Back in 2019, in honor of Julia Child’s birthday (she would have been 104 that year), I created this Creamy Italian Chicken Skillet recipe, a dish that embodies one of her many excellent sayings: “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

You can fuss all you want with fancier dishes, with exotic ingredients, with new techniques, but isn’t it true that when you make something super homey, super comforting, that’s the meal that makes everyone ask for seconds? When in doubt, choose the path of comfort food.

Here, thinly sliced chicken breasts are enveloped in a creamy, cheesy sauce peppered with wilted spinach and sundried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes were all the rage years ago, and then they faded out of fashion, but I always think it seems a shame to turn your back on a great ingredient just because it was a little overexposed for a while.

Serve this Creamy Italian Chicken Skillet with Tomato Bruschetta Couscous, Air Fryer Green Beans, or Scalloped Sweet Potatoes.

Creamy Italian Chicken Skillet Ingredients

• Olive oil – For cooking.
• Chicken cutlets – Boneless and skinless will work the best in this recipe.
• Shallots – A great flavor and a bit more mild than onions.
• Chicken broth – For a rich flavor.
• Heavy cream – For creaminess.
• Fresh oregano and thyme – For earthy notes.
• Fontina cheese – An Italian-style cow’s milk cheese with a buttery and nutty flavor.
• Parmesan cheese – Parmesan adds a rich, tangy, and nutty flavor with a touch of acidity.
• Chopped spinach – For varied texture and a fresh aspect.
• Chopped sun-dried tomatoes – More concentrated and tangy flavor than a fresh tomato.

Using Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Try to find real sun-dried tomatoes, which won’t be hard little dried-up disks, but rather pliant, brick red, little chewy bites then that will make all the difference. If there is a store that sells good Italian ingredients in your world, seek them out there. If you want to use oil-packed sundried tomatoes, you can, but use paper towels to blot excess oil before chopping them.

Using Thin Sliced Chicken Cutlets

You can buy thinly sliced chicken cutlets at the market or the butcher or use a steady hand and a large sharp knife to cut regular chicken breasts horizontally into thinner slices — depending on how thick your chicken breasts are, you will get two or three slices per breast, about 1/2 inch thick apiece. Fresh herbs are lovely, but dried are perfectly acceptable here.

This makes a nice amount of creamy sauce, which is a very good thing. When you serve this chicken over a plate of steaming pasta or rice, you’ll want to have lots of starchiness alongside the chicken to ladle the luscious sauce over.

How to Make Creamy Italian Chicken

1. Sear the chicken: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side or until browned and move to a plate.
2. Combine remaining ingredients: To the skillet add the shallots, and sauté until tender. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the heavy cream, oregano, and thyme, and get to just before a boil. Sprinkle in the cheeses and stir, then add spinach and sundried tomatoes.
3. Add the chicken and finish: Return the chicken to the pan and allow it to heat through. Serve the chicken with the sauce over hot rice or pasta.

Storage

Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

What to Serve With Creamy Italian Chicken

Simple Roasted Asparagus with Shallots and Parmesan

Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes

Corn Pudding

More Comforting Skillet Recipes

• Cast-Iron Pan Pizza
• One Skillet Chicken with Cheesy Orzo and Baby Kale
• Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Madeira and Leek Cream Sauce
• One Skillet Cheesy Beef and Macaroni
• Chicken Marsala
• Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Potatoes