Crockpot Marry Me Chicken

Simple ingredients, incredible flavors, and a “set it and forget it” cooking method make this Crockpot Marry Me Chicken recipe an absolute dream! This dish marries tender chicken breasts and a seasoned parmesan-cream sauce, with bursts of tangy sun-dried tomatoes and savory basil to tie everything together. It’s a regular in my meal rotation!

💍 Why Is It Called “Marry Me Chicken”?

Some people say it got its name because the dish is SO good, serving it to your significant other will prompt them to propose. (Results not guaranteed, of course.)

The other theory is that Marry Me Chicken was named for the way the ingredients and flavors marry together during cooking. They create an incredible sauce that you’ll probably want to put on everything on your plate. (No, really. Don’t hesitate to double the sauce if you’ve got the room in your Crockpot.)

Honestly, I’m not sure I care much about how it got its name. All I know is it’s DELICIOUS and I never want to stop eating it.

🍗 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• You asked, we answered! We took our reader-favorite (and team-favorite, let’s be honest) stovetop Marry Me Chicken recipe and adapted it for the Crockpot. Now you can skip the stove and oven, and let the slow cooker do the work instead. I didn’t think we could fall anymore in love with this recipe, but I think we just did!
• Crockpot Marry Me Chicken has all the components that made the other version so wonderful. Juicy chicken breasts. A rich parmesan-cream sauce seasoned with garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Tangy sun-dried tomatoes. Savory basil. We also added a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce a little.
• As-written, this dish is pretty heavy on the dairy. If you’re dairy free, paleo, or on a Whole30 round, though, don’t worry. You can adapt our Whole30 Marry Me Chicken recipe to work with this Crockpot method! Use unsweetened coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and swap the grated parmesan out for nutritional yeast. Other than that, just follow the instructions below!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• The exact cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you’re using. To avoid overcooking, check the chicken with an internal meat thermometer. Remove it from the slow cooker when it reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
• The cream sauce is a crucial component of Crockpot Marry Me Chicken (or any version of MMC, honestly). Don’t stress – there are a couple of things to remember for a perfect sauce. 1) Make sure your dairy products are at room temperature. That’ll lessen the chances they separate or curdle. 2) Whisk the sauce vigorously to keep it smooth. 3) Make sure the cornstarch slurry is completely lump-free.
• If the sauce is too thin for your liking at the end of the cook time, you can thicken it up a little more before serving. Let the sauce simmer uncovered in the Crockpot. That’ll cook out a little more of the liquid. You can also add another ⅓ fresh parmesan, but let the sauce cool slightly first or the cheese could seize.
• Marry me chicken pairs beautifully with pasta, and you can totally combine this Crockpot method with our Marry Me Chicken Pasta recipe! Just follow this recipe as written, and in the last 15 minutes or so of cooking, prepare your penne. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, add the cooked pasta, and stir well to coat the noodles in sauce. You can use a little of the pasta water to thicken your slow cooker sauce, too!

🥦 What to Serve with This Dish

Marry Me Chicken is super versatile, so it goes well with a number of sides. Below are a few I really recommend.

• Your favorite pasta
• A small spinach or mixed greens salad
• Mashed Red Potatoes
• Air Fryer Asparagus
• Grilled Broccolini
• Palmini
• Italian Green Beans
• The Best EVER Risotto
• Accordion Potatoes
• Roasted Kale
• Sauteed Mushrooms

♨️ Even More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love

• Crockpot Baked Brie Dip
• Slow Cooker Tom Kha Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
• Crockpot Zuppa Toscana (Whole30)
• Slow Cooker Carnitas (Pork Carnitas with Pork Loin or Tenderloin)
• Crockpot Chicken Wings
• Dreamy Crockpot Chicken and Rice
• 3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop or Crockpot)
• The Best Crockpot Angel Chicken
• Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
• Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Whole Chicken with Gravy

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 3 votes

Crockpot Marry Me Chicken

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 3 hours hours

Total 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

A "set it and forget it" version of our reader favorite Marry Me Chicken. This recipe yields tender chicken breasts; a rich, seasoned parmesan-cream sauce; tangy sun-dried tomatoes; and savory fresh basil, giving you a dish you'll fall in love with!

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4 servings

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Equipment

• Cutting board
• medium mixing bowl
• whisk
• 6-quart Crockpot or similar slow cooker
• ladle or large spoon
• internal meat thermometer
• Large plate

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• ▢ 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2 pounds, see Notes
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For the Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth see Notes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch see Notes
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• ▢ freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes up to ½ teaspoon if desired
• ▢ ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus more if desired
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomatoes jar optional
• ▢ ⅓ cup grated fresh parmesan at room temperature

Serving Suggestions

• ▢ chiffonaded basil to garnish
• ▢ mashed potatoes
• ▢ angel hair pasta

Instructions

• Place chicken breasts on cutting board. Generously season tops of chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then flip chicken breasts over and season other side. Set cutting board aside.
• Add chicken broth to medium mixing bowl. Slowly add cornstarch, whisking constantly to fully incorporate cornstarch into broth. Continue whisking until slurry mixture is completely smooth, with no lumps of cornstarch remaining. Once smooth, pour slurry into slow cooker.
• Add heavy cream, garlic, oregano, dried oregano, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, and sun-dried tomato oil (if using) to slow cooker. Whisk all ingredients together until fully incorporated.
• Place seasoned chicken breasts in slow cooker in one even layer if possible. Ladle sauce mixture over chicken breasts to cover.
  
• Secure lid on slow cooker. Cook on HIGH 2 ½ to 3 hours, or cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours, until chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit internally.
• Once chicken reaches target temperature, carefully remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and transfer to large plate. Set chicken aside to rest 5 minutes.
• Carefully remove slow cooker insert and set on trivet, stovetop, or other heat-resistant surface. Whisk sauce vigorously until smooth, then allow sauce to cool slightly.
• Add room temperature parmesan to sauce and whisk until cheese has melted and is fully incorporated into smooth sauce.
• Transfer chicken to serving dishes with preferred sides. Ladle parmesan sauce over tops of chicken breasts and garnish with chiffonaded basil. Serve immediately.

• Chicken Breasts: Make sure the chicken breasts are all roughly equal in size and thickness. If needed, use a rolling pin or frying pan to pound out especially thick areas. For especially large chicken breasts, use 2 and cut them in half horizontally to create cutlets.
• Chicken Broth: Use a low-sodium broth to better control the saltiness of the dish. You can always add more salt to the sauce later if needed.
• Oil from Tomatoes: Totally optional! Adding a little of the sun-dried tomato oil to the sauce just gives it even more of that sun-dried tomato flavor.
• Parmesan: Grate your own parmesan from a block of fresh parm. Pre-packaged grated parmesan contains additives and starches to keep it from clumping, which also keeps it from melting like it should.
• Basil: To chiffonade the basil, stack leaves of fresh basil on top of each other, then roll them tightly from one side to the other. Slice perpendicularly to the roll, creating long, thin strips.
• Make it Gluten Free: Make sure to use a gluten-free chicken broth.
• Make it Keto: Replace the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ½-1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Alternately, skip the slurry entirely and add the chicken broth straight to the Crockpot. To thicken the sauce, use ½-⅔ cup parmesan cheese.
• Make it Lower Fat: Replace the heavy cream with half-and-half. Note that this swap will make the sauce slightly thinner.
• Make it Whole30/Paleo: Check out our recipe for Whole30 Marry Me Chicken for the list of ingredients, but follow the cooking instructions outlined in this Crockpot Marry Me Chicken post.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 321calProtein: 30gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 799mgPotassium: 951mgTotal Carbs: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gNet Carbs: 12gVitamin A: 703IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 153mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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