Go Back

Marry Me Chicken

Marry Me Chicken is a creamy sun-dried tomato chicken dinner with golden-seared breasts and a Parmesan cream sauce that simmers until glossy and thick. The pan sauce starts with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, then turns luxurious with heavy cream and finishes with fresh basil.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breasts
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Seasoning
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika to taste Use a generous mix; season both sides of the chicken.
Cooking base
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Aromatics and tomatoes
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
Sauce
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Garnish
  • Fresh basil for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken breasts generously on both sides with your salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika to taste. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  2. Place chicken in the skillet and sear 5-6 minutes per side until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F; remove to a plate. Keep the skillet hot for the sauce.
Make the sun-dried tomato cream sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for 1 minute to toast and release fragrance. Stir and scrape up browned bits from the bottom.
  2. Pour in chicken broth and deglaze, scraping until the pan looks glossy. Simmer just until slightly reduced, then proceed.
  3. Stir in cream, Parmesan, dried Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Finish and serve
  1. Return chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over each breast. Simmer 2 more minutes until warmed through.
  2. Garnish with fresh basil and serve over pasta or mashed potatoes. Spoon extra sauce over the top so it pools thickly.

Notes

Pro tip: For the best sauce thickness, deglaze thoroughly before adding cream so the browned bits fully dissolve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days in a covered container; reheat gently in a skillet until the chicken is hot and the sauce loosens slightly with a splash of cream or broth. Freezing is not recommended because the cream sauce can separate. For a lighter swap, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream, simmering 1-2 minutes longer to thicken.