Marry me what? Relax, this post isn't about how to propose to a chicken. No, Marry Me Chicken is a recipe that you'll want to bookmark! Chicken so good, it's sure to elicit a marriage proposal! Everyone will love this delectable and tender chicken cooked in a flavor-packed sauce and served over pasta.
What Exactly Is Marry Me Chicken?
Marry Me Chicken is a yummy dish of tender chicken thighs, swimming in a creamy sauce, with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and other delicious ingredients.
The first Marry Me Chicken recipe appeared on the internet a few years back when delish.com posted their version of the recipe.
Since then, marry me chicken continues to have high search volumes! I decided to toss my own hat into the ring and share my own version of this popular chicken dish.
To make this dish, chicken thighs, breasts, or cutlets are first seared in a cast iron skillet, then covered in a creamy sauce made with chicken broth and heavy cream.
Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and herbs are also included. The skillet and its
Here's the funny thing, I've had a similar Chicken Scallopini recipe (saved as a draft) on my blog for over a year now. I just haven't gotten around to finishing or publishing it.
When I glanced at the original Marry Me Chicken Recipe, I realized it is almost identical to my Scallopini recipe. The main difference being the chicken breasts in my scallopini recipe are breaded.
I decided to "marry" ideas from both recipes (see what I did there?) to come up with my own version of Marry Me Chicken.
This delicious chicken is perfect to serve over pasta because the pasta sops up the yummy sauce the chicken is cooked in.
🔖 Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken: I decided to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I wanted to add even more flavor to the sauce from both the bones and skin. However, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. Keep in mind that they will need less time to cook.
- Pasta: If you don't want to make your own pasta, you can serve marry me chicken with your favorite pasta variety.
- Yellow Onion: I added yellow onion but shallots would also be excellent!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Sun-dried tomatoes add a wonderful, tangy flavor and shouldn't be left out. You can substitute cherry tomato confit.
- Broth: Besides chicken broth, you can add vegetable broth, or even water mixed with bullion powder, you may need to reduce the salt.
- Wine: Wine adds a great flavor but can be left out if need be.
- Cheese: Parmesan cheese is added to the sauce and feta cheese is sprinkled on top right before serving.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card.
🍗 How to Make Marry Me Chicken
Step 1: Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown chicken thighs, fat side down first, for four minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Drain chicken fat from the pan and put 2 tablespoons of the fat back in, or use more avocado oil or butter. Sauté onion and mushrooms for one minute. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
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Step 3: Add chicken broth and wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get any brown bits. Add artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, capers, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for five minutes over low to medium heat.
Step 4: Add cream and parmesan cheese. Return chicken thighs to pan, skin side up. Cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Step 5: Make fresh pasta, or prepare four servings of store-bought pasta.
Step 6: Divide pasta between four plates. Smother with sauce, add chicken, and sprinkle with feta chunks. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil before serving.
🍽 What to Serve With Marry Me Chicken
To me, it's a no-brainer. The decadent sundried tomato cream sauce begs to be poured over hot pasta. Homemade pasta, if at all possible.
Because this meal is pretty filling, you don't necessarily need a side dish. However, if you chose to serve it with some cream cheese garlic bread to sop up the tasty sauce, you have my approval!
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
When someone tasted the dish for the first time they exclaimed "I'd marry you for that chicken" and the name stuck!
A chicken cutlet is a chicken breast that has been sliced in half, horizontally, to make to thinner chicken breast pieces.
Chicken tenders or tenderloin is a piece of muscle located under the breast. Chicken tenders, as their name suggests, are more tender than chicken breasts. This is due to their higher fat content, making them not only more tender, but more flavorful!
There are so many ways to cook a chicken breast! You can grill, bake, boil, or air fry it! The secret to a tender and juicy chicken breast is to not overcook it. To roast a chicken breast, brush with olive oil, season to your liking, and bake in a 425 F oven until it registers to 165 degrees F.
Pro Tips
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- If you cook marry me chicken in an oven-safe skillet such as a cast-iron skillet, you can bake the chicken in the oven instead of on the stove top.
- For a lower-carb option, you can serve the chicken and juices over cauliflower rice instead of pasta, although I can't guarantee a marriage purpose if you do that. 🙃
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Marry Me Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken thighs (bone-in with skin)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil (or favorite oil)
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic (slivered)
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup artichoke hearts (chopped)
- 3 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
- 8 kalamata olives (sliced in half)
- 2 teaspoon capers (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- ¾ cup half and half (or heavy cream)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon Italian parsley or basil (chopped)
- ¼ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a deep pan and brown chicken thighs, fat side down first, for four minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Drain chicken fat from pan and put 2 tablespoon of the fat back in, or use more avocado oil. Sauté onion and mushrooms for one minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze with chicken broth, and wine. Add artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, capers, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for five minutes over low to heat.
- Add cream and parmesan cheese. Return chicken thighs to pan, skin side up. Cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked.
- Make fresh pasta using the recipe on this blog, or prepare four servings of store-bought pasta.
- Divide pasta between four plates. Smother with sauce, add chicken, and sprinkle with feta chunks and chopped fresh parsley or basil.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- If you cook marry me chicken in an oven-safe skillet such as a cast-iron skillet, you can bake the chicken in the oven instead of on the stove top.
- For a lower-carb option, you can serve the chicken and juices over cauliflower rice instead of pasta, although I can't guarantee a marriage purpose if you do that. 🙃
Kelly Methey says
This sounds delicious even though I don’t need a marriage proposal! Haha
I’m sure it will get me brownie points though, as good as it sounds!
Hilda Sterner says
Haha, yes, we're passed the point of proposals, but that's ok!
Kelly Methey says
Sounds delicious but I’d have to leave out the artichokes. ?
HildaSterner says
Yes, if you're allergic, feel free to leave them out, or any other ingredient you don't like! It's a very flexible recipe.