Marry Me Chicken

This Marry Me Chicken recipe is the most irresistible chicken dinner with plenty of restaurant-quality sauce that tastes great over pasta! (Note: A wedding proposal may follow.)

Be sure to serve this with a side of greens and beans!

Marry Me Chicken

This Marry Me Chicken might just be my most delicious chicken recipe yet! The flavor profile includes the best combination of flavors that balance each other out perfectly. If you’re a sauce lover- this recipe is for you, because there is plenty of it here! Feel free to boil up some pasta to serve on the side and drizzle some sauce on top.

What is Marry Me Chicken

The flavors in this recipe perfectly contrast and complement one another. In other words, they create the perfect marriage of flavors, and rumor has it, that serving it to a loved one may result in a marriage proposal. 😉

This sauce has a hint of acidity from sundried tomatoes and tomato paste, which is offset by a touch of sweetness from honey. Chicken broth gives the sauce a savory flavor, with an enhanced depth of flavor from a little bouillon. White wine is used to deglaze the pan after the chicken is seared, which also acts as a wonderful flavor enhancer. 

From there, we have some garlic and a perfect blend of seasonings, along with a little half and half and a dab of cream cheese. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese at the end adds umami and irresistible flavor. 

If you are familiar with my Tuscan Chicken recipe, you’ll notice similar flavors in this dish, though there are enough differences between them to make them each distinct. 

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2-3 thinner slices. Tenderize with a meat mallet. Season each side and dredge it in flour. Sear in olive oil and set aside.

Add white wine to the same skillet. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the pan and let the liquid bubble gently and reduce by half. Add the garlic and tomato paste, then melt butter.

Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the sundried tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it reduce, thicken, and concentrate for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, then serve! (See below for side dish serving suggestions.)

What to Serve With Marry Me Chicken

• Up to 1/2 lb. pasta can be served with this with some sauce drizzled on top. DeCecco Pappardelle Pasta is what is pictured on the plated shot in this recipe.
• I also have a Marry Me Chicken Pasta recipe!
• Buttered Noodles is a perfect way to accompany this meal. This can also be accompanied by a drizzle of sauce on top.
• A variety of Roasted Vegetables.
• Garlic Bread With Cheese.
• Roasted, Mashed, or Skillet Potatoes.

Pro Tips

• Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
• I prefer to use Mezzetta Sundried tomatoes in this recipe. Be careful about selecting a variety that may be seasoned with herbs, I prefer plain as we’re already seasoning this sauce.
• Some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes can be used to sear the chicken for even more flavor!
• I use Mutti Tomato Paste tubes, they’re handy for measuring smaller/customized amounts.
• Hot Sauce: This is a flavor enhancer in this recipe and doesn’t make the end result spicy, I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
• Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso Parmesan. 
• The longer this sauce simmers, the thicker and more concentrated it will get. 
• Optional additions include: Sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and sliced cherry tomatoes, basil.

Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does freeze/reheat well.
• To reheat: Defrost leftovers in the fridge overnight or in the microwave, then bake in a small, lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20-25 minutes. 

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• 3 Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– This is the skillet pictured in this recipe.
• 1 quart measuring cup with a spout– This is what I use to combine the gravy ingredients at the beginning. The spout makes it easy to add it to the roux in small splashes. 
• Meat Tenderizer– This makes the meat much more tender.
• 8-inch Chef’s Knife– This is the one I have, I love it.
• Kitchen Tongs– makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing.
• Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.

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Marry Me Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

5 from 14 ratings

Servings: 4 people

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Marry Me Chicken has the most irresistible marriage of flavors that will leave you wanting more! This recipe makes plenty of restaurant-quality sauce to serve with pasta on the side.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chicken

• ▢ 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ Salt/Pepper
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

• ▢ 2 ½ cups chicken broth
• ▢ ½ chicken bouillon cube , or ½ tsp better than bouillon
• ▢ ½ cup half and half
• ▢ 2 teaspoons honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot sauce, see notes
• ▢ ½ cup white wine, see notes
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, drained and diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temp
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Sauce Seasonings

• ▢ ¾ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Each: dried oregano, dried basil, mustard powder
• ▢ 1 pinch red pepper flakes

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Instructions

Prep Work

• For the sauce: In a large measuring cup with a spout, combine the chicken broth, bouillon, half and half, honey, hot sauce, and sauce seasonings and set aside.
• Measure out all remaining ingredients before beginning.

Make the Chicken

• Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2-3 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick.
• Season each side with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle with flour and rub it over the surface of each side. (The flour gives it a little texture and prevents it from sticking to the skillet. It also thickens the sauce a little more at the end.)
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside.

Make the Sauce

• Turn the heat off. Add the wine and then set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom and sides of the skillet, the “fond” will add more flavor to the sauce. Bring to a gentle bubble and reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute.
• Melt the butter and add the flour. Stir continuously for 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is cooked off.
• Add the chicken broth mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. (This is the mixture that we combined in step 1 of prep work.)
• Add the sundried tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. During this time the flavors will meld, and the sauce will thicken and concentrate.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese until combined. Gradually stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Let it simmer and reduce for 5-7 minutes, uncovered. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:

• Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
• I prefer to use Mezzetta Sundried tomatoes in this recipe. Be careful about selecting a variety that may be seasoned with herbs, I prefer plain as we’re already seasoning this sauce.
• Some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes can be used to sear the chicken for even more flavor!
• I use Mutti Tomato Paste tubes, they're handy for measuring smaller/customized amounts.
• Hot Sauce: This is a flavor enhancer in this recipe and doesn't make the end result spicy, I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
• Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso Parmesan. 
• The longer this sauce simmers, the thicker and more concentrated it will get. 
• Optional additions include: Sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and sliced cherry tomatoes, basil.
• I also have a Marry Me Chicken Pasta recipe!

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Storage:

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does freeze/reheat well.
• To reheat: Defrost leftovers in the fridge overnight or in the microwave, then bake in a small, lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20-25 minutes. 

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The nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 1117mg, Potassium: 735mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 719IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 204mg, Iron: 3mg

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Author: Stephanie