This easy Marry Me Chicken recipe made in one pan with with juicy chicken breasts and a delicious sundried tomato cream sauce, then topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves for a flavorful bite! Ready in just 30 minutes, it's perfect for busy weeknights, but perfect for any special occasion too.
Table of Contents
- This is the Best Marry Me Chicken Recipe
- What is Marry Me Chicken?
- Why you'll love this Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
- Ingredients for Marry Me Chicken
- How to Make Marry Me Chicken
- Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Best Marry Me Chicken Recipe tips for success
- What to serve with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
- How to store this recipe for Marry Me Chicken
- Marry Me Chicken Recipe FAQs
- More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Best Marry Me Chicken Recipe Recipe
This is the Best Marry Me Chicken Recipe
They say that Marry Me Chicken is SO delicious, that serving it on that special date night will cause your beloved to give you a marriage proposal right there and then! I know that when I first made this for Paul he declared it one of the best dinners I have ever made and immediately added it to his Top 5 favorite recipes from my blog.
What is Marry Me Chicken?
"Marry Me Chicken" is a popular dish made with juicy chicken breasts smothered in a rich and flavorful sauce made with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. While the origin of the name is unclear, it's believed to stem from the idea that the dish is so delicious, it might inspire a marriage proposal. It's usually served over pasta or with crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
Why you'll love this Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this creamy chicken dish, but it's so flavorful from the first bite. I love that this recipe makes enough to feed the whole family in only 30 minutes from start to finish, making it the perfect dish for busy weeknights.
But it's also tasty enough and looks good enough to serve on date night or at a dinner party. This is definitely a family favorite of ours, along with my Creamy Garlic Chicken, this Lemon Chicken Piccata, and my Easy Chicken Stroganoff.
Ingredients for Marry Me Chicken
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for a complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions.
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Seasoning: A mixture of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning is all you need for this flavorful dish!
- Oil: Use olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil to brown the chicken and sauté the garlic for the sauce.
- Flour: All-purpose flour will work fine here for dredging the chicken to make it crispier.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic cloves for the best flavor. You can use garlic powder in a pinch.
- Broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth for a richly flavored sauce. You can use chicken stock, or even vegetable stock if you prefer.
- Cream: Heavy cream works best to give you a thick and creamy sauce, but you can get away with a lower-fat cream, half-and-half, or even milk if you need to. The sauce just won't be as thick or rich.
- Cheese: Use a block of Parmesan cheese that you grate yourself for the best cheesy flavor.
- Tomatoes: Sundried tomatoes will give this dish a rich, sweet, tomato flavor that is irresistible! We use the kind that come in a jar with oil.
- Basil leaves: Garnish with sliced, fresh basil leaves for serving for an added fresh and earthy flavor.
If your chicken breasts are large, you will want to slice them horizontally into two thinner pieces for each serving. This will help them cook more evenly, be more tender, and have a better sauce to chicken ratio.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken
- Dredge chicken. Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally using a sharp knife, if necessary. Season chicken with salt. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess and discarding unused flour.
- Brown chicken. Heat oil in a pan. Place chicken breasts in the hot pan and sear for 4-5 minutes per side until browned. Don't overcrowd the pan and work in batches, adding more oil, if needed. (we aren't worrying about cooking the chicken all the way through yet). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté garlic. Sauté the garlic in the pan for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add broth. Then, add the chicken broth to the pan, and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
- Make sauce. Add the heavy cream, ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to the pan, and stir.
- Add chicken. Return the chicken to the pan on medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. Then, reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook and serve. Cook until chicken reaches 165°F when tested with a digital meat thermometer (affiliate link), about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle with basil, remaining Parmesan cheese, and additional red pepper flakes (if desired). Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes.
Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Meat. Change up the meat for a different kind of dish. This creamy sauce would work well with other cuts of chicken, pork, fish, or even shrimp.
- Cheese. Parmesan cheese has a strong and salty cheesy flavor, but you can use a different kind of cheese or additional cheese for this recipe for a different flavor. Try some mozzarella cheese on top, or some Pecorino Romano in the sauce.
- Spice it up. Add some more spice with some hot sauce to the sauce, or by adding red pepper flakes on top as a garnish when serving.
Best Marry Me Chicken Recipe tips for success
- You can get small chicken breasts in most grocery stores, but you can use a large chicken breast sliced in half if you need to. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese if you can. Store-bought pre-shredded cheese is often coated in a floury substance, it loses it's flavor quickly, and it won't melt into the sauce very well.
What to serve with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Marry Me Chicken is packed with classic Italian flavors and we love to serve the saucy chicken over a short, cooked pasta or creamy mashed potatoes.
It's a comforting dish that pairs well with any vegetable, side dish, or bread. Here are some of our other favorite dishes to round out this meal of creamy Tuscan chicken.
How to store this recipe for Marry Me Chicken
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven covered in foil until piping hot.
Marry Me Chicken will freeze and defrost fine if you have used full-fat heavy cream for the sauce, but lower-far dairy tends to not freeze very well. Freeze for up to 1 month, and defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in the oven or microwave until warmed all the way through.
Marry Me Chicken Recipe FAQs
The best way to check if meat is thoroughly cooked is with a digital meat thermometer (affiliate link). If you do not have access to a meat thermometer, you can check if the chicken is done by slicing through the thickest part of the chicken breast. If the meat is no longer pink, and the juices coming from it are clear, then this is a good indication that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
I can't vouch for any kind of authenticity to this dish, but the flavors of sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and a creamy sauce are all typically found in Italian cooking, particularly in the Tuscany region.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Spicy Honey Chicken
- Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Madeira
- One Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
Chicken & Poultry
Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala
Chicken & Poultry
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Chicken & Poultry
Lemon Chicken Piccata
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Best Marry Me Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 large chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally)
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated and divided
- 1 (7-ounce) jar sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
- Cooked pasta or mashed potatoes, for serving
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess and discarding unused flour.
- Heat oil in a pan. Sear for 4-5 minutes per side until browned. Don't overcrowd the pan and work in batches, adding more oil, if needed. (we aren't worrying about cooking the chicken all the way through yet). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add cream, ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir then return the chicken to the pan.
- Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until chicken reaches 165°F when tested with a digital meat thermometer (affiliate link), about 5-8 minutes.
- Sprinkle with basil, remaining Parmesan cheese, and additional red pepper flakes (if desired). Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Chicken: Use small, boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or 2-3 large chicken breasts cut in half horizontally (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds)
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven covered in foil until piping hot.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cooked chicken and sauce for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Nutrition Calculation: I am not a dietician or nutritionist and the nutritional information was calculated using an online nutrition calculator for the chicken and sauce only and does not include nutrition information for the pasta. For the most accurate results, use your own calculations.
This looks delicious. I love the name of this recipe. My wife, when we were dating, I had her at my cacciatore chicken 🙂