Creamy Baked Boursin Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes
Why You’ll Love This Baked Boursin Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes
This creamy baked Boursin chicken with spinach and tomatoes is an easy one-pan dinner that the whole family will love! Juicy chicken breasts are baked in a rich garlic herb cream sauce with roasted tomatoes, spinach, shallots, and garlic for a comforting high-protein meal that feels both hearty and healthy.
Not only is this Boursin chicken recipe gluten-free, grain-free, low carb, and high in protein, but it is also incredibly simple to make. You only need 6 common ingredients and one oven-safe skillet, making cleanup minimal and weeknight dinners much easier.
After baking, this creamy chicken dish looks beautiful enough to bring straight to the table for serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with rice, pasta, or a crisp green salad for a delicious meal that is perfect for both busy weeknights and entertaining guests.
And If you’re looking for more another one-pot chicken dishes to wow your guests with, take a look at my recipe for Chicken Parmigiana with Burrata and Honey which is also a fan favourite! Or, maybe Caprese Peach and Pesto Chicken for a summer-inspired twist.
Recipe Notes and Tips for the Best Creamy Boursin Chicken
A few things to keep in mind:
- Chicken – Ideally, you want to use boneless, skin-on chicken breasts for this recipe. I love having the skin on because it gets really crispy when it is initially seared in the pan. It adds good flavour and it looks nice too. You can, of course, use regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts as well if that is all that you have.
- Tomatoes – You will need mini tomatoes for this recipe. Either grape or cherry tomatoes work well.
- Shallots – I love shallots and they are commonly used in Italian-style dishes like this one. They have a more mild and sweeter flavour than typical onions. You can also use very thinly sliced white or yellow onions in a pinch.
- Boursin cheese – Most of us know what Boursin cheese is. It makes an appearance more so during the holidays or in the summer months when we are entertaining. It’s a soft, delicate and spreadable cheese that is typically put on top of crackers or on cheese boards. We are using the “garlic and fine herbs” variety for this recipe. You can find it in the specialty cheese section at the grocery store.
How to make Easy Baked Chicken with Boursin Cheese
Step 1: Sear the chicken.
Preheat the oven t 400F. Season both sides of the skin-on chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Prepare an oven-safe skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil and sear the chicken breasts skin-side down first. Sear until they are golden brown and then flip over to sear the other side until golden brown. Remove them to a plate.
Step 2: Add the vegetables to the skillet.
With the chicken breasts removed, add the spinach to the bottom of the same skillet, followed by the tomatoes, sliced shallots and smashed garlic cloves. Add the chicken back on top and then drizzle everything with olive oil. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 23-25 minutes or until chicken reaches and internal temperature of 165F.
Step 3: Add the Boursin cheese.
After the timer goes off and the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken breasts to a wooden cutting board to rest. Add the entire ball of Boursin cheese on top of the roasted vegetables and return the skillet to the oven to cook for another 12 minutes.
Step 4: Create the creamy tomato sauce.
After 12 minutes, remove the skillet from the oven and start to burst the tomatoes open with the back of a wooden spoon. Be very careful at this step since the tomatoes can really spit at you. Wear an apron and be careful. Once all of the tomatoes have been bursted open, stir the Boursin cheese into the vegetable mixture creating a beautifully delicious tomato cream sauce. Season with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and stir to combine.
Step 5: Slice the chicken and serve!
Thinly slice the chicken and place the breasts skin-side up, back into the skillet. Garnish with fresh parsley and a little cracked black pepper. Serve chicken and garlic herb tomato sauce warm with pasta, rice or a side salad. Enjoy!
FAQ:
Yes! While skin-on yields a crispier sear and added flavour, boneless, skinless chicken breasts work just fine too. You can sear it the same way.
No problem! Simply sear the chicken on the stove top and then layer the spinach, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and chicken in a baking dish. Drizzle everything with olive oil and bake as directed.
Yes, you can use boneless, chicken thighs in place of boneless, skinless breasts if that’s what you have. Simply sear and bake them the same as directed.
I would only use frozen spinach if it is pre-thawed and squeezed. Otherwise, there will be too much water released while cooking in the oven and the shallots, garlic and tomatoes won’t caramelize.
Yes! Boursin actually has a vegan herbs and garlic “cheese” that can be used interchangeably with regular Boursin herbs and garlic cheese. Though, the overall flavour and texture will not be exactly the same.
I love to pair it with gluten-free pasta and a caesar salad for a more hearty meal. Or, keep it keto/low-carb and serve it just with a salad!
Any leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or gently on the stovetop.
Baked Boursin Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes
Equipment
- 1 Oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts
- avocado oil for cooking
- 4 cups fresh organic baby spinach leaves packed
- 3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
- 3 medium-sized shallots sliced
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 150 grams "Herbs and Garlic" Boursin cheese
- 2 teaspoons sea salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- fresh parsley chopped, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and season them with salt and pepper on each side. Heat a large cast iron pan or oven-safe skillet over high heat and drizzle with avocado oil. Once hot, add the chicken breasts skin-side down and sear 1-2 minutes or until golden. Repeat on the other side. Remove chicken breasts to a plate. They are just getting seared, not cooked at this stage.
- To the same skillet, add the spinach on the bottom followed by the cherry tomatoes, shallots and garlic cloves.
- Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Nestle the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Remove the chicken breasts to a wooden cutting board to rest.
- Add the Boursin cheese to the centre of the baking dish and return to the oven for another 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and burst the rest of the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Be very careful here as the tomatoes can really spit at you. Wear an apron and be careful! Mix in the Boursin cheese until a creamy, thickened sauce forms. Season with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
- Slice the chicken breasts and return them to the pan with the sauce, skin-side up. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with pasta, rice or a side salad!
