this sun dried tomato chicken. I got the inspiration from a pasta dish at a restaurant where I used to work, except I put it on chicken instead, something I actually do a lot to transform otherwise richer dishes. Here’s why this meal has everything I want in a healthy weeknight dinner:
- Juicy, tender chicken in sun dried tomato cream sauce – Think tender chicken breasts browned to perfection, then smothered in a creamy, savory sauce studded with sun dried tomatoes and aromatic basil. It’s a lot like my marry me chicken and Tuscan chicken, but without the parmesan cheese or spinach.
- Quick and easy – One skillet. 20 minutes. Dinner’s on the table. All you need is a base to soak up every last drop off sauce.
- Real food ingredients – And it’s not a long list.
If a 20-minute chicken dinner with an interesting sauce sounds pretty good tonight, my sun dried tomato chicken recipe will do it. Make it with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my chicken with sun dried tomato chicken recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs or even chicken tenderloins.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes – You can make your own sun dried tomatoes, or buy them. If they are packed in oil, drain before using. I try to get already julienned (thinly sliced) ones for this recipe, otherwise you can chop them yourself.
- Heavy Cream – The sauce base. I originally made this recipe with coconut cream, which you can still use for a dairy-free option, but now I prefer the flavor of heavy cream. If you want to use another type of milk, see my tips below.
- Chicken Broth – Gives the sauce its savory element. You can use my homemade chicken broth recipe, your favorite store-bought brand, or even bone broth.
- Arrowroot Powder – My favorite natural cornstarch substitute to thicken the sauce. Feel free to use actual cornstarch. You can also substitute about 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
- Fresh Basil – I recommend fresh herbs here for the best flavor. We’ll use some for the sun dried tomato chicken sauce and more for topping. If all you have is dried basil (or simply Italian seasoning mix), reduce the amount to a tablespoon and add it only to the sauce.
- Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, & Black Pepper
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How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Season and sear the chicken. Pat dry with paper towels, and season both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear chicken breasts in olive oil, until golden brown and almost cooked through. Remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Make the slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and arrowroot powder.
- Make the sauce. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant. Stir in the broth mixture, cream, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Simmer until thickened.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Spoon sauce on top. Cook for another minute or two, until the chicken is fully cooked. I always top this sun dried tomato chicken with more fresh basil before serving!
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t let the chicken cook all the way through during the initial sear. It’ll cook more in the sauce later, so cooking it too long upfront will make it dry out by the end. I usually just look for a golden brown outside in that first step, and check the internal temperature later.
- Make sure your slurry has no lumps. In other words, whisk the broth and arrowroot powder really well before adding to the sauce. Otherwise, your sauce can turn out lumpy.
- How to make this with milk or half and half: I recommend heavy cream or coconut cream for the richest flavor and texture, but regular milk, other non-dairy milk alternatives, or half and half will also work. You’ll need more arrowroot powder to get the sauce thick enough — I’d start with an extra teaspoon and add more only if needed. Make a new slurry with each addition.
- How to adjust the sauce thickness: I made it fairly thick, as shown in my pictures here. If you want a thinner sauce that you can drizzle, you can use half the amount of arrowroot powder, or even omit it altogether and let the sauce reduce by simmering alone. If you want it even thicker, just add more arrowroot (a teaspoon at a time), mixed with a little broth before mixing into the sauce in the pan.
- For the juiciest results, use a meat thermometer at the end. I recommend cooking sun dried tomato chicken just until it reaches 165 degrees F, not higher to avoid drying it out. The only exception is if you use chicken thighs — these are actually more juicy if you let them reach 170 degrees F.
- Want a spicy kick? Toss some crushed red pepper flakes into the sauce before simmering.
Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (20 Min)
By
My sun dried tomato chicken recipe has the most irresistible creamy sauce! Make this easy dinner in just 20 minutes, with simple ingredients.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season them on both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and sear for 3-8 minutes per side, until golden brown and almost cooked through (internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F). Time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken and whether it's whole or cut into strips.
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Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil to keep warm, and set aside.
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Meanwhile, in a small bowl, vigorously whisk the arrowroot powder into the chicken broth.
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Add the minced garlic to the skillet (add a little more oil if it's dry). Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
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Add the arrowroot/broth mixture, cream, sun dried tomatoes, and half of the fresh basil. Increase the heat to bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
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Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce over it. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F).
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Top with the remaining fresh basil before serving.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 chicken breast with sauce
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the juiciest sun dried tomato chicken, how to adjust the sauce thickness, how to use milk instead of cream, and a variation to add a kick.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
- Reheat: I recommend reheating on the stovetop again. I’ve also placed a glass container with the chicken and sauce right into my air fryer for 1-2 minutes.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my 30 Dinners In 30 Minutes!
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Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Serving Ideas
I highly recommend serving this sun dried tomato chicken over a base to soak up all that delicious sauce! I used mashed cauliflower in my picture above. Mashed sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes (or my faster roasted air fryer potatoes), riced cauliflower, or zucchini noodles also work great.
If you want to add something else on the side, try some seasonal vegetables (like my roasted zucchini, sauteed spinach, or ratatouille) or a summery salad (my Caprese salad or BLT salad would be perfect).
More Creamy Chicken Recipes
If you like my sun dried tomato chicken, you might also like some of my other easy chicken recipes with creamy sauces or fillings:
72 Comments
Tabitha Weidner
0This was such an easy and DELICIOUS recipe! I served it over white rice with naan on the side. The sauce was so good I was licking my plate clean!
Brenda Clark
0I was looking for a new recipe to prepare chicken breast, and found this one on the app. I’ve never really cooked with sun dried tomatoes, but they made this dish so flavorful and paired well with the sweetness of the coconut cream! I didn’t have fresh basil, so I used a couple tablespoons of dried basil and still loved it.
Dawn Mannion
0When using the coconut cream in this recipe should you use canned and only use the top of the cram that is thick or all of it and does it need to be refrigerated?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dawn, Yes, you are correct. Only use the thick portion of the coconut cream. The rest of the can is coconut water, you can save this for other applications (like a smoothie) or throw the excess liquid out. If you decide to save it for later, it will need to be refrigerated.
Dawn Mannion
0Thank you. I made it tonight and it was a hit! My husband went back for seconds.
Connie
0Hi Maya, This sounds really good. My question is how long do you cook it It says sear on both sides for 3 minutes, so that is 6 minutes and then after you make the sauce it says cook for 1 minute more. So cook time seems to be 7 minutes total. Is that correct? I have made several of your recipes and have enjoyed them all. Thank You
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Connie, Please keep in mind that cook times will be approximate. I used chicken strips and that was the timing I used, it will need to increase a bit if you are using whole breasts. The best way to know if your chicken is done would be to test it with an internal thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees F. I hope this helps.
Debra Betz
0Love your recipes but CAN’T always print them. Any suggestions?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Debra, There is a ‘Print It’ button in the recipe card. That is the easiest way to print out the recipes. I hope this helps!
Mary Alice Stopyra
0Thank you for this great recipe. This was delicious! The delicate sweetness of the sun dried tomatoes and the creaminess of the coconut cream made this super tasty. I ended up using 6 oz of the coconut cream in stead of 4 oz and it didn’t harm the ratio of the sauce thickness.. I did chicken strips instead of of whole chicken breast and I would do it again that way. Cooked even faster and every bite was covered in that delicious sauce. I was trying to determine if I could taste coconut (because no one in my familiar likes that flavor except me) and other than the first bite where there was a slight taste, I couldn’t taste it at all. I’ll be trying it on the rest of my family next time. Also note that this did great reheating in the microwave the next day. I used 70 and 80 percentage power and stirred in between until it was hot.
Dawn Bieschke
0This is one of the best chicken recipe’s EVER healthy or nonhealthy, one of the best!!!!!!! Everyone loved it!!!!!!!!!!! Dishes like this make it easy to be healthier thank you!!!!
Eva
0Could I substitute almond flour for the arrowroot powder? If so, will it be the same amount?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Eva, Sorry, no. Almond flour does not work to thicken. You can use xanthan gum instead if you prefer, but you’d need much less – about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, and whisk it in a little water or almond milk before adding to the pan.
Melissa
0Just curious if it tastes anything like coconut with the coconut cream? I’m not a huge fan of coconut flavor.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melissa, I don’t detect it but depending on how sensitive you are to the coconut taste, there might be a very slight hint of it. If you aren’t dairy-free, you can also use heavy cream instead.
Dan
0Simple, delicious an quick to make. A hit! All the best from New Zealand
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dan! I love to hear that! Thank you!
Stefanie Krause
0I made this tonight and it was delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Stefanie! Have a great day!
Emily McCombs
0Made this for dinner tonight. I added mushrooms and spinach. It was delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love that you added mushrooms and spinach, Emily! YUM!
Melinda
0What’s a good paleo substitute for arrowroot powder?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melinda, Arrowroot powder is paleo. Is there some other reason you don’t want to use it?
Dawn Mannion
0Can you use tapioca starch instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dawn, Yes, tapioca starch will work just as well.
Dawn Mannion
0Thank you. I am not keto so that is good to know for the future. I made this tonight and used corn starch since I did not have arrowroot. It was a bit thicker than I would have liked even though I used much less so I added a little more broth and coconut cream and it was a hit. My husband went back for seconds. I also added some sautéed onions which added some extra flavor and crunch. I will be making this again.
Museurbaine
0I am so glad I cam across this recipe! I have to follow a special diet for 3 weeks in order to investigate potential intolerances…this dinner was just perfect ! (Gluten and Lactose free!) Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you! I’m glad that you liked it and found it helpful with your special diet!
Julianne
0I don’t have arrowroot on hand. Can I sub with tapioca flour?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Julianne, Yes, that should work. I’m not sure if the amount would be exactly the same, you can start with a little and add more as needed.
Susan
0I made it with shrimp. Delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Susan!
Lisa Ann Peters
0I made this last night. Super easy and delicious. This will be a repeat for sure. Also, I added fresh spinach.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Lisa! I’ll need to try fresh spinach next time, too.
Wholesome Yum A
0I don’t know what I did wrong to this, but it definitely did not turn out creamy. It’s more of gelled, oily mess in the pan. I only used about a tablespoon of oil plus a little extra when I started the garlic. The arrowroot powder seemed to make everything gooey and slimy, and the sundried tomatoes and basil are all clumped together. I’m sure it’s a great dish when done right, so I’ll have to give it another try sometime. Any ideas as to what might have gone wrong?
Julianne D
0Mine gelled too. I think the heat in the pan might have been too hot when I added the mix. I whisked cornstarch with the broth, it wasn’t clumpy going in and whisked once added. I did think I should’ve added the coconut to the mix, there was a delay adding it. It was a good flavor, despite my goof! My husband said it’s one of the better diet dinners we’ve had!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amanda, Sorry that I missed your comment until now, and that it didn’t work out for you! It’s hard to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you, but most likely the arrowroot powder didn’t mix well enough with the chicken broth in step 3. There shouldn’t be any clumps at that point (or at all, really). Then, make sure to mix well again when adding the slurry (arrowroot/broth mixture) to the pan in step 4. I haven’t had an issue with gelling or clumping when doing it this way, but if you do, you could try adding the coconut cream and slurry first and mix those together well before adding the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. I hope you’ll get the chance to try it again!
Amy Stevens
0Can you use gluten free cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder in this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I haven’t tried it, but you probably can. Cornstarch does sometimes thicken a little less in acidic preparations (the tomatoes in this case), but the result should still be close. Let me know how it turns out!
Barbara
0What is coconut cream, and where do you get it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Barbara, Coconut cream is made from shredded coconut and comes in a can. I like to use the kind without preservatives, as they are not necessary. You can purchase it here, or your local grocery store may also have it.