Marry Me Chicken is the best easy romantic dinner idea. Serve chicken breast smothered in a creamy sun dried tomato sauce with your favorite vegetable side dish for the perfect quick dinner. This recipe is so delicious that it’s known for eliciting marriage proposals!
What Is Marry Me Chicken?
Marry Me Chicken is a skillet chicken recipe that’s seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, thyme, red chili pepper flakes. It’s cooked in a flavorful cream-based sauce, and topped with parmesan and fresh basil.
You know how they say that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach? Well, Marry Me Chicken got its name because it’s so good that it’s been known to get significant others to get down on one knee and propose.
Even if you’re not looking for a proposal, having an easy and incredibly delicious special meal in your back pocket is super helpful when Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or a special date night pops up.
What Type Of Chicken To Use
I use air-chilled boneless skinless chicken breasts from Costco. If you can, I’d really recommend using air-chilled chicken. It has better flavor, better texture, and it doesn’t release nearly as much liquid during cooking, so the sauce is thicker and more decadent.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs will also work, but I prefer the flavor of chicken breasts in this recipe because it really lets the creamy sun-dried tomato and thyme flavors shine.
How To Make It
- Start by pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness (this is so important to ensure even cooking times and meat that’s fully seasoned).
- You’ll sear the chicken on each side until it’s golden brown, then saute the aromatics.
- Add in some chicken broth, and the ingredients for the creamy sauce, and pop it all in the oven until the chicken is cooked through.
- Finally, you’ll remove the chicken and thicken the sauce before serving it all topped with fresh basil.
What To Serve With It
You could keep it a little lighter by serving it with Tomato Cucumber Salad or my favorite Broccoli Cranberry Salad. If you’re looking for a heartier pairing, I’d recommend this easy Irish Soda Bread or some of my Grandma’s Southern Green Beans.
Though I prefer serving this with vegetable sides, this would also be amazing served with angel hair pasta. You could use the leftover creamy sauce in the pan as the pasta sauce! This would be especially good topped with some fresh basil. If you’re not in a pasta mood, you could try some good old fashioned mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower for a keto option).
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
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Marry Me Chicken Recipe
Marry Me Chicken is the best easy romantic dinner idea. Serve chicken breast smothered in a creamy sun dried tomato sauce with your favorite vegetable side dish for the perfect quick dinner. This recipe is so delicious that it’s known for eliciting marriage proposals!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3 large chicken breasts)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 medium garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons water (divided)
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (if you eat gluten free, swap this with a certified gluten free chicken bouillon)
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan (divided)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (chopped - I use the kind packed in oil)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- Fresh basil (torn, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Pound to an even thickness. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. The best way to season them is by sprinkling the seasonings from 12” above the chicken.
- Heat a large oven safe skillet or casserole over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat.
- Saute the chicken for 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set to the side.
- Add the garlic, thyme, and red chili pepper flakes. Saute until the garlic is aromatic (about 1 minute).
- Add 3/4 cup water and use the back of a wooden spatula to deglaze the pot. Add the chicken bouillon and stir to mix the bouillon into the mixture.
- Add 1/2 cup grated parmesan, the heavy whipping cream, and the sun dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust salt to your preference.
- Place the chicken breasts back into the skillet and spoon the sauce over the top of them.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the chicken from the oven, spoon sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle the chicken breasts with the remaining 2 Tablespoons parmesan. Bake for an additional 2 minutes (or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 F on a meat thermometer).
- Remove the skillet from the oven. Carefully remove the chicken from the skillet and set to the side (it’s a little too slippery to do this with tongs without accidentally removing the parmesan topping, so I recommend using a spatula).
- Mix together 2 Tablespoons of water and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. Add to the sauce and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Simmer for about a minute, or until the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh basil to serve.
Notes
If you use dried thyme, use only 1 teaspoon.
I prefer the tomatoes when I pulse them in a food processor. You can also cut them up really small with a knife. The ones in the photo are the largest chunks I would use for this recipe. I’ve made it many times since photographing it, and have tended to prefer smaller tomato pieces more recently.
You can use half-and-half instead of heavy whipping cream if that's all you have on hand, but the sauce won't be as creamy.
If you love bacon, try serving it with some crispy bacon pieces on top!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 15.3gCarbohydrates: 5.2gNet Carbohydrates: 4.6gFiber: 0.6gSugar: 2gProtein: 30.1g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
The next time you’re looking for an easy 30-minute dinner, try this delicious Marry Me Chicken recipe!
