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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.

Two Marry Me Chicken breasts in a cast-iron skillet with basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

💍 Variations of This Recipe

🍗 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 one 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.
  • Another possible explanation as to why this dish is named marry me chicken is because of the way the flavors marry together as they cook. A lot of the sauce components are incredible on their own, but when you pair them together, they become absolutely unbelievable. Creamy and cheesy, with bold flavors of dried and fresh herbs and tangy sun-dried tomatoes.
  • 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! Of course, if you want to go a little fancier, I highly recommend my recipe for the best risotto EVER. It’s cheesy and creamy and goes along with marry me chicken beautifully.
  • This chicken dish is naturally keto-friendly, low carb, and gluten free. No adjustments needed!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • We leave the chicken breasts whole here, but cutting them into cutlets first will shorten your cook time! Simply slice the chicken breasts in half from one side to the other (like a hamburger bun) and proceed with the recipe as written.
  • For a little extra flavor, add some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to the skillet with the olive oil. Searing the chicken in the tomato oil gives it a really nice flavor that’s only enhanced by the sun dried tomato cream sauce.
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese will give you a much better flavor and texture than store-bought, already-grated parmesan. It’s SO easy to grate your own, too! Just grab a whole block of parmesan cheese at the store and grate it on a box grater. If you don’t have a box grater, you could use a sharp knife to slice very thin pieces of parmesan off the block.
  • Taking the sauce off the heat to stir in the parmesan can keep the cheese from clumping as it melts. That’ll ensure you’ve got a beautifully smooth parmesan cream sauce for your marry me chicken! Adding the cheese in increments, stirring well and letting it melt completely before adding more, will help, too.
Marry Me Chicken breasts in a cast-iron skillet with basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

🥘 More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

Marry Me Chicken breasts in a cast-iron skillet with basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.98 from 516 votes

Marry Me Chicken

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 45 minutes
This crowd-pleaser takes juicy, tender chicken breasts and marries them with an incredible parmesan cream sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil.
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6 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife optional
  • Paper towels
  • Large cast-iron skillet or similar oven-safe skillet
  • Tongs
  • Plate
  • whisk or silicone spatula
  • cheese grate
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Spoon or small ladle

Ingredients

For the Chicken

For the Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • ¾ cup chicken broth see Notes
  • ½ cup heavy cream at or close to room temperature
  • ⅓ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese at room temperature, see Notes
  • ½-1 cup sun-dried tomatoes see Notes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes see Notes
  • fresh basil chiffonaded, for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Adjust racks as needed so skillet can sit in center of oven. Place chicken breasts on cutting board and trim as needed, then pat chicken breasts dry on all sides with paper towels.
  • Generously season tops of chicken breasts with salt and black pepper. Flip chicken breasts over and generously season other side with salt and black pepper. Set chicken aside.
  • Heat cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is warm, add olive oil and swirl pan to cover entire surface with oil.
  • When oil is hot and shimmery, place seasoned chicken breasts in skillet. Sear chicken breasts 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly golden in spots. Flip chicken breasts over and sear 3 to 4 minutes more. Carefully transfer seared chicken breasts to plate and set aside. Note: chicken should not be fully cooked-through at this point.
  • Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium-low. Let temperature of skillet reduce, then add minced garlic. Sauté garlic 1 to 2 minutes, or until garlic is just fragrant.
  • Add broth to skillet and stir, making sure to scrape up any browned bits of chicken or garlic that may be stuck to bottom of skillet.
  • Move skillet to cool stovetop burner and let skillet cool slightly, then add heavy cream. Whisk or stir gently to incorporate heavy cream into chicken broth. Once liquids are blended, sprinkle grated parmesan into mixture and gently stir until cheese has melted.
  • Return skillet to hot burner and continue stirring sauce mixture 1 minute or so, while skillet returns to temperature. Add sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes to cream sauce and stir gently to incorporate ingredients. Taste sauce and adjust salt, pepper, oregano, and/or red pepper flakes as desired.
  • Bring sauce to constant slow simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once sauce is simmering, return seared chicken breasts to skillet. Flip chicken breasts 3 to 4 times to coat all sides in sauce, then transfer entire skillet into preheated oven.
  • Bake dish 12 to 15 minutes, then begin checking doneness of chicken with internal meat thermometer. Continue cooking chicken until meat thermometer reads 160°-162° Fahrenheit when inserted into thickest part of chicken.
  • Carefully remove skillet from oven and set aside. Spoon sauce from skillet over tops of chicken, then allow chicken to rest 5 minutes. Chicken will cook residually, reaching food-safe internal temperature of 165°F.
  • After 5 minutes, transfer chicken to serving plates. Top chicken with remaining sauce from skillet and garnish with chiffonaded basil. Serve immediately with desired sides.

Video

  • Cook times will vary depending on a number of factors including the age of your equipment and the size and thickness of your chicken breasts.
  • The sauce will be on the thin side. If you’d like a thicker, creamier sauce, you can thicken it with additional parmesan, flour, or a little cream cheese (at room temperature) after removing the chicken in the final step.
  • Cold dairy products can clump, seize, or curdle when added to hot liquid, so make sure they’re at or close to room temperature before you begin. They can also have those reactions if they’re heated too quickly, so be sure to remove the skillet from the hot stove burner before adding in the cream and cheese.
  • Serve with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or scroll back through the blog post for other suggested sides!

 

Ingredients Notes

  • Chicken Breasts: Use chicken breasts that are the same size and thickness, so they cook evenly and at the same speed. If your chicken breasts are on the large side, slice them into cutlets and/or even them out with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin before seasoning them.
  • 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: Grate your own from a block of fresh parmesan. It’s super easy to do, and the results are more than worth it! Prepackaged, pre-grated/pre-shredded cheeses have added fillers and starches to prevent clumping. Those ingredients also keep the cheese from melting like it should, and makes the flavor less pronounced.
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes: The ones packed in oil work best here, but you can use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes if you prefer. If you use the ones packed in oil, add a little of the tomato oil to the skillet when you sauté the garlic or when you add the tomatoes to the sauce. It gives the dish another layer of that rich flavor.
  • Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: In my opinion, these don’t make the dish hot or spicy at all, and they really enhance the flavor of the sauce. If you’re sensitive to heat or just unsure, feel free to use just ¼ teaspoon or omit them altogether.
  • 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.
  • Make it Dairy Free/Whole30/Paleo: See our recipe for Whole30 Marry Me Chicken!
  • Make it in a Slow Cooker: See our recipe for Crockpot Marry Me Chicken!

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 418calProtein: 53gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 434mgPotassium: 1209mgTotal Carbs: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 538IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 109mgIron: 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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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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1,079 Comments

  1. The flavor was great but the sauce separated and became grainy 🙁 I followed the recipe to a T and even grated fresh Parmesan ahead of time.4 stars

    Reply

    1. Oh, no! I’m so sorry, Lydia! Was the parmesan room temperature when you added it to the sauce? If it was, it’s possible your sauce may have been too hot for the cheese. If you’re using fresh parmesan without any added fillers or starches, then generally that graininess comes from the cheese curdling, which typically happens when there’s a big discrepancy between the temperature of the sauce and the temperature of the cheese. I hope you’ll give it another try!

      Reply

  2. I don’t have a cast iron skillet. Can I use a regular skillet for the stove top and then transfer everything to a glass dish?

    Reply

  3. Easy to make and so delicious. We used all fresh ingredients from Central Market. This is our new favorite chicken dish.5 stars

    Reply

  4. This recipe makes 3 servings
    With 60 people that would mean increasing the recipe 20 fold (everything times 20).

    Below is the 20 fold recipe.
    Without an industrial kitchen you would have to make it in batches.

    40 tbs. Olive oil
    60 chicken breasts
    40 cloves of garlic
    15 c. Broth
    10 c. Heavy cream
    6.5-7 c. Parmesan cheese
    10 c. Sun dried tomatoes
    20 tsp. Dried oregano
    10 tsp. Red pepper flakes
    Basil
    Salt & pepper (to taste)5 stars

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Terra! This recipe actually yields approximately 6 servings, so it would only need to be increased 10-fold to meet Morgan’s party needs. The easiest way to check this is to enter “60” in the adjustable servings field on the recipe card, and all the ingredients will automatically update accordingly!

      You’re absolutely right that it would need to be cooked in batches if not using an industrial kitchen, which means Morgan would also need a way to reheat the food if wanting everyone to eat at the same time. It’s also quite a bit of time in the kitchen!

      Reply

      1. Gotcha! I overlooked the 3 servings part. I just assumed since it said three chicken breasts.
        If your splitting them in 2 that makes sense.
        If each person gets a whole breast, is how I calculated it 😊
        We’re actually having this for dinner tonight.
        My sons keep saying “oh it smells so good” 😂

        Reply

  6. This chicken is absolutely INCREDIBLE!! I didn’t think I could be more obsessed than I am with the Zuppa Toscana on this site but this chicken is running a close second, if not even. Make this chicken you will NOT regret it!5 stars

    Reply

    1. As good as the zuppa!? High praise!! Thanks so much for sharing your review, Christina – we’re so happy you love this recipe so much!

      Reply

    1. We haven’t tried this one in the Crockpot so can’t say for sure. The sauce for this dish is fairly thin so I’d be concerned about the chicken drying out if you’re tossing everything in all at once. You’d also want to keep a close eye on the cream and cheese, as cooking for an extended amount of time may cause them to separate. If you try it in the slow cooker please let us know how it works out!

      Reply

  8. I keep coming across this recipe and want to make it for my MIL’s 70th birthday. We are expecting around 60 people.
    How do you suggest would be the best way to make it happen?

    Reply

    1. Oh, goodness! First of all, a very happy birthday to your MIL! I’m so sorry but we don’t have any helpful tips for scaling this one up to feed a group of that size. You might reach out to a caterer to see if they’d prepare this recipe for you? We’re just not aware of an easy way to prepare that number of servings and keep everything warm, without overcooking or separating, all at the same time, all on your own.

      Reply

  9. This recipe is amazing. Even our 5 year old granddaughter, who only likes sugar, said it was really yummy. We will def be making this repeatedly!5 stars

    Reply

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