Name: Marry Me Chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 4 medium garlic cloves, (minced); ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 3 tablespoons all purpose flour; 1½ cups chicken broth; 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; salt and pepper, (to taste); ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, (drained); ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tablespoons cream cheese, (at room temperature (cut into small pieces)); chopped fresh basil, (for garnish)

Easy Marry Me Chicken is the best chicken recipe you’ll ever make. Juicy chicken is simmered in a creamy, Tuscan sun dried tomato cheesy sauce. It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. As someone who has been married 30+ years, I can confidently agree with this statement. The chicken and the sauce are a match made in heaven, and you will love every single bite.

This recipe has some of the same flavors as my Tuscan Chicken Pasta. And the method of cooking this quick and easy chicken in a cream sauce reminds me of this recipe for Chicken Fricassee.

The History of Marry Me Chicken:

Back in 2016, Lindsay Funston was an editor at Delish, and she created the original marry me chicken recipe. How did it get its name? The video producer took a bite and declared, “I’d marry you for that chicken!” And so there you have it. Nowadays it’s also known as Wedding Chicken, Husband Chicken and I Love You Chicken.

Long before Lindsay, Ina Garten had a popular recipe for Engagement Roast Chicken. And a couple of year’s after Ina, I published a recipe in my cookbook for Newlywed Pasta (similar to marry me pasta, but no cream). There are many different versions of how to make marry me chicken, so I thought it was high time I made my own. I’ve seen some short-cut versions, but I wanted this chicken to have as much flavor as possible. My version is easy to make, but it might have a few more ingredients than some recipes (for good reason).

full shot of marry me chicken in skillet

My husband has declared this to be the best chicken recipe ever. He said that he’d propose to me all over again if I had made this when we were dating. That being said, marry me chicken is fancy enough for a date night but it’s also perfect to serve as a weeknight dinner. It’s family friendly, and you’ll get requests for the recipe. That sauce is going to win everyone over. And you might just get a proposal from someone you serve it to, whether you need one or not!

ingredients displayed for making marry me chicken

Ingredients Needed:

Chicken: Use skinless boneless chicken breasts.
Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil to saute the chicken.
Butter: Unsalted butter is the best choice because you’ll have more control over the salt added to the sauce.
Flour: All purpose flour is used to combine with the butter to make a roux to thicken the sauce.
Chicken Broth: This is the base of the sauce. Use low-sodium if you want to control the salt in the sauce.
Cream: Heavy whipping cream is what you’ll use. Don’t try to substitute it with anything else. This will make the cream as lovely and rich as can be.
Sun Dried Tomatoes: Look for the sun dried tomatoes that are packed in oil. You’ll drain them before adding to the sauce.
Cheeses: Grated Parmesan cheese melts nicely into the sauce. And for an extra creamy boost, you’ll add a little cream cheese too.
Basil: Use fresh basil for garnish.

two photos showing chicken breasts on plate and then cooked in skillet

How to make Easy Marry Me Chicken:

Season the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder and salt/pepper. In a large skillet, you’ll heat the oil. Then sear the chicken until it’s browned on both sides. You won’t be cooking it all the way through- just a nice sear to lock in the juices.

two photos showing making cream sauce in skillet for marry me chicken

Next, you’ll make the sauce by melting butter in the skillet and then adding garlic and red pepper flakes until sizzling. Then whisk in the flour to make a roux. Then whisk in the chicken broth, cream and Italian seasoning. Next add sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan and cream cheese. Bring to a boil and simmer until it thickens a bit. Add the seared chicken to the sauce, and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with fresh basil, and serve.

Recipe Tips

Use 3/4 cup dry white wine and 3/4 cup chicken broth for a lovely flavor addition to the sauce.
When sauteing the garlic and red pepper flakes in oil, splash in a little of the sun dried tomato oil. Yum!
Use a block of Parmesan to grate it fresh. It has so much more flavor than the already grated stuff. And stay away from the green can of fake Parmesan!
Boneless chicken thighs may be used in place of the chicken breasts.
It’s best avoid thick chicken breasts and use cutlets that have similar thickness. You can also slice thicker chicken breasts in half horizontally. They’ll cook more evenly that way.

marry me chicken plated with pasta and fork

What to serve with this recipe for Marry Me Chicken:

Serve the marry me chicken over freshly cooked pasta noodles! The creamy sauce will be a naturally fabulous pasta sauce.
It’s also great served over hot cooked rice.
Alternately, you can serve the chicken on its own, drizzled with sauce.
Perfect side dishes to marry me chicken are melting potatoes, green beans and mashed potatoes.
For a low-carb option, serve with zucchini noodles (zoodles) or cauliflower rice.

❤What you’ll love about Marry Me Chicken:

You will love that everyone loves what you’ve cooked for dinner.
Since the chicken simmers in the sauce, it will not be dry.
There are so many ways to serve it, and there are so many side dishes that go well with it.