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    Marry Me Chicken

    September 3, 2024

    Succulent chicken breasts, sun-dried tomatoes, and a luscious cream sauce — our easy marry me chicken recipe is simply the best one-pan, 30-minute dinner out there!

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    marry me chicken in a pan with a wooden spoon made with cream, chicken stock, chicken bouillon, parmesan, garlic, and spices
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Marry Me Chicken is a quick and easy chicken breast recipe — we’re talking a wow-worthy dinner on the table in 30 minutes — with herbs, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and heavy cream. Legend has it, a few magazine food editors were testing this recipe, when one said it was so delicious that they would literally marry it, if they could! Then, in 2023, Marry Me Chicken went viral on TikTok, and many variations appeared. We’re not sure that our marry me chicken recipe will land you an engagement, but it will win you rave reviews!

    If you love easy, creamy, one-pan chicken recipes like our easy Marry Me chicken, check out our Creamy Tarragon Chicken and Chicken à la King, too.

    olive oil, chicken, salt, garlic, cream, chicken stock & bouillon, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and spices on the counter

    Ingredients For Our Marry Me Chicken Recipe

    • Chicken breasts - We use boneless, skinless here, but boneless, skinless thighs also work. Feel free to pound the chicken breast a little thinner so they cook more quickly and evenly.

    • Garlic - 3 cloves is what we call for, but as always 1-2 will be plenty, but there's always room for 4-6 if you love garlic.

    • Heavy cream - We don't recommend subbing the heavy cream here. It's what creates the luscious, creamy sauce.

    • Parmesan cheese - This will also help thicken and flavor the sauce. We always recommend freshly grated, because the pre-grated has anti clumping agents in it that will not melt in with your sauce as well.

    • Sun-dried tomatoes - These are gonna get chopped up, so feel free to get the halves if you want, also we love the ones packed in oil.

    • Italian seasoning - If you don't have this on hand, you can always swap with a little dried thyme.

    • Chicken stock - Store bought or homemade, both work well.

    • Chicken bouillon - We like “Better Than Bouillon” or you could use 1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed.

    • Red pepper flakes (optional) - This just adds a little heat, skip it if you want.

    • Salt, pepper and olive oil

    • Fresh basil - You could also top with some fresh minced parsley if that's all you have on hand, but we love the taste of fresh basil, nothing compares.

    chicken breasts seasoned with salt being seared in olive oil in a skillet
    garlic, heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, parmesan, sun dried tomatoes and spices being cooked in a skillet

    How To Make The Best Marry Me Chicken

    1. Brown the chicken breasts in a bit of oil in a large skillet (affiliate link) just until they’re a little crispy on the outside (they don’t need to be cooked through at this point). Set them aside.

    2. Make the creamy Marry Me Chicken sauce. Sauté a bit of garlic, stir in heavy cream, stock, bouillon, Parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

    3. Add the chicken to the sauce. Tongs (affiliate link) are your friend! Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer (affiliate link).

    4. Serve Marry Me Chicken over comforting carbs, like Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or try with Classic Mashed Potatoes. People love to have Marry Me Chicken with pasta, too — try serving it over spaghetti or Linguine. For more easy weeknight chicken recipes to mix up your routine, try our Rosemary Chicken or hearty Stuffed Chicken Breasts!

    marry me chicken cooking in a skillet made with garlic, cream, parmesan, Italian seasoning and sun-dried tomatoes

    What People Are Saying About This Recipe

    • This recipe is absolutely amazing! Soooo good. 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. I made the right choice in recipes. - 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

    marry me chicken in a pan with a wooden spoon made with cream, chicken stock, chicken bouillon, parmesan, garlic, and spices

    More Delicious Chicken Breast Recipes

    We make A LOT of chicken in our own homes. Here are 4 of our favorite chicken breast recipes, but you can also find more inspiration in our 60 Best Chicken Breast Recipes roundup.

    Say ‘Yes’ To Our Marry Me Chicken & Keep Going!

    For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!

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    Marry Me Chicken

    Updated on September 3, 2024

    • Serves:  4
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  30 min
    • Calories:  419
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    Ingredients

    • 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
    • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • ½ cup chicken stock
    • 1 teaspoon chicken flavor “Better Than Bouillon”, or 1 chicken bouillon cube
    • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
    • ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
    • Cooked pasta or mashed potatoes, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Pat the chicken dry. Season all over with 1 teaspoon of the salt.

      olive oil, chicken, salt, garlic, cream, chicken stock & bouillon, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and spices on the counter

    2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

      chicken breasts seasoned with salt being seared in olive oil in a skillet

    3. To the same skillet, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until combined.

      garlic, heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, parmesan, sun dried tomatoes and spices being cooked in a skillet

    4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low. Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5-8 more minutes.

      marry me chicken cooking in a skillet made with garlic, cream, parmesan, Italian seasoning and sun-dried tomatoes

    5. Top the chicken with basil, remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and remaining red pepper flakes. Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes, if desired.

      marry me chicken cooking in a skillet made with garlic, cream, parmesan, Italian seasoning and sun-dried tomatoes

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 419
    • Protein 55 g
    • Carbohydrates 7 g
    • Total Fat 18 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 181 mg
    • sodium 605 mg
    • Total Sugars 3 g

    Marry Me Chicken

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Natalie

      Can I cook this in the oven?

      Sure!

    • Hayley

      What if you dont have Parmesan what other cheese can you use ?

      We think Parmesan is best, it could be subbed for romano but it will change the flavor a bit.

    • Samantha

      Can I substitute the chicken breast for skinless boneless chicken thighs?

      Yes, cook time might take a bit longer though so make sure to check the temp before serving.

    • Leila

      What can I substitute for sun dried tomatoes?

      It adds a lot of the flavor but you could sub fresh tomatoes if you want to try that.

    • Gisela

      Can I freeze the leftovers? Thanks!

      Sure! hope you enjoy!

    • Christine

      Made this for the first time tonight. I doubled everything and served with rigatoni noodles. The only thing I added was some chopped up shallots. My family raved and said it was restaurant quality. Thanks for a great recipes.

      Thanks Christine, we are so glad you loved it!

    • MJ

      Suchhh a good recipe :) Ive been getting back into cooking for date nights instead of going out, so tonight I made this with scallops instead of chicken (pescetarian) for my wife and we both loved it!!
      (It can be made dairy-free by using plant-based butter and an even mix of almond milk to coconut cream. Just btw.)

      Thanks MJ, so glad you loved it! Love that your subs worked out well, yay!

    • LYNNE

      This is the best recipe!!I started making it over mashed potatos now over spaghetti noodles it was a game changer,we love this recipe.

      Thanks Lynne, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Jenn

      Couldn’t taste any better! All 4 of us loved it!! I had a little extra chicken so just added a little more of everything and it was DEE-LISH!!

      Thanks Jenn, so happy you all loved it!

    • Kathy

      I made this for my family last week. The last 5 minutes, I added sliced mushrooms, spinach, and al dente Orecchiette pasta before the final toppings. My family loved it. My husband said it was as good as we'd get at a restaurant. My daughter said, put it on a recipe card so we don't lose it. It really was the best. I had all my ingredients measured and ready to go, so it really came together easily.

      Thanks Kathy, so glad you and your family loved it!