Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Garlic & Pancetta

The most incredible Creamy Tuscan Chicken that's actually made without cream! The sauce is rich, smooth and delicious, flavoured with garlic, pancetta and white wine. Serve with comforting mashed potatoes and you're in comfort food heaven!

I get so excited to eat this every.single.time! It's just incredible BUT it's not like your regular Creamy Tuscan Chicken because well, there's no heavy cream involved. This Tuscan Chicken is the real deal and I just know that you're going to love it just as much as me.

Here's what you're gonna get with this recipe...

Juicy and tender chicken thighs with an extra crispy skin served with a rich and velvety creamy sauce made with white wine, fragrant fresh herbs (oregano & thyme), whole garlic cloves and smoky pancetta. 

Honestly, this dish is SO comforting and delicious but it's made with wholesome ingredients so there ain't nothing to be feeling guilty about here.

How do you make a creamy sauce without cream?

The secret ingredient in this recipe is a culinary technique that's not as commonly known to the everyday home cook and it so should be. What is it you say? Egg yolks! 

Don't worry the sauce doesn't have an eggy taste in the slightest it just makes it extra rich and delicious. As the egg yolk cooks it thicken the sauce until it's velvety smooth and perfectly creamy.

How to make Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Garlic and Pancetta - step by step

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet pan on a medium heat, add the chicken thighs skin side down and fry until the skin is browned and crispy. Turn the chicken around and cook on the other side for around 8 minutes again. Remove the chicken and set aside (photos 1 & 2).

Add the pancetta to the same pan and fry until starting to crisp up slightly. Add the whole garlic cloves and fry for another minute, stirring occasionally (photos 3 & 4).

Add the chicken back to the pan skin side up and add the white wine with the fresh thyme and oregano. Reduce the wine by half (photo 5).

Add the chicken stock and reduce until only ⅓ of the liquid remains. Remove the chicken from the pan again and set aside. At this point you can crisp the chicken up under a broiler (oven grill) if you prefer (photos 6 & 7).

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and make sure it’s not boiling. In a small ramekin, add the lemon juice and 1 large egg yolk, whisk to combine. Add the egg mixture to the sauce and whisk continuously until the sauce has thickened and turned a pale yellow colour (around 3 minutes) (photos 8- 11).

Add the chicken back to the pan to heat through, garnish with fresh chives and serve (photo 12).

What to serve it with

I love nothing more than a big mountain of mashed potatoes to mop up all the delicious sauce, it just goes so well but you could also serve this creamy Tuscan chicken with polenta, roast potatoes, grilled veggies, roasted asparagus, broccoli or even just a fresh salad. The list is endless and the choice is yours!

Top tips for making Creamy Tuscan Chicken

• Use free-range chicken for best results and flavour. I always use free-range because the quality of the meat is 100x better, it's more expensive but I just eat less of it on a weekly basis.
• I use 6-8 thighs to serve 4 as they often vary in size.
• Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper to reduce the moisture before frying (helps create an extra crispy skin)
• Make sure to turn the heat to the absolute lowest heat or off completely and make sure the sauce isn't boiling before adding the egg yolks. If the pan is too hot they can curdle.
• Be careful with the salt, you won't need much! The chicken stock and pancetta provide a lot of seasoning so I recommend lightly sprinkling the chicken skin with a little salt before frying and that's it. Taste it before serving to see if it needs any more.
• I love the fresh taste of oregano and thyme they're so fragrant and full of flavor but you can also use fresh rosemary or tarragon which will work well. A little sprinkling of dried oregano will work too just not too much.
• Leftovers: store the chicken and sauce separately as the sauce will thicken and a skin will form. The chicken can be stored in the fridge for around 2 days and eaten cold in a salad or whatever you like or reheated in a hot oven (350F/180C) until piping hot all the way through. The sauce can also be stored in the fridge for about 2 days a reheated, simply add it to a small saucepan with a splash of water to loosen it (around 1-2 tbsp) and heat on low until hot.
• You can also freeze the chicken in suitable containers.

More easy chicken recipes you might like

• Italian Chicken Cutlets with Pesto and Spinach
• One-Pot Chicken With Olives, Tomatoes And Lentils
• Breaded Chicken Cutlets – No Flour No Egg
• Prosciutto Chicken Involtini with Spinach & Ricotta
• Chicken Cacciatore – Pollo alla Cacciatora
• Chicken Croquettes with Ricotta and Thyme

If you’ve tried this Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Garlic & Pancetta or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

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5 from 6 votes

Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Garlic and Pancetta

*See step by step photos & video above* The most incredible Creamy Tuscan Chicken that's actually made without cream! The sauce is rich, smooth and delicious, flavoured with garlic, pancetta and white wine. Serve with comforting mashed potatoes and you're in comfort food heaven!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 605kcal

Author Emily Kemp

Ingredients

• ▢ 6-8 Chicken thighs* see notes
• ▢ 4.5 oz smoked pancetta cubed (130g)
• ▢ 6 Garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 Egg yolk large
• ▢ 2 cups Chicken stock (500ml)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Fresh oregano
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme
• ▢ ½ cup White wine (125ml)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chives freshly chopped
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet pan on a medium heat, lightly season the chicken skin with a little salt. Add the chicken thighs skin side down and fry until the skin is browned and crispy (around 8-10 minutes). Turn the chicken around and cook on the other side for around 8 minutes again. Remove the chicken and set aside.
• Add the pancetta (4.5 oz / 130g) to the same pan and fry until starting to crisp up slightly (3-4 minutes). Add the whole garlic cloves (6 large) and fry for another minute, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chicken back to the pan skin side up and add the white wine (½ cup / 125ml) with the fresh thyme and oregano (1 tablespoon of each). Reduce the wine by half (around 4-5 minutes).
• Add the chicken stock and simmer to reduce until only ⅓ of the liquid remains (about 40 minutes). Remove the chicken from the pan again and set aside. At this point you can crisp the chicken up under a broiler (oven grill) if you prefer.
• Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and make sure it’s not boiling. In a small ramekin, add the lemon juice (1 tsp) and 1 large egg yolk, whisk to combine. Add the egg mixture to the sauce and whisk continuously until the sauce has thickened and turned a pale yellow colour (around 3 minutes).
• Add the chicken back to the pan to heat through, garnish with chives and serve. See notes for serving suggestions.

Notes

• Use free-range chicken for best results and flavour. I always use free-range because the quality of the meat is 100x better, it's more expensive but I just eat less of it on a weekly basis.
• I use 6-8 thighs to serve 4 as they often vary in size.
• Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper to reduce the moisture before frying (helps create an extra crispy skin)
• Make sure to turn the heat to the absolute lowest heat or off completely and make sure the sauce isn't boiling before adding the egg yolks. If the pan is too hot they can curdle.
• Be careful with the salt, you won't need much! The chicken stock and pancetta provide a lot of seasoning so I recommend lightly sprinkling the chicken skin with a little salt before frying and that's it. Taste it before serving to see if it needs any more.
• I love the fresh taste of oregano and thyme they're so fragrant and full of flavor but you can also use fresh rosemary or tarragon which will work well. A little sprinkling of dried oregano will work too just not too much.
• Leftovers: store the chicken and sauce separately as the sauce will thicken and a skin will form. The chicken can be stored in the fridge for around 2 days and eaten cold in a salad or whatever you like or reheated in a hot oven (350F/180C) until piping hot all the way through. The sauce can also be stored in the fridge for about 2 days a reheated, simply add it to a small saucepan with a splash of water to loosen it (around 1-2 tbsp) and heat on low until hot.
• You can also freeze the chicken in suitable containers.

What to Serve it With

I love nothing more than a big mountain of mashed potatoes to mop up all the delicious sauce, it just goes so well but you could also serve this creamy Tuscan chicken with polenta, roast potatoes, grilled veggies, roasted asparagus, broccoli or even just a fresh salad. The list is endless and the choice is yours!

Nutrition

Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 235mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 577mg | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 4.7mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
• When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
• All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
• All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
• Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
• Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
• You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.

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