Marry me chicken is one of my favorite non-boring chicken breast recipes ever. Tender chicken is simmered in sun-dried tomato cream sauce, then served with pasta or even mashed potatoes. I mean, yum! Easy & quick, it'll be on the table in 30 minutes. It's weeknight dinner magic.
What Is Marry Me Chicken?
Why "marry me" chicken? Great question! The story goes like this: A few food editors were testing a chicken recipe, when one of them took a bite and declared that the dish was so delicious that they would literally marry it if they could. Thus: ‘marry me’ chicken! In 2023, marry me chicken went viral on TikTok, and now it's everywhere (including here!). I can't promise marry me chicken will land you an engagement, but it will win you rave reviews! It's popular for good reason. If you love easy, creamy, one-pan chicken recipes like this, don't miss Marry Me Chicken Pasta, Creamy Tarragon Chicken or classic Chicken à la King, too. Crave more ‘marry me’ fun? Try Marry Me Salmon.
Marry Me Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breast have truly never tastes as good as they do when they get the ‘marry me’ treatment.
- Garlic: Plenty of fresh garlic makes the sauce SO flavorful.
- Heavy cream : I don’t recommend substituting any other dairy for the heavy cream. It’s really a key ingredient.
- Parmesan cheese: Grate it yourself with a microplane for the best results. Pre-shredded Parm often has anti-clumping ingredients that can make your marry me sauce lumpy instead of smooth and creamy.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Find these at the grocery store near the canned and jarred olives. (P.S. have you tried sun-dried tomato pesto, yet? YUM)
- Italian seasoning
- Chicken stock: Veggie stock would work fine, if that’s what you have.
- Chicken bouillon: I like “Better Than Bouillon” or you could use 1 chicken bouillon cube.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional, but I think the little kick of heat is so good with the sun-dried tomato cream sauce! If you prefer the dish mild, skip it!
- Fresh basil: Fragrant and vibrant, it lifts the heavy flavors of Marry Me Chicken and ties everything together!
How To Make Marry Me Chicken
- Brown the chicken breasts in a bit of oil in a large skillet just until they’re crispy on the outside (they don’t need to be cooked through yet).
- Make the creamy marry me chicken sauce. Sauté garlic, stir in cream, stock, bouillon, Parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Add the chicken to the sauce. (Tongs are your friend!) Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve Marry Me Chicken over comforting carbs. See below for more ideas about what to serve it with.
Why Readers Love This Recipe
- This recipe is absolutely amazing! It tasted like we were at a top rated Italian restaurant. We had it with the garlic roasted potatoes and it was definitely a favorite! Will make this next time we have company! - Kris
- Wonderful dish! There are a lot of Marry Me Chicken recipes floating around, all similar, but this one looked the best to me, especially with the addition of red pepper flakes.- Diane
- I absolutely loved it and so did my dinner guests. Easy to follow recipe with no fuss. Once I had combined all the ingredients together I cooked mine in my slow cooker, it was absolutely delicious, and went great with the mashed potato. This will become one of my favorite dinner party main course recipes. - Elaine
What To Serve With Marry Me Chicken
- Serve it over pasta, like spaghetti, linguine or homemade pappardelle.
- Or I LOVE marry me chicken with mashed potatoes. Plain or garlic mashed potatoes would both be good!
- For a gluten free or low-carb option, serve it over spaghetti squash, zoodles, or with a simple roasted veggie on the side, like roasted cauliflower.
How To Store + Freeze Leftovers
- Leftovers will stay good in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat them gently on the stove top for best results.
- You can freeze leftover marry me chicken if you really need to (better than tossing it!) for up to two months, but cream sauces like this tend to turn a bit grainy in the freezer and the sauce may separate when you reheat it. Just reheat it as gently as you can.
Marry Me Chicken Variations + Add Ins
- Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. Note that you may need to adjust cooking time slightly.
- When I have them, sometimes I love to add sautéed mushrooms to the cream sauce.
- Stir in some Calabrian chilies for even more heat! I loooove spicy cream sauces.
- For an extra veggie boost, stir in fresh or frozen spinach.
More Delicious Chicken Breast Recipes
Say ‘Yes’ To Our Marry Me Chicken & Keep Going!
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