Infused with fresh lemon juice and Parmesan, caramelized tomatoes and fresh basil, Chicken with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce s incredible, easy and foolproof. Some have called it the best chicken dish they’ve ever tried. In any case, it’s safe to say you won’t be disappointed and neither will your guests and family.
Here’s an easy, saucy meal with slow-cooked deep flavor. Chicken with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce is an easy meal that tastes like it took all day. The chicken is perfectly tender and juicy, and the easy cream sauce is over-the-top in complex Italian flavor thanks to caramelized tomatoes and fresh basil.
The generous cream sauce is silky and complex thanks to the addition of lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. And let’s talk about those tomatoes for a minute. Fresh tomatoes are just right after they caramelize, bringing out their natural sweetness. Add fresh minced garlic and you have the perfect sun-dried tomato taste with a better texture than the bottled or dried version.
This dish is ready in about 45 minutes, and if you need it on the table right after the sauce is added, it’ll look like this and still taste Amazing:
But if you need more time to make a salad or additional side dishes, just cover the skillet and place it back in the 250 degree oven for 20 to 40 minutes more and look what happens. Everything melds together for even more beautiful color and flavor. Either way is over-the-top. If you do cook the dish further in the oven, the tomato infused olive oil and the cream will separate a bit. No worries, just give a quick stir. Sprinkle with more basil and some toasted pine nuts if desired.
If you’re looking for a tasty, meatless dish, substitute 24 ounces of freshly sliced mushrooms and prepare them in the skillet instead of the chicken. Whole milk can be substituted for the heavy cream and the butter can be left out of the sauce. You really can’t mess this up. Delicious over noodles or rice. Serve with a nice green salad or even on top of a bed of spinach.
Chicken with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup white wine
- Juice from one lemon
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 or 4 chicken breasts pounded thin for even cooking
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging the chicken, use cornstarch for gluten-free
- Salt and pepper
- 3 to matoes sliced to 1/4" thickness
- 2 or 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Tablespoons fresh basil more if desired
- More Parmesan cheese to taste
- Optional: Add some toasted pine nuts at serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 250F degrees.
Start the sauce
- In a medium sauce pan, heat chicken broth and white wine over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced by one third, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add lemon juice and cream. Heat to a slow simmer and then add butter, one tablespoon at a time. Lower heat a bit and continue on a very low simmer, whisking occasionally while you make the chicken and tomatoes.
Prepare the chicken
- After chicken has been pounded to an even thickness, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12" skillet on medium-high heat. Lightly dredge chicken in the flour mixture, shaking extra flour off before placing chicken in the pan. Heat chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Place chicken on an oven-safe plate, cover with foil and place in the oven to keep warm.
Caramelize the tomatoes
- In the same pan you cooked the chicken (do not wash out the pan), add the last tablespoon of oil and lower heat to medium. Add the tomatoes in a single layer, adding salt and pepper as desired. Let cook until tomatoes start to disintegrate and caramelize, about 5 minutes.
- Stir tomatoes and add garlic cloves. Continue to cook, stirring only occasionally. The tomato mixture will stick to the pan a little. This is what you want, because it means they're breaking down correctly and the tomatoes natural fructose is working. Turn heat to low while you finish preparing chicken and sauce.
Combine everything and finish
- Remove chicken from oven and slice on diagonal, about 1" thick slices. Add chicken to the skillet and lightly toss with tomatoes.
- Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese to your cream sauce now and stir until melted. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and lightly stir all ingredients together.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and more Parmesan cheese. The meal is ready to serve now, or it can be covered and returned to the 250 degree oven for up to 40 minutes while you prepare side dishes, etc. When you remove from the oven, the sauce needs a quick stir to incorporate back together. (In the recipe photo, you can see that the yummy tomato infused olive oil and cream have separated a bit.)
- Leftovers are delicious the following day.
Notes
- If you're looking to lower the saturated fat content in the recipe, whole milk may be used in place of whipping cream.
- The nutrition facts for this recipe show a very high fat quantity based on the sauce (which again, can be reduced using whole milk). However, if you use less sauce on your portion, that will also reduce the fat content and calories, if you're wanting to do so. The sauce is nice and rich, so a little can go a long way.
Made this for the family last night. Since I’m allergic to tomatoes, I caramelized onions instead and added red pepper for color. Served the dish over zoodles. The whole family raved. I also took today for leftover. The dish is fine reheated in the microwave. I’ll be sure to make this one again.
Thanks, Cherice! Glad you all liked it. This is probably one of everyone’s favorite recipes on my site. I love the idea of caramelizing onions for this recipe!
This was FANTASTIC! I can’t wait for tomorrow’s leftovers. My husband gave it an A+!
Tracey, this is so awesome! Thanks for taking the time to send this great comment and tell your husband I appreciate the grade! 🙂
Can you freeze this saice
Courtney, I have never tried freezing the sauce. You could try it and it may separate and not look great until warmed back up. When reheating, make sure not to let the sauce boil because the cream doesn’t do well when boiled. I’m sorry I don’t have experience with this to help you more.
We first made this when my daughter hosted 8 people for her high school Tolo formal dance. The kids came to eat here instead of a restaurant. Everyone absolutely raved about it, and we have enjoyed it quite a few times since. My son is not fond of tomatoes but doesn’t mind them here. Wonderful recipe, thank you so much for sharing it. (It is going into the laminated family cookbook gifts I am making for my kids!)
Kristi! The first word out of my mouth while reading this was WOW! Knowing that this recipe was served for such a special event AND that it’s going to be laminated into a published family book of recipes. I’m honored beyond words. I’m so glad everyone liked it so much and thank you for taking the time to send this wonderful note. 🙂
This recipe is delicious! It made more sauce than I anticipated, but I’m going to serve the leftovers over pasta.
Used half & half & served over pasta….this was outstanding. My kids loved it too!
Thank you Constance! This is one of our favorite recipes. Glad everyone liked it.
I am planning to cook this for 8 adults and will be needing to fix a lot of chicken. Usually when I do this I slice my chicken thin first and then grill on my griddle. If I do this, I will not have all the flavor in my pan for the tomato part. Do you think this will be a big deal? Also, do you think it would work (just to speed things up) if I did the tomatoes in the skillet first and then add the cream, broth, etc to them and pick up the recipe there to continue? That way it would become a true one skillet recipe with the addition of my griddle for the chicken. Thanks!
Hi Penny, I think if you’re going to cook the chicken on your griddle, it’s going to get so much great flavor from (hopefully) some great char marks, etc. that it shouldn’t matter if it’s not started in the pan for drippings to mix with the tomatoes. I think the process you’re going to do will be excellent! Let me know how it goes and thanks for choosing the recipe. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s was scrumptious. Loved it and thanks for sharing your recipe with us. Blessings..
You’re welcome, Cindy. Thanks for taking the time to comment and I’m so glad you liked it. 🙂
Hello! Thank you for posting such a delicious recipe. Do you have nutritional information? It would be greatly appreciated as I have to limit carbs and calories. I did not add pasta or rice. It was great all by itself!
Hi Bety, I’m just getting ready to start adding nutrition information on my site. Give me until the end of the weekend and I’ll have it up there for you. I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for making it. 🙂
Bety, FINALLY I have the nutrition info posted on this recipe. I hope it is helpful to you.
This recipe is a keeper. Just got done enjoying it and it was so good! This tasted like something from a restaurant and can be made at right at home. 🙂
Thanks Kassie! We feel the same way. 🙂
OMG Delicious!!! Iam in love with this recipe, by far my most favorite chicken dish to date. Best recipe I have ever found on Pinterest, I could eat this for diner for 18 days straight. My only thought might be to toss some al dente asparagus tips in at the end at so I get my veggie fix. Thank you Recipe Goddess for this amazing meal !
Amy! My husband and I are LOL (literally) at your “Recipe Goddess” comment and thanks to your accolades about the recipe, I’m going to have a great week no matter what else is in store! I’m glad you liked the recipe, we love it here too. Thanks again, this means a lot. ;D
My husband absolutely hates tomatoes and I’m sorry to say I had to leave them out. But this was still amazing! I love Alfredo but it’s so darn heavy that I don’t make it much. This tasted like a lightened version and it was so good! My husband want to “keep this one on the books” for future meals. I eventually want to do the tomatoes to get that flavor. It’s a keeper for sure though!
Hi Sara! Well, this made my week. I’m so happy you and your husband loved it (even without tomatoes) and I’m honored that one of my recipes is one for the books in your house. Thanks for taking the time to comment. It means a lot.
Made this for dinner tonight with pasta and my boyfriend said it was the best dinner he’s ever had… so yummy! Thanks for the recipe
Thanks Mary! This is one of our favorite dishes and I make it for company A LOT. You made my day. I’m glad your boyfriend liked it so much. 🙂
I love this recipe, I make it all the time, just as stated. A perfect impressive dish for guests!
Thank you Cassandra! I love hearing from “regulars” and I appreciate you taking the time to comment on the recipe. This is a favorite for us too and I agree, great for guests. Thanks again.
This is a fabulous recipe. I did substitute heavy cream with puréed cauliflower and it was amazing!
Wow Ina! That sounds amazing! I’m definitely going to try this next time. Brilliant.
Tried this recipe for lunch today since I had all the ingredients. It was a success, my husband loved it so much he went in for seconds! I do have to say it did take longer than 30min considering prep time. But it was worth it. Delicious!! Thanks for the recipe. I will try it again but with mushrooms.
Hi Pamela, I’m so glad it worked out for you and your husband. Thanks for the feedback. I think since I’ve made it so many times it only takes me 30 minutes but I’ll go in and modify the recipe. Thanks again.
Sounds like a wonderful recipe. Am I understanding correctly, that whole milk could be substituted for the heavy cream? thank you!
Hi Donna, I use whole milk almost every time. 🙂
I make this recipe all the time …usually double everything up and have it for dinner the next day love it. ..thanks for a great recipe
George, Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. Comments like this truly make my day and I’m glad you like the recipe so much. I do too. Have a great day and stop by anytime. 🙂
Our local tomatoes don’t have much flavor so I minced up some sundried tomatoes and served it over pasta. The whole family loved it, the pot was clean!!
Excellent idea Rachel, thanks for sharing this tomato substitution/enhancement!
Yum. This was probably one of the best Pinterest recipes I’ve ever made. Whole family loved it. Yum.
Thank you Lynn, It’s a star here at our house as well.
Ok so just to start off I was really skeptical about this recipe because of the cooked tomato, but I figured what the heck I’ll try it out since I am tired of making the same ole stuff .. and this recipe literally blew my mind!!!! It was so delicious I felt like top Chef for my family. I definitely give this meal a 5 star rating. Thanks for sharing your recipe we all loved it!!!
Tonya, I’ve received many compliments on this recipe but yours has to be my favorite! Thanks so much and I’m glad it was such a hit with your family. You made my week! 😀
I’ve looked all over for a recipe that’s simple but very flavorful and I believe I’ve found it! I am going to fix this dish for dinner this evening, however, I have a couple questions….firstly I have 7 small chicken cutlets defrosted so I will need to double or even triple the sauce (I LOVE sauces) also I want to add fresh spinach and mushrooms or maybe asparagus but I am afraid the extra veggies will alter the texture of the sauce if I don’t have my dairy measurements just right. Do you have any suggestions for assuring the sauce will turn out the same as with your serving size recipe? I can’t wait to enjoy this with my family.
Hi Carrie! I love sauce too, so I would double (or triple because why not?). Here is what I’d do for adding those veggies and my recommendations for which ones to add. I think spinach and mushrooms are perfect compliments to this dish. I’d sautee’ about 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms in oil before cooking the chicken, cooking until the mushrooms release their moisture and start to brown. Then I’d remove them from the pan, add more oil and follow the recipe for the chicken, etc. from here. I would add the mushrooms back in just before placing in the oven. For the spinach, I actually have added spinach at the very end of cooking because I like mine as unwilted as possible. A few times, I’ve made this for serving over pasta and just tossed the fresh spinach on top of the pasta before adding the sauce. If you want your spinach to wilt down more than that, feel free to toss a handful in the sauce before cooking in the oven. I think your sauce texture will still be perfect with these add-ins if incorporated in this manner. Let me know how it turns out and thanks for trying the recipe! 🙂
Sally! You’re recipe is a keeper!
I just put the skillet in the oven for 40 min and it already looks and tastes AHHHmazimg! I used your suggestions about the mushrooms right before putting it in the oven and I will add raw spinach right before serving, I agree, we prefer not so wilted leaves. I sautéed a red onion after the tomatos (and nearly forgot the garlic). I also added a hefty tablespoon of dried red pepper seeds and 1.5 teaspoon of Cavender’s Greek seasoning for some kick and extra flavor. We’re not afraid of spice in my family! Oh and I doubled all the ingredients.
I am going to whip up some garlic butter to spread on an Italian loaf (from our local deli Soprano’s) and a glass of also local Finger Lakes Gewürztraminer. I REALLY enjoyed fixing this dish. Thank you so much for making my day!
Ciao!
Wow, Carrie! First of all, as I’m reading this I’m having a little snack of homemade French bread and leftover garlic butter from last nights Ravioli Lasagna dinner (so we’re kindred garlic butter lovers). I’m going to make this recipe again this weekend and add the mushrooms, red onion, Greek seasoning and spinach! I’ll have to settle for a glass of red wine (that’s not local). Thanks so much for sharing your ideas on this one. Love it!
I made this tonight. I used shrimp instead of chicken. I had to thicken the dish. Next time I will add a little less lemon juice. It had strong lemon overtones. I will try it with chicken next time.
Good recipe.
Hi RuthAnn, I haven’t made this with shrimp before but I’ve had a few people say they wanted to try it. Thanks for stopping by with your comment. It means a lot! Have a great weekend, be sure to let me know what you think of the recipe using chicken.
You have no idea how delicious this is and what a successful recipe it is, too — you can taste the wine, the lemon, the basil, all in perfect proportion.
I cooked the basil in the tomato sauce, I don’t like raw basil. I used the trick of halving the lemon then microwaving it 30 secs — got every drop from it. Served the dish beside jasmine rice. I also used our frozen garden heirloom tomatoes — the desire to use them up was why I sought out a recipe such as this.
As one Mom to another: Thank you for this great new dish and I will now be thoroughly exploring your site. :0)
Wow Timi! You made my whole week with this nice note. I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and to share the great tricks you used (I’ll definitely be microwaving my lemon next time). Thanks again and have a great week! Let me know if you have questions on any recipes and what you think of others you try or for suggestions of some of my favorite recommendations. 🙂
This sounds wonderful. Do you think it would convert to a slowcooker recipe?
Hi Jeannette, I’ve never made this in the slow cooker and I’m not sure how it’ll turn out since a crockpot adds more moisture as it cooks and I also wonder if the cream would curdle or separate. Of course there’s only one way to know… if you’re willing to give it a try, maybe add the cream during the last 30 minutes. And I would cook on low for no more than 4 hours. 🙂
Omg this was seriously amazing my boyfriend ate the left overs even though he was so full! This makes me so happy and I feel so proud and satisfied! Everyone loves me.
Thank you so much :)!
I’ve got fresh tomatoes I froze. Think it’d still work for this?
Hi Helen, the frozen tomatoes should work just fine. They might have a bit more liquid from being frozen but you can cook the liquid out. Thanks for stopping by!
I used this site while I was preparing the delicious meal and a pop-up ad appeared after several minutes. It froze my screen and the only way I could see the recipe was to reboot my iPad. I saw the recipe but, the same ad popped up again.
Please fix. Thank you.
This was so delicious! My hubby loved it! I had more than enough sauce to cover 3 or 4 servings of pasta. Thanks for sharing!
We loved this dish!
It tastes like one I’ve had at Olive Garden. It’s that good!
I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes to add but it was still just as creamy, and comforting in taste as the picture
Looks.
Sounds delicious. My 8 yr old daughter and I have daddy/daughter dinner night where we pick a new dish and make it together. Is this sauce like soup or thicker?
Hi Aiden, I love your daddy/daughter dinner ideas! Awesome. It’s thicker than soup, depending on how long you simmer it. Give it a try, I think you’ll be happy with it and it’s super easy.
Do you have an estimate of how much chicken you’d use by weight? The size of chicken breasts vary so much that I’m not sure what to use.
The dish is delicious! I actually substituted the chicken for roasted vegetables and it was sooo good!
Sahiry, I will definitely be giving your way a try! My 13-year old is not a meat eater so this would be perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Could i substitute cooked shrimp instead of chicken do you think?
Hi Andrea, I never have, but I think the shrimp would be fabulous!
I actually tried it w/ shrimp, and added mushrooms. It came out great. Thanks for the advice, and for the recipe. The flavors are wonderful.
Andrea, that is awesome! I’m definitely giving that a try. Thanks for making the recipe and putting your own spin on it.
I made this dish last night and everyone loved it ! It was all gone within the first couple of mins! Thanks
Dee, Thanks for stopping by and letting me know. I’m so glad it was a success for you!
Delicious! However, my sauce broke! Any suggestions? Thanks.
Hi Jane, Maybe try continuing to cook it at a little lower temperature. I’ve never had this issue, but I hope this helps.
Going to try this tonight. What kind of white wine did you use?
Sally, I made this tonight! It was superb. I tossed cooked paste in the pan right before serving. It was as tasty as a dish from a quality restaurant. I love knowing what goes into my sauces. (not big on jarred sauces) thank you so much for sharing!
Karen, I am with you, I’m not big on packaged anything, actually, except…as for jarred sauces, I will OCCASIONALLY buy a really good brand of jarred marinara sauce, but it has to have only a few ingredients and I have to recognize what those ingredients are. Coincidentally, the next post coming up on my blog is one of the few that I would make with a jarred sauce (Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups). I hope you’ll check it out when it’s published. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
Hello I would like to know if this is served over anything. If not, do you think it would be delicious over some penne noodles?
Hi Kristen, I absolutely recommend serving this over your favorite pasta and penne would be the perfect choice (to me). Thanks for stopping by.
Followed this exactly and loved it!
Thanks Jessica! I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to comment. Glad you liked it.
If I wanted to use jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil, how would I substitute? Thanks!
Hi J. This will be fantastic with sun-dried tomatoes in oil! First of all, I would substitute some of the oil from the tomatoes in step 5, where you add some oil to the pan. The oil flavored from the tomatoes will be even better than plain olive oil. When you add the tomatoes themselves, I’d be careful to not add too much oil AT FIRST (use the same amount of tomatoes as indicated for the dried variety). I’m not afraid of some extra healthy olive oil myself, and I’d add a tad more of it while this dish simmers. Hope you like it! Thanks for your question.
Hi: I just cooked this recipe, mmmmmmm it is so good, thank you Sally
Hi Emma, thanks for making the recipe and taking the time to comment. I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you!
Fabulous recipe! I used skim milk instead of cream, so it came out more liquid but the flavour was still there. I drained off some of the sauce and we had it as delicious soup the next day.
Thank you Mary-Ann, love the idea of incorporating the leftovers into a soup.
Hello. May I add pasta to this dish?
Hi Kindra, Absolutely. I’d serve the recipe over pasta. Hope you like it!
I have now made this twice. Both times with my teenage daughter who is not impressed by much! The first time we made it and tasted the sauce we looked at each other in disbelief…it was fantastic. It is not that common to make a recipe for the first time and have it be perfect. The second time.. wow just as amazing. I want to thank you for the time this has allowed me to connect and enjoy something with my daughter. 5 stars is not enough!
Sarah! Your comment that this recipe “allowed me to connect and enjoy something with my daughter” is THE reason for Good Dinner Mom to continue. You have no idea what this experience for you means to me. I’m so glad you both liked it, and thank you for taking the time to let me know. Have a wonderful weekend. I know I will. 🙂
This is my second recipe from your site that I’ve made and it was just as good as your beef pot pie!! Loved it!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Stephanie, you made my night! It really means a lot that you would try multiple recipes and take the time to drop me a note about them. 🙂
OMG…this is delicious!!!
I have it simmering on the stove…I tasted the sauce and it is amazing.
I am low carbs, so left out the flour. Thanks so much for sharing ?
Jewels, I know… I know. 😉 Thanks so much for making it and taking the time to comment. You made my morning.
Made this for dinner tonight, exactly as printed. 30 minutes and it was absolutely delicious ! Keeping this one for sure !
Looking to make this but only have half and half instead of heavy cream. Do you think this would work?
Hi Addie,
Absolutely. Maybe add a tablespoon of butter, if you have that, with the half and half. This will give it that heavy cream richness. Milk with butter is an accepted cream substitute, so the added butter will only enhance the flavor.
It’s delicious! My family loves it! And it was done in 30 minutes. Thanks!
LT, You’re welcome. So glad you all liked it! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Very, very good. This is a keeper, I kept it exactly the way it was, and used Tortellini to serve it with.
Eileen, Thank you for making the recipe and commenting. I’m glad you liked it! I love tortellini and will be using that next time. 🙂
What can I use instead of the white wine?
Megan, you can use white vinegar or even water is fine.
Made this for dinner tonight. Excellent. Everyone had compliments. Even my in-laws, who came down for Easter tomorrow, loved it. Didn’t change a thing except used my roasted tomatoes from last summer.
Karen, that is awesome! Thanks for making it and I’m glad everyone liked it. Happy Easter to you and your family.
I notice the recipe calls for garlic, but it isn’t listed in with the ingredients. How much garlic is to be used and is it added chopped, minced, whole?
Hi Kenn, sorry about that. I’ve gone in and edited the recipe. It is 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced. Thanks for the heads up.
This looks awesome! Reminds me of the farfalle and sundried tomatoes~ Loving this!
Wonder if this is freeze able?
Perfect. I didn’t feel like making what is on the menu for dinner tonight. I have all the ingredients for this (I’ll sub roasted tomatoes from this summer that are in my freezer) so this is now what’s for dinner tonight.
Awesome Karen! I hope you like it and I’m glad I could help with your menu. Thanks for stopping by.
I was so looking forward to making this dish. I’m a new cook so I didn’t know there was a difference between fresh and dried basil. So I used 1/2 cup of dried basil. I’m sure it would have been better had I used fresh. I plan to try the recipe again with fresh basil.
Hi Becky, This is a common mistake with cooks of all levels of expertise. Usually if substituting dry herbs, you use about a thrid as much as you would use for fresh because the flavor is more intense when dried. I’m so proud of you for getting in there and learning the art of cooking. I’d also like to recommend my Mushroom Risotto as a good, easy recipe that’s super impressive as well. Let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to hearing from you any time.