Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Recipe
Super easy and speedy, yet flavor-packed and perfectly cozy, this oven baked Sun Dried Tomato Chicken is the fuss-free, flavorful dinner recipe you've been searching for. Featuring juicy chicken breasts nestled in a rich and creamy sauce studded with chewy-sweet sun-dried tomatoes and smothered with plenty of melty cheese, it's a comfort food weeknight hero. And, you'll need just 7 basic ingredients and 30 minutes to make it.
Equipment
- 1 Large Measuring Cup with Whisk (for whisking together the sun dried tomato cream sauce)
- 1 8x11-inch Baking Dish (for baking the tomato chicken)
Ingredients
- 4 whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (SEE NOTES)
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- ¾ Cup Sour Cream
- 3 large Cloves Garlic – finely chopped
- ½ Cup Sundried Tomatoes in Oil – drained and thinly sliced (about 6 large tomatoes) (SEE NOTES)
- 1 Cup Parmesan – freshly grated, plus more for topping
- 1 ½ Cups Mozzarella – freshly shredded
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning Mix - (substitute: 3/4 tsp dried oregano, 3/4 tsp dried basil, and 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- to taste Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
- Optional Garnishes: Marinated Cherry Tomatoes Fresh Basil, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes,
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Pan: Arrange the oven rack to the center position and then preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. Spray the inside of an 8x11-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and then set aside.
- Season Chicken Breasts: Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking dish.
- Whisk Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce: In a large measuring cup, stir together the cream, sour cream, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian spice mix.
- Pour Sauce Over Chicken, Add Cheese: Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top.
- Bake Chicken Breasts with Sun Dried Tomatoes: Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven and bake for 22-30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the middle of one of the chicken breasts reads 165-degrees Fahrenheit. OPTIONAL- for more golden brown top: Switch the oven to broil during the last few minutes of baking, and broil for 2-4 minutes, or until the cheese is golden. Make sure you watch closely as the dish can go from golden to burned very quickly!
- Rest Sun Dried Tomato Chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and tent loosely with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10.
- Serve Creamy Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes: Remove the foil and discard. Garnish the top of the chicken with fresh basil, grated parmesan and crushed flakes if using. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For best results, lightly pound out chicken: For even cooking, I highly suggest you very lightly pound your chicken breasts out to an even ¾-1’’ thickness. It takes about 2 minutes to do, but it makes a world of difference and your chicken will be much juicier! You can use the flat side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin, the backside of a small flat skillet, or even an empty wine bottle to pound the chicken out!! Just make sure you cover the chicken with plastic wrap, or put it in a zip-closure bag, and work from the center, out towards the edges of the breast, pounding gently in a downward and outward motion.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I recommend using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, because they have so much more flavor! You can purchase either whole sun-dried tomatoes or save yourself a little prep time and purchase julienned sun-dried tomatoes. Just make sure you drain the tomatoes and pat them thoroughly dry to remove excess oil before proceeding with the recipe.
- Bake time: The amount of time needed to bake the chicken will depend on how thin you pounded your chicken and the strength of your oven. I pounded mine to about ¾’’ thick and they took approximately 23 minutes to cook (my oven is brand new and properly calibrated).
- For golden color: If you want your cheesy baked chicken to have a more golden top, switch the oven to broil during the last 2-4 minutes. Just make sure you keep a close eye on the oven as the dish can go from golden brown and delicious to burnt pretty quickly.
- The sauce: If you are looking for a super thick sauce alfredo-like sauce, this Chicken isn’t it. Since this is a quick and easy dish make entirely in the oven, there is no roux or thickener in the sauce. The sauce is silky and smooth, but it is on the thinner side.
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Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
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Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 4 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.
Nutrition
Calories: 519kcal Carbohydrates: 11g Protein: 23g Fat: 44g Saturated Fat: 26g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 133mg Sodium: 754mg Potassium: 432mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 2g Vitamin A: 1677IU Vitamin C: 16mg Calcium: 621mg Iron: 1mg