Tuscan Chicken

Just because The Cheesecake Factory has this Tuscan Chicken on their Skinnylicious menu, it is loaded with so many fresh, Mediterranean flavors you will not miss all of the extra calories. Learn how to make this popular restaurant entree at home.

As you can probably tell by now, I’m partial to certain restaurant chains; mainly due to their proximity. The Cheesecake Factory is one of them; though the closest chain is about 30 minutes from where I live in New Jersey so we don’t go there very often.

Oddly enough, the last few times we have eaten at that particular restaurant was when we were vacationing in Florida and I ordered Tuscan Chicken off of their Skinnylicious menu.

Tuscan Chicken is grilled chicken topped with tomatoes, artichokes, capers and basil; then placed on top of farro and served with a vegetable (usually asparagus).  I couldn’t wait to try to replicate this recipe myself.

The grilled chicken was extremely moist on it’s own, but add the marinated vegetables on top of it and this chicken was fantastic! For this recipe, you will need boneless chicken breasts, grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, capers, and fresh basil.

The Cheesecake Factory serves their Tuscan Chicken over farro, but I improvised and used brown rice instead because I had that in my pantry.

Grilled chicken can sometimes be a little dry so I started off by marinating the chicken for 2 hours in a brine of water, sugar and Kosher salt. This really helps to keep moisture in the meat and once grilled, the chicken maintained it’s juicy flavor.

While the chicken was marinating, I combined Italian marinated artichokes (with the juice), grape tomatoes, capers and basil.

I wanted the tomatoes to take on the tart flavor of the artichokes. You can brine the chicken and the vegetables up to 24 hours so you can do this step the night before you’re ready to serve.

How do you make Tuscan chicken?

1. In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar and salt and mix until it dissolves. Add your chicken to a resealable plastic bag; then add the liquid. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Combine the tomatoes, full jar of artichoke hearts and liquid, vinegar, capers and basil in a small bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 2 hours (just like the chicken).
3. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and heat your grill or grill pan. Place the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes blister and start to burst.
4. Prepare a vegetable; then the farro or rice according to package directions.
5. Next, grill your chicken until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees F. This can take approximately 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breast.
6. Place your farro (or rice) on a dinner plate, then the chicken; then top with a spoonful of the roasted vegetables.

This Tuscan Chicken was delicious and tasted exactly like the restaurant version. Trust me when I tell you that even though they call it “Skinnylicious”, it has so many Mediterranean flavors with the combination of lemony capers, tart marinated artichoke hearts and sweet grape tomatoes, you would never know this recipe is a healthier option than most. ~Enjoy!

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3.59 from 24 votes

Tuscan Chicken {The Cheesecake Factory Copycat}

Just because The Cheesecake Factory has this Tuscan Chicken on their Skinnylicious menu, it is loaded with so many fresh, Mediterranean flavors you will not miss all of the extra calories. Learn how to make this popular restaurant entree at home.

Course Main Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword chicken, copycat recipe

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 183kcal

Author Carrie's Experimental Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 c . Water
• 1/4 c . Sugar
• 1/4 c . Kosher Salt
• 2 c . Grape Tomatoes
• 1-12 ounce Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts, quartered
• 1/4 c . Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tbsp . Capers
• 1 tbsp . Fresh Basil, chopped
• Farro or Brown Rice
• Vegetable

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar and salt and mix until it dissolves. Add your chicken to a resealable plastic bag; then add the liquid. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Combine the tomatoes, full jar of artichoke hearts and liquid, vinegar, capers and basil in a small bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 2 hours (just like the chicken).
• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and heat your grill or grill pan.
• Place the vegetables and all liquid on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes blister and start to burst.
• Prepare a vegetable; then the farro or rice according to package directions.
• Next, grill your chicken until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees F. This can take approximately 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breast.
• Place your farro (or rice) on a dinner plate, then the chicken; then top with a spoonful of the roasted vegetables.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 496mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 12.4mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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