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Whip up a batch of Marry Me Chicken tonight! It is an irresistible dish with tender, flavorful chicken, and a creamy sauce served over pasta.
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Juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor, this dish is worth its weight in gold. Legend has it, this chicken is so good, anyone you make it for will get down on one knee and propose marriage to you on the spot because it is that delicious. That’s why they call it Marry Me Chicken. And how could they be wrong? Flavorful chicken breasts rest in a creamy sauce made of a powerful spice blend, shallots, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Fresh basil leaves garnish and add a wonderful taste.
Ingredients in Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Breasts
- Salt (used to brine the chicken before cooking)
- Bacon (bacon grease is used to pan fry chicken)
- Flour
- Spice Blend (paprika, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes – goes into the chicken breading and the sauce)
- Butter
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Chicken Stock
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated is best)
- Fresh Basil
Variations
- Adding vegetables to this dish would create a fresh flavor. Try what is listed, or get creative:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Artichoke hearts
- Roasted Asparagus
- For a vegetarian option, add vegetables and omit the bacon and chicken.
- Serve over rice or mashed potatoes instead of pasta.
Brining the Chicken
An optional, but helpful, step in your cooking process is dry brining the chicken. Dry brining is rubbing your raw chicken with salt and letting it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes uncovered. This removes excess water from the chicken breasts, seasons them all the way through, and tenderizes the chicken. Once the 30 minutes are up, there is no need to rinse the surface of the chicken, just pat it dry with paper towel.
Recipe Tip
After you add the chicken back to the sauce, make sure the sauce stays at a light simmer. If the sauce gets too hot it will split and also overcook the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions about Marry Me Chicken
The popular Marry Me Chicken recipe hails from an Italian style dish called Sicilian Chicken.
This chicken dish goes beautifully with pastas like penne or spaghetti. We used angel hair, which is delicious as well. The creamy sauce goes perfectly with pasta.
Vegetables like roasted asparagus, roasted peppers, a kale and spinach salad, or broccolini would taste great.
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How to Make Marry Me Chicken
Marry Me Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts butterfly cut
- salt for brining (optional)
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt omit if you brined the chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the Sauce
- 1 shallot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 6-7 basil leaves sliced
- angel hair pasta for serving
Instructions
- Optional Brining Step: Place the chicken breasts on a plate and sprinkle generously with salt. Let sit uncovered in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pat dry. While chicken is brining, cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon from pan, but save the bacon grease. Chop the bacon and set aside for later.
- To a wide shallow bowl, add flour, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt (skip salt if you brined the chicken), and pepper. Stir to combine. Dredge both sides of each chicken breast in the flour mixture.
- Add butter to bacon grease in the pan and heat over medium heat until butter is bubbling. Place each chicken breast in the pan. Let cook for 4 minutes on each side until a golden brown crust forms. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add shallots to the pan and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes and chicken stock. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Once the chicken stock is bubbling, add heavy cream and spices and whisk to combine. When the cream is bubbling, add parmesan cheese and whisk to combine. Add chicken back into the pan.
- Let the sauce simmer and reduce until it thickens. Check to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Stir in basil and chopped bacon. Serve over pasta and top with extra parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include pasta.
- Keep the pan at a medium heat throughout the cooking process. If the pan gets too hot it can burn the chicken or split the sauce.
- Instead of butterflying the chicken you can use a mallet to pound the chicken breasts until they are all a similar thickness.
