Marry me chicken is about to become your new favorite chicken recipe! This crowd-pleaser takes juicy, tender chicken breasts and marries them with an incredible parmesan cream sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil for a rich, flavorful main course everyone will love.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
If your partner isn’t already head-over-heels in love with you then one bite of this chicken recipe will have them ready to propose! Okay, maybe we can’t guarantee that, but that’s the theory behind the name! Marry me chicken is a dish so incredible that you’ll hear music, see hearts floating in the air, and feel compelled to profess your undying adoration. Serve with caution.
- Given the rich flavors of the sauce, it’s almost hard to believe how simple this recipe is! It doesn’t need any fancy sides or anything, either. I like to pair my marry me chicken with some garlic butter parsley potatoes or some air fryer asparagus. You could always serve it with a little pasta or palmini, too. Easy, satisfying, and delicious!
- This chicken dish is naturally keto-friendly, low carb, and gluten free. No adjustments needed!
- Marry me chicken is a great make-ahead option if you’re meal prepping! Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days. To reheat, pop it in the microwave or warm it on the stovetop until heated through.
Key Ingredients
Chicken – What’s marry me chicken without the chicken?! We use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, but you could easily use chicken thighs (with or without bones) instead. Bone-in chicken will make your cook time a little longer!
Sun Dried Tomatoes – A little sweet, a little tangy, and incredibly flavorful. You can use fresh tomatoes instead if you prefer or if you just don’t have sun dried tomatoes handy. They’ll have a little less flavor and tang but your marry me chicken will still be amazing!
Heavy Cream – The thickness of the heavy cream gives the sauce a little thickness. This sauce won’t be as thick as, say, an Alfredo sauce, but the heavy cream gives it a little substance. I don’t really recommend substituting this with light cream or milk since they would change the sauce consistency. If you want to lighten up the sauce, though, you could try half-n-half. The consistency would still be a little thin, but not as much thanks to the cream in the half-n-half.
RECIPE CARD
Marry Me Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large chicken breasts approximately 1 ½ to 2 pounds
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup chicken broth see Notes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- basil chiffonaded, for garnish
Equipment
- Oven
- Cast iron skillet (or other oven safe skillet)
- Stove
- Tongs
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Liberally season each chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides.
2.Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken to skillet. Sear 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and sear on other side 3 to 4 minutes.
3.Remove seared chicken from skillet and set aside. Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
4.Stir in broth and heavy cream, then slowly add grated parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
5.Bring mixture to simmer, then return chicken breasts to skillet. Quickly flip chicken a time or two to coat in sauce, then transfer entire skillet to oven.
6.Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
7.Remove chicken from skillet and plate with desired sides. Spoon additional sauce from skillet over chicken, garnish with chiffonaded basil, and serve immediately. 
Notes
- The sauce will be on the thin side. If you’d like a thicker, creamier sauce, you can thicken it with cornstarch, flour, cream cheese (at room temperature), or a tiny bit of xanthan gum after removing the chicken in the final step.
- Chicken Broth: If you’re watching your sodium intake or you just like a little less of it, use a low sodium chicken broth. If you’re gluten free you’ll want to make sure you’re using a gluten free chicken broth!
- Parmesan Cheese: Cold cheese can clump when it’s added to the hot liquid, so make sure it’s at room temperature before you begin. Additionally, remove the skillet from the heat before adding the cheese, to avoid clumping or curdling.
- To Chiffonade the Basil: Stack fresh basil leaves on top of each other, then roll tightly lengthwise. Use a small, sharp knife to slice the roll into thin ribbons. Slice perpendicular to roll.
- Make it Lower Fat: Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
- The sauce will be on the thin side. If you’d like a thicker, creamier sauce, you can thicken it with cornstarch, flour, cream cheese (at room temperature), or a tiny bit of xanthan gum after removing the chicken in the final step.
- Chicken Broth: If you’re watching your sodium intake or you just like a little less of it, use a low sodium chicken broth. If you’re gluten free you’ll want to make sure you’re using a gluten free chicken broth!
- Parmesan Cheese: Cold cheese can clump when it’s added to the hot liquid, so make sure it’s at room temperature before you begin. Additionally, remove the skillet from the heat before adding the cheese, to avoid clumping or curdling.
- To Chiffonade the Basil: Stack fresh basil leaves on top of each other, then roll tightly lengthwise. Use a small, sharp knife to slice the roll into thin ribbons. Slice perpendicular to roll.
- Make it Lower Fat: Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 290kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 357mg, Potassium: 789mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 509IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 6gNumber of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.