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–+ servings
Marry me chicken in a large skillet.

Marry Me Chicken (Chicken in a Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce)

40aprons.com/marry-me-chicken/
This crowd-pleaser takes juicy, tender chicken breasts and marries them with an incredible parmesan cream sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 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

  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 3-4 large chicken breasts; see Notes)
  • salt (to taste)
  • freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or other neutral oil)

For the Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • chiffonaded fresh basil
  • grated fresh parmesan cheese

Instructions

To Prepare and Sear the Chicken

  • Place 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board. Trim chicken if needed, then pound chicken flat until all chicken breasts are same size and thickness.
  • Pat chicken breasts dry on all sides with paper towels. Once dried, generously season tops of chicken breasts with plenty of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Flip chicken breasts over and sprinkle salt and pepper on other side.
    Three large seasoned chicken breasts on a blue plate.
  • Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery, swirling and tilting skillet as needed to distribute oil across surface.
  • Once 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 on other side.
    Three large seasoned chicken breasts in a large cast-iron skillet.
  • When chicken breasts are lightly golden on both sides, carefully transfer seared chicken breasts to plate and set aside. Do not drain skillet. Note: chicken should not be fully cooked-through at this point.

To Make the Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Adjust racks as needed so skillet can sit in center of oven.
  • Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium-low. When skillet has cooled slightly, add 2 tablespoons minced garlic. Sauté garlic 30 to 60 seconds, stirring often, or until garlic is just fragrant.
    Olive oil and minced garlic in a large cast-iron skillet.
  • When garlic is fragrant, add ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth to skillet. Stir to incorporate broth, making sure to scrape up any browned bits of chicken or garlic that may be stuck to bottom of skillet.
    Chicken broth added to minced garlic and olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet.
  • Move skillet to cool stovetop burner. Let skillet cool 2 to 3 minutes, then add ½ cup heavy cream. Whisk heavy cream into chicken broth until fully incorporated.
  • When cream and broth are fully incorporated, sprinkle ½ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese into mixture. Gently whisk parmesan into liquid until cheese is completely melted.
    Heavy cream added to chicken broth and minced garlic in a large cast-iron skillet.
  • Once cheese has melted, return skillet to burner over medium-low heat. Continue stirring 1 to 2 minutes or until skillet returns to full temperature.
  • Add 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to cream sauce. Gently stir ingredients together until well blended. Taste sauce and adjust salt, pepper, oregano, and/or red pepper flakes as desired.
    Sun-dried tomatoes and crushed red pepper flakes added to a creamy mixture in a large cast-iron skillet.
  • Bring sauce to slow simmer over medium-high heat, stirring mixture occasionally to prevent burning.

To Finish the Chicken

  • When sauce begins to simmer, return seared chicken breasts to skillet. Flip chicken breasts 3 to 4 times each to coat all sides in sauce.
    Three large seared chicken breasts smothered in cream sauce in a large cast-iron skillet.
  • Once chicken is well coated in cream sauce, place skillet in preheated oven. Note: if using leave-in meat thermometer probe, insert probe into chicken before placing skillet in oven.
  • Bake dish approximately 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, check doneness of chicken with internal meat thermometer. Continue cooking chicken as needed, checking internal temperature of chicken frequently, until thickest part of chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
  • When target temperature is reached, carefully remove skillet from oven. Spoon sauce from skillet up and onto tops of chicken breasts, then set skillet aside.
  • Allow chicken to rest in skillet 5 minutes. Chicken will cook residually, reaching food-safe internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.

To Serve

  • After 5 minutes, transfer chicken to serving plates. Top chicken with remaining sauce from skillet and garnish with chiffonaded fresh basil and additional grated fresh parmesan cheese if desired.
  • Serve marry me chicken immediately with potatoes, asparagus, or other sides of choice. Enjoy!

Recipe 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.
  • Sauce Consistency: This recipe creates a sauce that is intentionally on the thinner side. It does not make a thick, alfredo-like sauce. If you'd like the sauce to be a little creamier, you can thicken it with additional parmesan. You can also whisk in a little cream cheese (at room temperature), cornstarch, or flour after transferring the cooked to chicken to your serving plates.
  • 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.
  • Cooking with Dairy Products: Cold dairy products can clump, seize, or curdle when added to hot liquid, so make sure they're room temperature before you begin. They can also have those reactions if they're heated too quickly, so it's important that you remove the skillet from the hot stove burner before adding in the cream and cheese.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 457calProtein: 55gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 173mgSodium: 434mgPotassium: 1538mgTotal Carbs: 13gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gNet Carbs: 10gVitamin A: 640IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 155mgIron: 3mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/marry-me-chicken/