If you’re a regular on social media sites, you’ve probably heard of Marry Me Chicken, but perhaps you don’t yet know what’s so special about it. Legend has it, or so I read on the internet, that when the female employees at a magazine made this recipe for their boyfriends, they all proposed. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but whenever I make this dish I personally congratulate my husband for having married me because it really is that good!
I’ve seen a lot of recipes for this dish and normally they are lighter in colour, creamier looking but my version is a bit darker and I love that. The richness of this dark, inviting sauce is just perfect alongside the moist, tender chicken breasts. There’s so much flavour packed into this version of Marry Me Chicken and it’s surprisingly easy to make. It’s so easy that it’s now on my list of what to cook when we have dinner guests because it’s beautiful, serves 4 people and tastes like it’s harder to make than it is.
If you’re not quite familiar with sundried tomatoes, you’re in for a treat. I personally don’t really like tomatoes and if you’re like me, you don’t have to eat them, but the flavour in the sauce is brilliant so don’t pass this by. Sundried tomatoes are usually sold packed in oil in a jar. That oil is full of flavour and occasionally there are other bits in the jar as well like garlic or capers. These flavours are going to make the chicken really sing, so I would suggest to buy the best quality sundried tomatoes you can find or afford to make this dish as special as it can be. It will be worth it!
As for the chicken you’re using in this recipe, again on this occasion I must stress that quality is important here. There are times when it doesn’t matter and it’s worth it to save a little money and then there are other times when the best you can get is, well, the best. I urge you to buy the best chicken you can afford for this particular recipe as I think it does actually make a difference. I used quite large chicken breasts that I got from my local butcher and therefore I would caution against using fillets that are too small unless you reduce the cooking time.
You don’t need anything more than a large frying pan for this recipe. If you don’t have a large frying pan or even a wok with a lid, then something like a flame-proof, large lidded casserole (dutch oven) will also work just fine. As for serving, you can have this gorgeous chicken and sauce alongside anything, but if you ask me, some steamed green beans with a little sea salt on them, Lemon Pepper Roast New Potatoes and a perhaps few slices of baguette for scooping up the sauce are the perfect accompaniments. Let’s get started!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 50g plain flour
- Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 125g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons of the oil from the sundried tomatoes (if you don’t have quite enough, you can supplement regular olive oil)
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
- 150ml double cream
- 250ml strong chicken stock
- 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
Method
- Mix the flour with some sea salt & freshly ground black pepper in a shallow dish or on a plate. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, making sure to coat all the pink raw looking surfaces with a light dusting of flour.
- Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan that has a lid over medium heat and once the oil is hot, fry the chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side until crisp & golden on the outside, but still not cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts to a place and set aside.
- Pour the remaining oil into the skillet along with the chopped onion and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and continue to cook for another minute or two.
- Add the chopped sundried tomatoes and the thyme leaves and give it a good stir before putting the chicken breasts along with any juices left on the plate.
- Pour the cream and chicken stock over the chicken breast fillets, season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and pop on the lid. Continue cooking on medium low with the lid on for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the chicken half-way through the cooking time. It’s done when the sauce has thickened a bit and the chicken is cooked through.
- To finish, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle fresh thyme leaves lightly across the top. Serve hot with the creamy sauce spooned over the chicken.
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