How to Make Marry Me Chicken

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Marry Me Chicken! Pan-seared chicken breasts in a creamy parmesan sun-dried tomato garlic sauce with fresh basil and Italian seasoning. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta. So delicious it’ll make your significant other want to get down on one knee!

This one is marriage material!

If only Marry Me Chicken was around a decade ago, it would’ve made life so much easier! Chicken breasts are seared to golden brown perfection in butter and then topped with a sweet shallot, sun-dried tomato, parmesan, and basil cream sauce. It’s so delicious the first bite could make a grown man or woman cry. It’s naturally low carb and gluten-free. So even if your person is watching their calories or carbs, this one should fit the bill, especially if you serve it with cauliflower rice.

Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of Marry Me Chicken recipes on the market. But mine was developed from my lemon garlic chicken recipe that’s been reviewed over 500 times with an almost perfect 5-star review.

Needless to say, if that’s engagement chicken, this one will get ’em to the alter.

What ingredients are needed for marry me chicken recipe?

Chicken: You can use tender chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or even tenders for this recipe. If the chicken breasts are particularly thick, you might want to make chicken cutlets by slicing them horizontally on a cutting board. This ensures that all of the chicken will cook evenly.
Olive oil and Butter: The oil and butter and used to sear the chicken in the pot and then to cook off the aromatics and create the cream sauce.
Shallots: Add another layer of flavor to the dish. They’re milder than onions, so I prefer to use them instead.
Garlic: Fresh garlic works better than garlic powder in this recipe. We’ll saute the minced garlic a bit before simmering it in the sauce. For best results, I suggest mincing the garlic yourself and skipping the stuff that comes packed in a jar!
Seasonings: I add red pepper flakes for a teeny tiny kick and some Italian seasonings to really amp up the herby flavor in the recipe. Most Italian seasonings contain ingredients like dried oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. You can also add a pinch of each of those if you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I prefer to use sun-dried tomatoes that don’t come packed in oil for this recipe. They have a milder flavor, so it doesn’t end up tasting like a Tuscan Chicken recipe. The kind packed in oil has a much stronger flavor and will make it a tomato cream sauce. I use the tomatoes in a bag, they don’t dominate the sauce the same way!
Chicken Broth: adds flavor and allows the onions and garlic to simmer and create more flavor for the sauce.
Heavy Cream: Adds creaminess to the sauce and thickens it. We’re using only a 1/2 cup of cream.
Grated Parmesan: Parmesan cheese helps thicken the sauce a little bit as the cream sauce simmers, and it also adds umami to the dish.
Fresh Chopped Basil: used as a garnish at the end to give the chicken some much-needed color and brightness!

Instructions on how to make delicious marry me chicken

Prep first. Start by using a mallet to pound down the chicken breasts. You can also slice the chicken breasts to create cutlets so that the chicken cooks more evenly. Season both sides of the chicken with a heaping teaspoon salt.
Cook the chicken. In a large skillet that’s nonstick or a cast iron skillet, heat a glug of oil and a pad of butter over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the coated chicken breasts and cook them for a few minutes on each side or until the chicken cooks all the way through. Remove to a shallow dish and cover the chicken lights to keep it warm.
Make marry me sauce. Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook them for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Then add the garlic, stir, and continue to cook it until it’s fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and chicken broth, and bring it to a simmer. You want to let the broth reduce so that the onions and garlic softened and so the broth concentrates and packs a flavorful punch! I’m telling you, leftovers from the fridge actually taste even better because the sauce has a chance to marry all the flavors together!
Finish it up and serve it. Pour the heavy cream, parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes in. Stir and watch the sauce thicken because of the parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Although you shouldn’t need too much more if you used regular chicken broth. Add the chicken breasts back to the sauce and let them hang out on a low simmer for a few minutes to soak up all that golden goodness. Top with basil and serve this however you like!

FAQs about this recipe

Does making “Marry Me Chicken” for your boyfriend really work in getting a proposal?

Honestly, probably not! But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun dish to make for your significant other around Valentine’s Day or on a dating anniversary!

Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream?

Unfortunately, half and half (or 50:50 of milk and heavy cream) won’t thicken the sauce the way heavy cream will. You’ll need to add a cornstarch slurry or an all purpose flour-based roux to thicken it. But all in all, it just won’t taste the same. This chicken dish is worth a little splurge!

How do you store leftovers?

Add them to an airtight container and then pop them in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply add the chicken to the microwave or heat through on the stove in a small skillet.

What sides go with marry me chicken?

Cheddar or roasted garlic asiago mashed potatoes are definitely a good idea. Garlic broccolini and your favorite pasta or fluffy cooked rice work too. Roasted brussels sprouts, honey glazed carrots, zucchini and corn saute, kale caesar salad, garlic bread, no knead bread, and arugula pasta salad are all pairings with this recipe. Other steamed or roasted vegetables would pair well too!

And hey, if you end up getting engaged or married after making this, make sure you tag me on Instagram or Facebook and let me know! I’m rooting for ya!

Other chicken recipes to try:

Yield: serves 4-5

Marry Me Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Marry Me Chicken! Pan-seared chicken breasts in a creamy parmesan sun-dried tomato garlic sauce with fresh basil and Italian seasoning. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta. So delicious it'll make your significant other want to get down on one knee!

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
2 tablespoons EACH: olive oil AND butter
½ cup shallots, finely chopped (or yellow onions)
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon EACH: red pepper flakes (or less) AND Italian seasoning
⅓ cup sun dried tomato, roughly chopped
¾ cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons basil, for topping

Instructions

PREP: Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breastsso that they all cook in the same amount of time, alternately, you can slice the chicken breasts horizontally if the filets are very thick. This is optional, but the chicken is much easier to prepare this way. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
COOK: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and cook them for roughly 3-5 minutes per side or until they’re cooked through to a minimum of 160ºF. Remove the chicken to a plate; cover loosely with foil, so the chicken finishes cooking through.
SAUCE: Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and butter to the same skillet lowering the heat to medium. Saute the shallots for 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1 minute. When the onions are translucent, add the red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and chicken broth. Let the broth simmer for 5-7 minutes or until it reduces down to about ½ cup. The wider the cooking vessel, the quicker this will happen.
FINISH: Then add the heavy cream, parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, without letting the cream boil. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Add the chicken breasts back to the skillet and let them simmer in the sauce for 1-2 minutes. Top with basil and serve warm with sautéed broccoli, over mashed potatoes, with rice, or pasta.

Notes

sun-dried tomatoes: I use the sun-dried tomatoes that come in a bag for this recipe instead of those packed in oil. They have a milder flavor, so it doesn’t end up tasting like a Tuscan chicken recipe, but either will work!

Heavily adapted from my infamous creamy lemon garlic chicken recipe.

How to Make Marry Me Chicken

What ingredients are needed for marry me chicken recipe?