Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe
This Marry Me Chicken Recipe is always a crowd-pleaser! Perfectly seasoned, juicy chicken breasts are cooked in a delicious sundried tomato cream sauce with lots of fresh basil. It’s an easy recipe that is great for busy weeknights but amazing enough for guests and special occasions. Make this for your partner and a marriage proposal just might follow! It’s THAT good!
An easy one-pan chicken dish is ALWAYS good to have on hand! Easy to make and easy to clean up! #winning! This Chicken with White Wine Sauce and this Honey Butter Garlic Chicken, and this One Pan Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi are three of my top go-to’s!
This Marry Me Chicken, though, might be one of my all-time faves! Chicken breasts are cooked in an addicting sun-dried tomato cream sauce with lots of garlic and fresh basil!
Legend has it, that this dish is a key to man’s heart….and one bite will have him on one knee proposing to you!
While I can’t vouch for that, I can say that my husband LOVES LOVES this recipe and it’s on our regular dinner rotation!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts cook up easily when they are pounded out to an even thickness. You can also use chicken breast tenders!
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil yield the most flavor. I drain off most of the oil.
HOW TO MAKE EASY MARRY ME CHICKEN: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pound out chicken breasts to 1/2″ thickness. Then, cut each breast in half so you are left with smaller pieces. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Step 2: Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and internal temp reaches 165˚F.
Step 3: Make the sauce by adding garlic, chicken stock, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. Then season with Italian seasoning, onion powder, and salt, if needed.
Step 4: Add sun-dried tomatoes and basil to the sauce. Then add the chicken back into the pan. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve right away!
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- Make sure you use heavy cream for this recipe, otherwise it won’t properly thicken.
- While the chicken breasts are resting, yummy juices will accumulate on the plate. Make sure you add all those delicious juice to your sauce!
- If the sauce thickens too quickly, turn down the heat a bit. You can also add a splash of chicken stock to thin it out.
- Using chicken bone broth yields a deep, rich flavor. You can usually find this near the chicken stock at most larger grocery stores.
Confidence Tip
After adding the spices to your delicious sauce, don’t be afraid to taste it!! Then season it with more spices if you think it needs it!
STORAGE & REHEATING
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days (my favorite glass storage containers).
- Reheating: After refrigerating, the sauce will thicken. When reheating this dish (in a pan on in the microwave), just add a splash of chicken stock or heavy cream (or both!) to thin the sauce out a bit.
- Freezing: Because of the dairy in the recipe, I prefer not to freeze it. For best results, just store leftovers in the fridge.
Simple Substitutions
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast tenders can also be used in place of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Vegetable stock can be used in place of chicken stock.
Fresh tomatoes or cherry tomatoes can be used in place of sun-dried tomatoes. The flavor is a little different, but it’s a nice, fresh taste!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Legend has it that this creamy, Marry Me Chicken recipe is sooo AMAZING and it’s literally the key to a man’s heart! One bite of this delicious dish and a marriage proposal is almost inevitable!!
Fact or folklore?! There’s only one way to find out! 🙂
My two favorite ways to serve this chicken are over rice or pasta. Don’t forget the bread to help soak up every ounce of the delicious sauce!
This recipe is also friendly to those on the keto diet, so you can also serve it over cauliflower rice or just with a side of veggies like green beans, asparagus, or a simple salad.
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TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Check out all of my kitchen essentials in my Amazon store!
Cast-Iron Skillet: Not necessary, but this pan is a workhorse in my kitchen.
Garlic Chopper: I couldn’t live without this gadget!
Meat Tenderizer: To get your chicken breasts thin and even.
I hope you love this Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped the best garlic chopper!
- 2/3 cup chicken stock or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated freshly grated works best
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- red pepper flakes, lemon juice for serving optional
Instructions
- Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pound out chicken breasts to 1/2" thickness. Then, cut each breast in half so you are left with smaller pieces (if you are using chicken breast tenders, skip this step). See Note 1
- Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.
- In a large skillet (or large cast iron pan) over medium-high, heat olive oil. When oil is hot, add chicken. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature should be 165˚F). Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
- In the same skillet of medium heat, add garlic (add a bit more olive oil if needed). Stir for about 10-20 seconds until garlic is fragrant. Add chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Whisk sauce so it's nice a smooth. Reduce heat, and cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbly and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Season sauce with onion powder and remaining 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning. Taste and add salt only if needed.
- Stir in sun dried tomatoes and basil. Then add chicken (and all the juices from the plate!) back to the pan. Spoon sauce over chicken. Add some crushed red pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon juice if you like, and serve right away!
This recipe was ah-mazing! I added mushrooms with the garlic and WHOA tasty! thanks so much for sharing! much love from Ohio
So glad you loved it Amber! XO ~ Casey
I love this recipe. It worked!
It was the first thing I cooked for my now fiance. we are planning on serving a version of it at our wedding in September.
That’s so awesome!!!!!! XO ~ Casey
Haha I love the name of this recipe! But I can easily see why it’s called “marry me chicken” – ours turned out perfectly and the sundried tomato basil sauce was to die for!
Really good. Loved the classic Tuscan flavors. Served the chicken with potatoes and asparagus, and it was a big hit!
Now I know what to do to jazz up my chicken breasts! Your marry me chicken breasts is definitely a hit with me! Thanks for sharing!
This was sooo good! Even my kids loved this!
Wow that sauce is just amazing. Love those flavour combinations
Thank you so much! The flavors are perfect and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I can see why this is called “Marry Me” chicken, that’s for sure! So so good! Everyone loved it.
This really is a crowd please of a recipe! Delicious with pasta – the kids LOVED it for dinner!
I’m always looking for more chicken recipes because my family loves chicken. This is awesome!
Wow, stunning weeknight supper, so many gorgeous flavours in this!