Tuscan Garlic Chicken

This knockoff Olive Garden recipe for Tuscan garlic chicken is so easy to make at home. Flavorful chicken, Parm cream sauce, and pasta. It’s so good!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I made this last night and it was fabulous! It tasted like I had ordered it from a restaurant! Great recipe I will definitely be making again! -Brittany

4 Reasons to Make This Copycat Recipe

This recipe has over 100 5-star reviews for a reason! My lightened up version is even better than the dish you can get at The Olive Garden.

1. The chicken is lightly breaded and skillet-browned until golden, then finished in the oven. It stays tender and juicy without being fully cooked in oil or butter.
2. The creamy Parmesan sauce has incredible flavor. It tastes rich and indulgent, even without using multiple cups of heavy cream!
3. This Tuscan Garlic chicken is a restaurant-worthy meal made right at home. The saucy pasta, golden chicken and creamy Parmesan sauce feel special enough for company but still doable for a family dinner. Just read the comments – people rave over this recipe!
4. There are multiple ways to serve it. I’ve included variations in the recipe. Toss it all together in a skillet or plate it nicely. Either way, it tastes amazing!

Key Ingredients Notes

• All-purpose flour: The chicken gets a light breading with the flour and seasonings.
• Seasonings: Every day spices, like dried oregano and dried basil help add flavor to the skillet-browned chicken.
• Chicken breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pound them thin (or cut thick chicken breasts in half lengthwise) before using in the recipe. They’ll cook more evenly and have better flavor. Pat the chicken dry before coating in flour and cooking in the skillet.
• Olive oil: Olive oil is used to cook the chicken and to saute the bell peppers and garlic to start the sauce.
• Red bell pepper: You can substitute any color of bell pepper for the red bell pepper.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is best here. Use 4 to 5 cloves and finely mince it to yield about 1 tablespoon.
• Chicken broth:
• Milk: Use 1% or 2% milk for best results.
• Heavy cream: The small amount of heavy cream adds luxurious creaminess along with the milk.
• Cornstarch: This helps thicken the sauce, which is important since the recipe is lightened up to use milk and cream (rather than all cream).
• Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best melting (pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well). This ingredient is important to flavor and thicken the sauce.
• Fettuccine pasta: Readers have subbed in penne or angel hair for the pasta. The type of pasta is very adaptable.

A Few Additional Notes

• For the Sauce: If you like extra-saucy dishes, consider doubling the sauce. As written, it is a lightly sauced pasta dish.
• Updated Recipe: The original recipe was posted in 2011, but after making it for so many years, I’ve made a few changes to make it easier and better. The original recipe called for 16 ounces pasta, but I’ve cut that back to 12 ounces as a personal preference for the sauce to pasta ratio. I’ve also streamlined the cooking method to make it more straightforward and easier.

This recipe has been a family favorite for over 15 years! It is a showstopper of a meal that feels fancy even when serving it on a regular Tuesday night.

Give it a try! I hope you love it as much as we do!

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Yield: 6 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

4.71 stars (146 ratings)

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Ingredients

Chicken:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic, about 4 to 5 cloves
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% or 2% milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 ounces fettuccine

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper. Pat each piece of chicken dry and dip in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.
• In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling. Cook the chicken in a single layer (may need to cook the chicken in separate batches) for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven).
• Remove the chicken to the prepared sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and loosely tent with foil until ready to use.
• While the chicken is cooking, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
• Drain the pasta and toss to prevent clumping. Set aside.
• Wipe out the skillet used to cook the chicken. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another 30 seconds or so.
• Whisking constantly, pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• In a small liquid measure, whisk together the milk, cream, and cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the spinach and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
• Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Add reserved pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, if needed, to thin the sauce. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serving Option #1: Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta.
• Serving Option #2: Add the pasta to the skillet and toss. Slice the chicken into strips. Serve the pasta on plates topped with chicken strips and additional sauce from the skillet.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

Sauce: I would say this recipe is right on the edge of just having enough sauce but not an overabundance, so if you like things on the saucier end of the spectrum, feel free to 1 1/2 or double the sauce ingredients.

Updated Recipe: The original recipe called for 16 ounces pasta, but over the years, I’ve cut that back to 12 ounces. I’ve also changed the cooking process slightly to make it easier and more streamlined.

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 722kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 180mg, Sodium: 1157mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g

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Recipe Source: adapted from More of America’s Most Wanted Recipes

Recipe originally published March 2011; updated August 2026 with new recipe photos, recipe notes, etc.

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