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Marry Me Chicken is the creamy sundried tomato skillet dinner that earned its name honestly, the kind of meal that makes someone propose at the table, and I made it the first time on a *rainy Tuesday night* when the girls wanted cozy and I wanted something that looked fancy without the work. Spooned over a pile of buttery mashed potatoes, it is the same one pan magic that powers our creamy chicken Alfredo bake.
Sear the chicken, simmer that dreamy Parmesan cream sauce, bake, and dinner over mashed potatoes is on the table in 40 minutes.
Marry Me Chicken Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 564kcal
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Rich, creamy, garlicky, sweet sundried tomato with a little heat
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our creamy sausage pasta
Quick Answer
Season and sear boneless chicken breasts in a hot skillet until golden, then build the sauce in the same pan with butter, garlic, chicken stock, heavy cream, sundried tomatoes, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes, nestle the chicken back in, and bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees. Serve over mashed potatoes with fresh basil.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Searing first builds the fond. Browning the seasoned chicken leaves golden stuck on bits in the pan, and those caramelized bits dissolve into the sauce when you deglaze, giving the whole dish a deep savory backbone.
- One pan means layered flavor. The sauce builds right in the same skillet you seared in, so every drop of chicken flavor ends up in the cream instead of going down the drain.
- Sundried tomatoes do double duty. They add concentrated sweet tomato punch and a little chew, and the oil they pack in carries extra savory depth into the sauce.
- Heavy cream plus Parmesan makes the sauce cling. The fat in the cream and the starch in real grated Parmesan thicken the sauce just enough to coat the chicken and pool perfectly over mashed potatoes.
- Finishing in the oven keeps the chicken juicy. Gentle even oven heat brings the chicken to a safe 165 degrees without the dried out edges you get from cooking it all the way through in the pan.
- Red pepper flakes balance the richness. A pinch of heat cuts through all that cream and cheese so the dish tastes bright instead of heavy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is date night dinner in 40 minutes. This tastes like a fancy restaurant entree but comes together start to finish in under an hour, perfect for an anniversary in or a Tuesday that needs a little romance.
- One pan, easy cleanup. Sear, sauce, and bake all happen in a single skillet, so you are not staring down a sink full of dishes after dinner. The same weeknight win as our honey garlic chicken.
- That sauce is unforgettable. Creamy, garlicky, full of sweet sundried tomato and Parmesan, it is the kind of sauce people scrape off the plate with a piece of bread or a forkful of mashed potatoes.
Key Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Thinly sliced breasts cook fast and stay tender. Slice thick breasts in half lengthwise so they sear evenly and bake through without drying out.
- Heavy cream: The base of that signature sauce. Use real heavy cream, not half and half, so the sauce thickens and clings instead of breaking.
- Sundried tomatoes: Chopped and drained, these bring the sweet tangy tomato punch that defines Marry Me Chicken. The oil packed kind has the most flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated melts smooth into the cream and thickens the sauce. Skip the shaker can, the fresh wedge matters here.
- Garlic and Italian seasoning: Fresh minced garlic and a generous spoon of Italian seasoning give the sauce its herby aromatic backbone, the same flavor base as our Italian lemon chicken foil packet.
- Chicken stock and red pepper flakes: Unsalted stock deglazes the pan and thins the sauce just right, while a pinch of crushed red pepper cuts the richness.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it spicier. Double the crushed red pepper flakes or add a pinch of cayenne to the sauce for a version with real warmth.
- Use chicken thighs. Boneless skinless thighs work beautifully and stay extra juicy. Sear and bake the same way, checking for 165 degrees.
- Add greens. Stir a few handfuls of fresh spinach into the sauce during the last few minutes of simmering, it wilts right in and adds color.
- Serve over pasta instead. Spoon the chicken and sauce over fettuccine or penne for a Marry Me Chicken pasta night, just like our chicken Alfredo bake.
- Swap the protein. The same sauce is incredible over seared salmon or pork chops if you want to change things up.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron or oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown, then move it to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same pan. Add the minced garlic and stir constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift all the golden stuck on bits into the liquid.
- Stir in the heavy cream, chopped sundried tomatoes, grated Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes until combined.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes so it thickens and the flavors come together.
- Nestle the chicken back into the pan along with any juices from the plate, spooning the sauce over the top.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Serve immediately over mashed potatoes with a garnish of fresh basil.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Pat the chicken dry before searing. Dry chicken browns instead of steaming, and that golden sear is where half the flavor lives.
- Use an oven safe skillet. Cast iron is ideal because it goes from stovetop sear straight into the oven, no second dish needed.
- Do not skip the deglaze. Scraping the stuck on bits into the stock is what gives the sauce its deep savory flavor, so get every last bit off the bottom.
- Grate the Parmesan fresh. Pre shredded cheese has anti caking agents that keep it from melting smooth. A fresh grated wedge gives you a silky sauce every time.
- Pull the chicken at 162 degrees. Carryover cooking finishes the job to a safe 165 while it rests, so the chicken stays juicy instead of overcooking.
- Make the mashed potatoes while it bakes. The 15 to 20 minutes in the oven is exactly enough time to whip up a pot of creamy mashed potatoes to spoon it all over.
- Save the sauce. Any leftover sauce is incredible the next day tossed with pasta or spooned over our savory mashed sweet potatoes.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Marry Me Chicken was born to be served over a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes, where that sundried tomato cream sauce can pool into every buttery bite. For a lighter spin, ladle it over our savory mashed sweet potatoes or alongside a pile of garlic snow peas to balance all that richness.
For a real date night in, plate the Marry Me Chicken next to a couple of grilled ribeye steaks and finish with a slice of lemon buttercream cake for dessert. Pour a batch mojito and the at home dinner date is officially better than the restaurant.
Leftovers are a gift. Slice the chicken and toss it with pasta in the leftover sauce for a Marry Me Chicken pasta lunch, or stuff it into a warm roll for the best next day sandwich. It reheats gently and the sauce only gets better overnight.
Marry Me Chicken FAQs
Marry Me Chicken is seared chicken breasts simmered in a rich creamy sauce made with garlic, chicken stock, heavy cream, sundried tomatoes, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. It is a one pan dinner that tastes like a fancy restaurant entree but comes together in about 40 minutes.
The story goes that this creamy sundried tomato chicken is so good it could inspire a marriage proposal at the dinner table. The rich Parmesan cream sauce is the kind of dish that makes people fall in love, hence the name Marry Me Chicken.
Mashed potatoes are the classic pairing because they soak up all that creamy sundried tomato sauce. It is also delicious over pasta, rice, or with a side of garlic bread and a green vegetable to round out the plate.
Yes, boneless skinless chicken thighs work wonderfully and stay extra juicy. Sear and bake them the same way, just cook until they reach 165 degrees, which may take a couple extra minutes than breasts.
You can sear the chicken and make the sauce a few hours ahead, then refrigerate and bake just before serving. The sauce may thicken in the fridge, so stir in a splash of stock or cream when you reheat to loosen it back up.
Store leftover Marry Me Chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of cream or stock to bring the sauce back, since high heat can cause the cream to separate.
Other Recommended Easy Chicken Dinners
If this Marry Me Chicken over mashed potatoes earned a proposal at your table, drop a star rating and tell us how the family rated that sauce. Pictures of your skillet on Pinterest make our day.
Craving more creamy one pan dinners, our creamy kielbasa pasta recipe brings the same rich comfort with smoky Polish sausage and a velvety Parmesan cream sauce that comes together in one skillet on a busy weeknight.
Love a creamy chicken dinner? Our crispy chicken parmesan sandwich, crispy fried chicken with marinara and melty mozzarella on a toasted garlic butter hoagie, baked until bubbly.
Marry Me Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 thinly sliced chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes drained
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- fresh chopped basil, for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.4 thinly sliced chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Add the olive oil once hot in a large cast iron or regular skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown and place them on a plate.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add the garlic, constantly stirring until fragrant.2 tablespoons butter, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to get any stuck-on bits.1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- Add the cream, tomatoes, cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepper flakes, and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Add the chicken breasts back to the pan along with any juices on the plate and cover with the sauce. Bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temperature reaches 165°F. Serve immediately with a garnish of fresh basil.fresh chopped basil, for garnish
Video
Notes
- This makes 4 servings, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- You can use different cuts of chicken or different proteins.
- This reheats and freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Serve over something like pasta, potatoes, or rice to soak up the sauce!
- Purchase pre-sliced thin chicken breasts or cut 2 large chicken breasts in half lengthwise.
- Make sure to use a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, or else you will need to place the seared chicken with the sauce into a baking dish to finish in the oven.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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So good! Our family’s new favourite chicken recipe.
Thanks so much!
So flavorful! One of my favorites!!