Creamy Tuscan chicken, a dish made with chicken breasts, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and a dairy-rich sauce, is appearing more often on New York restaurant menus this week. Chefs at several Midtown bistros are pairing it with house-made focaccia or baguette. At lunch on Monday, diners at Osteria Nuova on East 45th Street ordered the chicken dish with slices of sourdough, using the bread to sop up the sauce.
The recent uptick comes as cooler evenings and earlier sunsets send many New Yorkers back indoors. Restaurant managers report a steady interest in comfort dishes as September begins. "People want something warming when they come in after work," said Carlo Marinelli, chef at Tavola Rustica near Bryant Park.
Grocers in Hell’s Kitchen noted a small rise in sales of sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream over Labor Day weekend, with several customers mentioning plans to cook the dish at home. The pattern matches a trend on recipe sites, where searches for 'Tuscan chicken' have led the week.
Bakers in the city are also seeing increased demand for crusty loaves. At Sullivan Street Bakery, staff said more customers are requesting bread to accompany homemade dinners. The bakery’s manager, Sarah Lee, said, "We get a lot of orders for ciabatta and Italian rounds right now."
Several restaurants plan to keep the Tuscan chicken on their early-fall menus, at least through the end of the month. Marinelli said his team is watching to see if the interest holds as the weather turns cooler.