Tuscan Pancetta Chicken Breast in Garlic Cream Sauce

This delicious Tuscan Pancetta Chicken recipe combines tender, well browned chicken breast, delicious porky pancetta, and an herb garlic cream sauce, for a restaurant quality meal you can make any night of the week!

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Restaurant Quality Tuscan Pancetta Chicken Breast in Garlic Cream Sauce- at home!

This Tuscan Pancetta Chicken Breast in Garlic Cream Sauce is a quick and easy one pan meal that eats like a 5 star Italian restaurant dish, from the comfort of your own kitchen! This dish is loaded with crispy pancetta and perfectly seasoned and tender delicious chicken breast, enveloped in a velvety thyme and garlic infused cream sauce.

Serve this delicious recipe over your favorite pasta, or with some creamy mashed potatoes and veggies for a decadent dinner for any night of the week! This quick dinner is the perfect dish for a date night, too! This tasty chicken recipe is my favorite one pot meal for dinner parties, too! 

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast, split and pounded to ¼” thickness. 
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. This is crucial for well seasoned chicken, and will also add flavor to the sauce, since this is a one pan recipe.  
• Extra virgin olive oil, for cooking the pancetta extra crispy.
• 4 oz diced pancetta. Pancetta is an Italian specialty meat, sold in most grocery stores. It typically comes pre-cubed. It's a cut of pork belly that is salt-cured rather than smoked, so it has different flavor profile than traditional bacon.
• 1 shallot, diced.
• 4 whole garlic cloves, minced. 
• Dry white wine or dry vermouth. I love to keep a bottle of dry vermouth in the house for recipes that call for white wine- it has a tart, herbaceous quality that's perfect in sauces, soups and stews. If using dry white wine, aim for something that isn't too sweet, like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
• Chicken stock or chicken broth- store bought or homemade both work!
• Heavy cream.  
• Fresh thyme. You can also use dry thyme (see recipe card below for ratios).
• Butter, cut into small cubes- this helps round out the sauce at the very end, and makes it velvety and creamy.

How to make Tuscan Pancetta Chicken Breast in Garlic Cream Sauce

1. Trim excess fat from chicken breast, and slice chicken in half lengthwise (the best method is the place your palm above the breast, and gently glide a sharp knife through the center of the breast parallel to your hand with gentle sawing motions until you have 2 even pieces per breast). 
2. Pound each of the 4 chicken cutlets to ¼” thickness between plastic wrap or in a resealable bag, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Be gentle to avoid tearing the chicken cutlets. 
3. Season both sides of each chicken cutlet with salt and pepper.
4. Heat olive oil in a large deep nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then add pancetta. 
5. Cook pancetta, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and pancetta is crisp, 5-7 minutes. 
6. Using a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a  paper towel lined plate, and leave rendered fat in the pan. 
7. Add the seasoned chicken to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes a side, until golden brown, and transfer to a plate. Work in 2 batches to ensure even browning and avoid overcrowding the pan (Chicken will not yet be cooked through). 
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the diced shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes, until slightly translucent. 
9. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds. 
10. Deglaze the pan with the wine or vermouth, scraping up any brown bits (Those brown bits = FLAVOR!)
11. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until most of the wine is evaporated. 

Finishing the sauce

1. Add the chicken stock, cream, thyme and pancetta and stir well. 
2. Add the chicken and accumulated juices to the pan. 
3. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, until sauce is slightly thickened. 
4. Turn off heat and stir in butter. 

Substitutions and Additions

This pancetta chicken recipe can be easily adjusted to work with your preferences, or what you have on hand. Here are some ideas to make the dish your own, or work with what you have in your fridge and pantry.

• Use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of the boneless skinless chicken breasts.
• Use a small white or yellow onion instead of the shallot.
• Substitute ½ teaspoon dry thyme for the fresh thyme.
• Not a fan of cooking with wine? Omit it.
• Substitute thick cut bacon for the pancetta.
• Add 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic in place of the fresh minced garlic cloves. You could also use ½ teaspoon garlic powder, just be sure to add it when you add the sauce ingredients.
• Stir in some roasted cherry tomatoes or cooked button mushrooms for extra veggies!
• Add a bit of fresh lemon zest and squeeze of fresh lemon juice for some brightness. 
• Top the dish with fresh mozzarella and broil for a super cheesy version! Be sure to use a broiler safe pan, or transfer the chicken to a sheet pan an then return to the sauce. 

Serving the Tuscan Pancetta Chicken

I love to serve this chicken dish after allowing it to rest for 5-10 minutes. It's best the day it's made, so I would not recommend making it ahead of time, however, the leftovers are still delicious if you have any!

What goes well with Tuscan Pancetta Chicken?

This pancetta chicken recipe goes great with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, and your favorite veggies or a side salad with a great vinaigrette. A hunk of crusty bread or garlic bread never hurt anyone, either.

Storing leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Hungry for more chicken recipes?

If you love this pancetta chicken recipe, you'll love these chicken recipes, too!

• One Skillet Spanish Chicken Thighs and Rice
• French Onion Chicken Meatballs
• Creamy Parmesan Garlic Mushroom Chicken
• 30 Minute Prosciutto Mozzarella Chicken with Tomato Artichoke Pan Sauce

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