Name: 'Marry Me' Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half; salt; black pepper; 1/2 tsp. garlic powder; 1/2 tsp. italian seasoning; 1/3 cup flour; 2 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter; 3 Tbsp. minced garlic; 1 1/4 tsp chicken bouillon (or one cube); 1 cup water; 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese; 1 tsp. crushed red pepper; 1/4 tsp. oregano; 1/4 tsp. dried thyme; 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes chopped; 1 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, sliced

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I will admit, when I was exploring new recipes and ran across this one I was intrigued by the name; how often do you hear of a dish called ‘Marry me chicken?’ The saying goes that if you make this dish for your partner, you should expect a marriage proposal that night. After making this, I understood why; the key to a person’s heart is through the stomach! I did make some adjustments to this to up the flavor ante.

What do I serve it with?

Marry Me Chicken can be served with pasta or risotto, but is also great with steamed asparagus or a side salad.

Start by gathering the ingredients, and mincing the garlic and grating the parmesan cheese. I recommend grating a block of parmesan cheese for this by hand as nothing beats freshly grated parmesan, and you get so much more for your money. I love my cheese grater, it’s quick to use and throw in the dishwasher after, and it comes with a guard to prevent me from cutting my hand on it (It’s sharp!) If you don’t have a grater on hand or prefer to buy your cheese pre-grated, shredded parmesan at the store works too.

Pat the whole chicken breasts dry, then slice them in half. This allows the chicken to cook evenly and prevents undercooked chicken in the middle. Season both sides of the sliced chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, add together the garlic powder, italian seasoning, and flour. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture and set aside. (Tip: I always use gallon-sized ziplock bags to shake coating onto chicken. It distributes the flour mixture more evenly than if you dredge it on a plate, and keeps the counters from having as much flour and raw chicken mess after for cleanup. Super easy!)

Heat a thin layer of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, and place the dredged chicken on once the oil starts to shimmer. Cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes. Add the butter the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, and turn the chicken to coat in the butter as soon as it’s melted. This allows the chicken to absorb the flavors of the butter, but prevents it from burning the chicken before it finishes cooking due to butter’s lower smoke point. Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a plate and cover.

In the same skillet, add the garlic and cook for one minute before adding the chicken bouillon and water. I love chicken bouillon because it’s the most bang for your buck when making chicken stock, but you can purchase pre-made chicken stock at the store to use as well. If you buy premade stock, you can omit the cup of water.

Scrape the edges of the pan with the garlic and chicken bouillon mixture, then add in heavy cream and parmesan. Continuously stir until the cheese is melted.

Once the heavy cream has started to simmer, stir in the crushed red pepper, dried thyme, oregano until well blended, then add in the sundried tomatoes. While these come prechopped in a jar, make sure to chop these into smaller pieces before adding to the skillet. Add the chicken back to the sauce and continue to simmer to allow it to thicken, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Top with sliced fresh basil before serving.

‘Marry Me’ Chicken

Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half
salt
black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
1/3 cup flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/4 tsp chicken bouillon (or one cube)
1 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, sliced

Directions

Pat dry thinly sliced chicken, and season with salt and pepper. In a gallon ziplock bag, combine flour, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. Add chicken to mixture, seal shut and shake to coat. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Once oil reaches a shimmer, add chicken and brown on each side for 4-5 minutes. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding.
Add butter last 3-4 minutes of cooking and turn to coat. Finish cooking in skillet until cooked through and transfer onto a plate. Cover chicken and set aside.
Saute the garlic for one minute in same skillet. Add chicken bouillon and water, and stir while scraping edges of pan with a wooden spoon.
Adjust the heat to medium-low, and add the heavy cream and parmesan. Allow the sauce to simmer for a couple of minutes, then stir in crushed red pepper, thyme, and oregano.
Stir in the sundried tomatoes, then add the chicken back into the sauce mixture and allow to simmer and thicken for a few more minutes. Top with basil and serve.

Notes

Slice whole chicken breasts in half to allow them to cook more evenly.
Coat the chicken in the flour mixture by shaking it in a ziplock bag to coat it evenly and for a quick cleanup.
While many dishes can be frozen for meal prep, this is not one of them. The cream sauce will not freeze well and is best enjoyed within three days.