Liven up your dinner routine with this Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe... the ultimate recipe for an exciting and delicious meal! This easy weeknight dinner has tender chicken breasts folded into a creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, garlic, and a blend of fresh herbs and spices. This dish is sure to become a family favorite!
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If you're tired of cooking the same old recipes for dinner every week... I'm here to help!
Look no further than this Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe. And if you try it and find yourself wanting more I strongly suggest you check out my Chicken Penne Pasta with Vodka Sauce, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, and this Chicken Florentine Skillet.
Just so you know, I'm going to give you step-by-step instructions, tips and tricks, and serving suggestions for the ultimate Marry Me Chicken experience.
Let's do this!
What is Marry Me Chicken?
Marry Me Chicken is a quick and easy chicken breast recipe with herbs, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and heavy cream.
It is documented, that some magazine food editors were testing this dish when one said they would literally marry it if they could… It was that GOOD!
From there, Marry Me Chicken went crazy and many variations were created.
My version is my favorite with adding in some tomato paste for a more flavorful sauce.
This one-pot chicken dish is the perfect recipe to show off at your next dinner party, family weeknight dinner, and definitely a romantic date night.
Be careful - it might even land you an engagement!
Marry Me Chicken Ingredients
This easy chicken recipe has a handful of ingredients and most likely you have many of them in your refrigerator and pantry.
If you don’t have chicken stock you can swap it out for white wine or vegetable stock. If you don't have sun-dried tomatoes on hand, you can use a can of drained petite diced tomatoes. However, my preference is sun-dried tomatoes because they are so flavorful.
Here’s everything you will need to make this easy chicken dinner...
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- Chicken broth/stock
- Heavy cream
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Grated Parmesan cheese
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To prepare this delicious Marry Me Chicken, start by heating up a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Next, add some olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts...
... and cook for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until the chicken is golden brown and reaches 165 when temped with a digital meat thermometer. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add the garlic and tomato paste to the same skillet and cook for about 30 seconds.
Stir in chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and sauté until fully combined.
Then, add in heavy cream and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
Return the chicken and any juices it gives off to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is heated to your liking.
Top chicken with basil, remaining Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Hint: Invest in a digital meat thermometer. You will never eat overcooked chicken again!
Substitutions and Variations
This recipe is low-carb, and gluten-free all on its own. If you're not concerned with those restrictions you can serve this yumminess over mashed potatoes, parmesan polenta, or your favorite pasta like spaghetti or penne pasta.
Also, here are a few swaps you can make to the recipe in case you don't have certain ingredients on hand or you have other preferences.
- Chicken Stock/Broth - You can swap out vegetable stock or white wine for chicken stock/broth.
- Sud-dried tomatoes - If you don't have sun-dried tomatoes on hand, you can use a can of drained petite diced tomatoes. (Although my preference is sun-dried tomatoes because they are so flavorful.)
- Garlic - You can swap out powdered garlic for fresh garlic. ¼ of a teaspoon of garlic powder can be swapped for each individual garlic clove.
Storage
- This Marry Me Chicken will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat it in a saucepan over low heat slowly until warmed through. Be careful not to reheat it too quickly or at a high temperature, or the sauce could separate.
- I don't recommend freezing leftovers from this chicken recipe.
Top Tips
To make the perfect Marry Me Chicken, it’s important to pay attention to a few key details...
- First and foremost, make sure to use high-quality ingredients. Fresh basil is a must as well as fresh dried spices and good quality chicken breast. And sun-dried tomatoes in oil will take this dish to the next level.
- When cooking the chicken, it’s important not to overcook it. As we all know overcooked chicken is dry and tough, which can ruin any dish.
- Aim for a cooking time of 8-9 minutes per side, or until the chicken is fully cooked and a digital meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the chicken breast.
- Lastly, don’t be afraid to experiment with the recipe. Maybe you want to add some extra spices or add some canned diced tomatoes – go for it!
It's all about finding what works for you and your taste buds.
With these tips in mind, you’re sure to create the perfect Marry Me Chicken Recipe. Now, onto serving suggestions – read on for some ideas on how to make this dish a complete meal.
Serving Suggestions
This Marry Me Chicken all by itself is completely amazing! When it comes to serving suggestions, there are quite a few options! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- If you want to keep this recipe low-carb, keto, and gluten-free I strongly suggest zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash noodles, or cauliflower rice! In my opinion, they are just as satisfying without all the carbs.
- If you're a purist pasta lover then there's all kinds of pasta that would be perfect for this recipe. My favorites are spaghetti, angel hair pasta, bucatini, and penne pasta.
Zoodle your zucchini or cook a side of pasta and place it on your plate, cut the chicken into slices, ladle the decadent cream sauce over your plate, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and fresh basil over the top, and enjoy!
Whether you're cooking for someone special or just looking for a delicious meal the whole family will enjoy, this Easy Marry Me Chicken is the ultimate recipe to try tonight!
FAQs
This Marry Me Chicken will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Other delicious chicken recipes:
- Chicken Penne Pasta with Vodka Sauce
- Easy Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Florentine Skillet (Low-Carb)
- Buffalo Chicken Baby Bell Peppers
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Shredded Mexican Chicken (Instant Pot + Slow Cooker)
The latest recipes from Taste And See:
Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe
Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe... an effortless and delicious meal! With chicken breasts folded into a creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and herbs and garlic.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 7 ounces julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped (more for garnish)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (more for garnish)
Instructions
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken breasts
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken and cook for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until the chicken is golden brown and reaches 165 when temped with a digital meat thermometer. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste to the same skillet and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and remaining salt until fully combined.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and coat with the sauce. Saute the chicken and sauce for a few minutes.
- Top the chicken with more fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes if desired and enjoy.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 chicken breast w/sauceAmount Per Serving Calories 610Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 176mgSodium 1115mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 4gSugar 3gProtein 44g
This nutrition card uses an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. This estimate is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice!
Ryan
Made this and the whole family loved it! The only change I made was adding diced portobello mushrooms to the sauté at the end. Will make again!
holly
Hi Ryan! That sounds like a dinner win to me! Mushrooms sound like a nice addition. Thanks for letting me know!