Marry Me Chicken – A luscious, flavorful and creamy chicken dish that will make you swoon! This easy recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and one pan, worthy of a marriage proposal!
With a name like marry me chicken, this is the perfect dish to cook up for someone special! Using simple ingredients to create maximum flavor, this recipe is incredibly easy, but nonetheless dreamy.
Bone-in chicken thighs are cooked in a beautiful cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic and parmesan cheese, then baked until tender and juicy -paired with your choice of side dish. This is a homerun meal that will surely make whoever you choose to serve it to fall in love.
What is marry me chicken?
Chicken (breasts or thighs) are sauteed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and seared. A sundried tomato cream sauce combines the flavors of fresh garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese to produce a luscious sauce that coats the chicken before being thrown into the oven and baked to perfection. Marry me chicken is an easy, crowd-pleasing, 30-minute meal!
This dish is so delicious, whoever you make it for will be instantly smitten! It has been rumored that this chicken dish will make whoever eats it fall madly in love and soon after, a marriage proposal will follow. I don’t know if these rumors are true, but it’s worth a shot! *wink*
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Olive Oil – Substitute for canola oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil or avocado oil.
- Chicken – Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on!
- Salt & Pepper – To taste.
- Garlic – Fresh is best! Minced.
- Oregano – I used dried oregano!
- Red Pepper Flakes – For a little heat.
- Chicken Broth – I used low sodium or no sodium added (to control the salt levels)
- Cream – Heavy cream.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes – Chopped.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated!
- Parsley – Fresh, chopped – For garnish (basil will work as well)
How to make marry me chicken
- Preheat Oven – Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.
- Cook Chicken – In a large, oven-safe skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper on both sides, add it to the skillet (skin side down) and sear for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Flip and repeat. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Make Sauce – Turn the heat down to medium. In the same skillet add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, then stir in broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken to skillet, skin-side up.
- Bake – Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through, 17 to 20 minutes.
- Garnish & Serve – Garnish with parsley or basil and serve over rice or with a side of steamed vegetables.
Note:
- The chicken is cooked through when juices run clear (when chicken is pierced with a knife.)
How to serve
Serve your creamy marry me chicken over a bed of rice or pasta to soak up all that gorgeous sauce, then pair it with a side of vegetables like steamed broccoli or roasted brussels sprouts to complete the meal! Here is a list of other great options to pair with your chicken:
- Spaghetti squash
- Mashed Potatoes
- Risotto
- Broccolini
- Warm Arugula Mushroom Salad
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower Rice
- Sautéed mushrooms
How to store leftovers
Store leftover chicken in a shallow, airtight container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat in the microwave or back in a skill until chicken is heated through.
Did you like this chicken recipe? Try these:
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
- Bruschetta Chicken
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
- Garlic and Paprika Chicken
- Spicy Brazilian Coconut Chicken
- Skillet Chicken and Mushrooms
- Chicken Teriyaki
Craving More? Follow Along:
Marry Me Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on, about 6
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup chicken broth low sodium or no sodium added
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped, or basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.
- In a large, oven-safe skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper on both sides then add it to the skillet skin side down and sear it for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Flip and sear the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Turn the heat down to a medium and it the same skillet add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then stir in broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary with more salt or pepper. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken to skillet, skin-side up.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through, 17 to 20 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley or basil and serve over rice or with a side of steamed vegetables.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- The chicken is cooked through when juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife.
- Store leftover chicken in a shallow, airtight container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or back in a skill until chicken is heated through.
The recipe doesn’t tell you when to add the broth
It’s added in step 4, as per instructions.
I added frozen drained spinach and used chicken breasts cooked for 5 mins per side It was delicious. Highly recomend garlic bread or a crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
I never comment on recipes but this absolutely blew me out of the water and I had made some adjustments!
1. Do not fear if you don’t have an oven safe skillet! You can make the recipe on the stove top, using a deep pan and lid! Simmer the chicken in the sauce on low for about the same amount of time as you would need in the oven.
2. I did not have sun dried tomatoes so I largely chopped a fresh tomato and added it to the pan during the last 10 min of the cook.
3. I used boneless chicken (cooks faster!)
So glad you liked it!
This chicken recipe was outstanding!! I prepared it exactly as written. Served with sides of roasted green beans and roasted mini peppers. We chose a fresh loaf of sourdough bread to soak up the wonderf sauce.
Loved this. Didn’t have parmesan but was delicious even so.
This was everything I dreamed it would be!! I even had to use water because I had no chicken broth snd still amazing. I used boneless skinless breasts and it was still great. The sauce was so tasty.
We are so glad you enjoyed it so much!
It tasted SOOO good! Loved it! Thanks!
This was fantastic. I left out the sun-dried tomatoes because we don’t like them. Great recipe!
This was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend this recipe! Thank you for posting it!