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This Whole30 marry me chicken recipe is a dairy free, soy free, totally Whole30-compliant version of our reader favorite marry me chicken. Tender chicken breasts in a rich dairy-free cream sauce with sweet-tart sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper flakes. This’ll be a staple in your Whole30/paleo meal rotation!

Overhead view of Whole30 Marry Me Chicken in a cast-iron skillet

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Our marry me chicken is a reader favorite, and it’s easy to see why! I mean, who doesn’t love perfectly cooked chicken in a rich, decadent sauce made with heavy cream, parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes? Exactly. The downside to all that decadence, though? You can’t have it on Whole30. Until now, that is! I’ve adapted that super-popular creamy chicken recipe to be totally Whole30-compliant, dairy free, low carb, keto-friendly, and paleo-friendly. Dig in!
  • Just like the traditional version, Whole30 marry me chicken pairs really well with a wide variety of sides. Mashed potatoes, asparagus, green beans, zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice… If you’re not paleo or on a Whole30 round, you could also serve it with pasta (like in our marry me chicken pasta) or a mushroom risotto.
  • Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days, making this a great Whole30 meal prep option. It reheats well, too; just pop it in the microwave or warm it in a skillet until heated through.

Key Ingredients

“Cream” – Heavy cream is a big component of the original recipe. Since we’re going for a dairy-free, Whole30-compliant version this time, though, we’re replacing it with your choice of coconut milk (unsweetened), coconut cream (the solid layer that forms on top of the coconut milk when you refrigerate the unopened can), or plain Nutpods. Coconut cream will give you the richest, creamiest sauce, while coconut milk and Nutpods will both be thinner.

Nutritional Yeast – For a cheesy flavor without the cheese! If you’ve never used it before, it’s a deactivated yeast (available at most grocery stores!) that boasts a few health benefits and can be used as a dairy-free “cheesy” topping for popcorn or fries or to make a vegan queso or “cheese” sauce. It’s typically available in both flakes and powder forms, and either form will work in this recipe.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Sweet. Tangy. Tart. INCREDIBLE. Though they’re naturally sweet (they’re tomatoes after all), you want to make sure you buy ones that are completely Whole30-compliant. No added sugars or anything in the ingredients list! If sun-dried tomatoes aren’t your thing, try roasted red peppers instead. Different flavor profile, but still tasty.

Chef’s Tips

  • There’s a lot of really nice flavors in this recipe as-is. If you’d like an extra flavor boost, trying adding in some sautéed mushrooms for another layer of delicious savoriness. You can also add some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet, rather than just using the tomatoes.
  • 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.
  • You can cook the chicken to a food-safe internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit and serve it immediately, but I actually like to take it out of the oven when it’s around 160°-162° Fahrenheit inside and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes or so while I finish up the sides. The chicken’ll continue to cook a little as it rests, so taking it out slightly early will ensure you don’t accidentally overcook it.
Whole30 marry me chicken in a blue-grey bowl with mashed potatoes

More Whole30 Recipes You’ll Love

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.98 from 49 votes

Whole30 Marry Me Chicken

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 45 minutes
This Whole30 marry me chicken recipe is a dairy free, soy free, totally Whole30-compliant version of our reader favorite marry me chicken. Tender chicken breasts in a rich dairy-free cream sauce with sweet-tart sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper flakes. This'll be a staple in your Whole30/paleo meal rotation!
6 servings

Equipment

  • cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet
  • Tongs
  • Plate

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 large chicken breasts approximately 1 ½ to 2 pounds
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or coconut cream, or plain Nutpods; see Notes
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes see Notes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½-1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonaded (see Notes), for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Liberally season each chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides.
  • Heat avocado oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, add chicken to skillet. Sear 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and sear on other side 3 minutes. Add a little more oil if chicken starts smoking
    Chicken breasts in cast iron skillet
  • Remove pan from heat and transfer seared chicken to plate. Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Stir in broth and coconut milk, then slowly add nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes.
    Marry me chicken sauce in cast iron skillet
  • Return skillet to heat. 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. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
  • Remove chicken from skillet and plate with desired sides. Spoon additional sauce from skillet over chicken, garnish with chiffonaded basil, and serve immediately.
  • Coconut Milk: For a richer, thicker, creamier sauce, place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. When you open it, you’ll see the layer of thick coconut cream on top of the thin coconut milk. Scoop out the coconut cream and use that in this recipe instead. You can also use plain Nutpods if you don’t like coconut milk/cream.
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Make sure your tomatoes are fully compliant and don’t contain any added sugars or sulfites. 
  • 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.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 344calProtein: 36gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 442mgPotassium: 1056mgTotal Carbs: 9gFiber: 3gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 191IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 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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142 Comments

    1. We didn’t test that because this dish is intended to have a lightly creamy sauce. You certainly can cook chicken without using any cream, it just won’t have the intended results and flavor.

    1. Rather than doing the whole recipe on the stove, I’d start with regular skillet and then transfer everything to a baking dish for the oven steps!

  1. Love this!! It’s been our go to recipe during whole 30 and after 😊

    I’m wondering if it’s possible to do in the crockpot??

  2. I’m planning to make this for a dinner party this weekend. I’d like to try this with whole chicken breasts – bone in, skin on. What do you think? I find whole breasts tend to be juicier and tastier.

    1. We didn’t test it with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, but it should work fine. You’ll need to adjust the cook time a little. Go by the internal temperature of the chicken breasts for the best results! Let us know how it turns out!

  3. Marry Me Chicken is my daughter’s favorite dish, and I usually make hers with cream; she lapped this up and didn’t miss the cream at all! It’s in my rotation now, replacing the old recipe. Thanks!5 stars

    1. Thanks so much for your review, Veronica! I’m so happy she loved it as much as the original!

  4. I made this for my husband and it was so delicious that my husband said to make sure that I add it to the rotation of other dishes that we make! Winner winner chicken dinner!5 stars

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