This creamy tomato chicken skillet is a one pan weeknight meal.
Seasoned chicken breast is simmered in a light tomato cream sauce and garnished with parmesan cheese and basil.

Holly’s Recipe Highlights For Creamy Tomato Chicken
- Flavor: This has a light tomato cream sauce that’s is rich with a bit of tang.
- Difficulty: It couldn’t be easier—and one pan means easy cleanup too!
- Prep Note: Chicken cutlets make this easy- if using chicken breasts cut them into thinner cutlets (see recipe).
- Feeling Fancy? Fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese make this easy dish feel special.
- Time-Saving Tip: Use rotisserie chicken—stir it into the sauce to heat through.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes with a side of garlic bread and a simple green salad.
Ingredient Tips
- Chicken: Chicken cutlets cook quickly. Any boneless chicken or turkey cutlets can be used.
- Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes add tang to the sauce. It can be replaced with pasta sauce, which is a bit sweeter.
- Cream: Use heavy whipping cream, lighter cream can curdle from the acidity of the tomatoes
- Seasonings: Garlic, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes add flavor.
Variations: This dish is perfect for extras and add-ins! Try adding mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and mushrooms add an elegant touch to tomato chicken skillet.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve this recipe over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.
- Crusty bread or garlic bread are great for sopping up any leftover sauce.
- Add a light salad or fresh vegetables like asparagus or roasted broccoli.
Leftovers and Storage
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop with a bit of cream or chicken broth if needed.
- Freeze separately from pasta in zippered bags for up to 4 weeks. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
More One Pot Chicken Dinners
Did your family love this Creamy Tomato Chicken Skillet? Leave us a comment below!
Creamy Tomato Chicken Skillet
Equipment
- Skillet or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken cutlets or boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream or evaporated milk
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
- 8 ounces medium pasta cooked, for serving
- thinly sliced fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- If using chicken breasts, cut the chicken in half horizontally to form thinner cutlets. Gently pound the chicken to ¼-inch thick. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.
- In a large 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate to keep warm.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Let simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the pan along with any juices and simmer uncovered for an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until the chicken is heated through.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over cooked pasta if using, and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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Awesome dish!
Thanks, Rita! Glad you enjoyed it.
can i use fresh cherry tomatoes, instead of canned tomatoes?
Hi Chloe, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I think it would work fine, but you will need to add some liquid to replace not having the canned tomato liquid being added.
I added chorizo and a pkt of chicken noodle soup to this and it was delicious. It was a bit runny so will put more pasta and less water in it next time.
Nice but put oregano, basil, salt and garlic salt on the chicken and panfried with olive oil. I only had egg noodles and was delish.. I stirred the cheese in at the end. Def needs a bit more salt and seasoning but it was darn good
So glad you enjoyed it!
My husband and I enjoyed the pasta and chicken one pot meal. It was easy to put together and took no time at all to prepare. I will be making this again. I cooked it per recipe but I will add more seasonings next time.
It is a great recipe but it does definitely need some garlic powder and some salt. Otherwise it is way too bland. I added 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of garlic powder and I also increased the basil and oregano to 1 tsp each instead of just 1/2 tsp.
Great easy recipe, almost no prep required! I found it needed a bit more seasoning though for me. I doubled up on the oregano and the basil and added a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper. But in all fairness, I only used half a cup of parmesan so that could be why it needed a bit of salt. I will make this again and maybe add a pinch of brown sugar or some shredded carrots to tweak the sweetness a bit. But I loved the gooey goodness of all the cheese and the fact that the sauce is not heavy and yet satisfying .. real comfort food :)
Big fan of this recipe! Delicious and easy to do :)
Xoxo,
Tiffany
This is just the sort of dish my kids love! Can’t wait to try it.
