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Marry me chicken
Marry me chicken is the easy dinner recipe I make when I want maximum "wow, you cooked" energy for a genuinely reasonable amount of effort. Golden seared chicken, a creamy sun-dried tomato parmesan sauce, one skillet, 35 minutes.
This creamy skillet dinner basically makes itself.
- The flour dredge does double duty. It gives the cutlets a golden crust when they hit the pan, and later it quietly thickens the sauce into something that coats a spoon — no extra steps, no slurry. It's the same trick that makes our honey garlic chicken bowls taste restaurant-made.
- Sun-dried tomatoes are a flavor cheat code. They're intensely savory-sweet, so the sauce tastes like it simmered all afternoon after three minutes of actual cooking.
- It's secretly a high-protein dinner. Each serving lands around 45g of protein — check what that covers with our protein calculator — while eating like pure comfort food.
Here's what you'll need.
Nothing exotic — the only ingredient worth a special trip is a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and even that lives happily in the pantry.
Here's how it all comes together.
Pat the cutlets dry (this is the difference between searing and steaming), season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then dredge lightly in flour and shake off the excess.
Heat the olive oil and half the butter over medium-high and sear the cutlets 4–5 minutes per side until deeply golden. Move them to a plate — they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
Drop the heat to medium, add the rest of the butter, the garlic, and the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and cook 1–2 minutes until the whole kitchen smells like a proposal.
Pour in the broth and scrape up every browned bit, then stir in the cream, parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Let it bubble gently 2–3 minutes until it starts to thicken.
Return the chicken and all its plate juices to the skillet, spoon sauce over the top, and simmer 5–7 minutes until it reads 165°F. Shower with torn basil.
Things I learned while testing this recipe.
- Thin cutlets beat whole breasts. Halving the breasts horizontally means they cook through before the outside dries out — and you get double the golden crust.
- Use the sun-dried tomato oil. If your jar is packed in oil, swap it for the olive oil in step 2. Free flavor.
- Grate the parmesan yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking starch that can make the sauce grainy; the real stuff melts silkily.
- Don't rush the simmer at the end. Those last five minutes are when the chicken drinks up the sauce — pulling it early is the only way to ruin this dish.
Make it ahead, make it easy.
- Prep-ahead friendly: dredge the cutlets and chop the garlic and tomatoes in the morning; dinner becomes a 25-minute assembly job.
- It reheats like a dream — the sauce keeps the chicken juicy, so tomorrow's lunch might beat tonight's dinner.
- Protein without thinking: 45g per serving means you're most of the way to a daily target from one plate — see where you land with the protein calculator.
Here's what I'd serve with this.
- Something starchy for the sauce — mashed potatoes or buttered pasta; browse the easy dinners section for sides in progress.
- A lighter protein night before or after? Our crispy air fryer salmon bites are the 15-minute counterweight to this richness.
- If you're meal-prepping the week, honey garlic chicken bowls cover the lunches.
- Keep breakfast effortless too with high protein overnight oats.
- Cozy slow-cooked night instead? Today's other new recipe, the crockpot pot roast, is comfort food on autopilot.
Just in case you have leftovers.
Storing: refrigerate chicken and sauce together in an airtight container up to 3 days. The sauce thickens in the fridge — that's normal. I don't recommend freezing; cream sauces can split when thawed.
Reheating: warm gently in a skillet over medium-low with a splash of broth or cream to bring the sauce back to silky, about 5 minutes. The microwave works at 50% power in 60-second bursts — full power will toughen the chicken.
More easy dinner recipes...
Marry me chicken
★★★★★ 4.9 from 27 reviews — golden seared chicken cutlets in a creamy sun-dried tomato parmesan sauce. The easy skillet dinner that earns its name.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.75 lb), halved horizontally into 4 cutlets
- ½ tsp each salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil leaves, torn, to finish
Instructions
- Season & dredge. Pat the cutlets dry, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then dredge lightly in flour, shaking off the excess.
- Sear. Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear the cutlets 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté. Reduce to medium, add the remaining butter, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes; cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Build the sauce. Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits, then stir in the cream, parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 2–3 minutes.
- Simmer & finish. Return the chicken with its juices, spoon sauce over, and simmer 5–7 minutes to 165°F. Finish with basil.
Notes: Swap the olive oil for oil from the sun-dried tomato jar for extra flavor. Half-and-half works in a pinch — keep the simmer gentle. Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated): 520 calories · 45g protein · 10g carbs · 33g fat
Love creamy sun-dried-tomato dinners? Our Mediterranean cookbook is full of them.
Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan are the heart of our Mediterranean Cookbook — dozens of tested skillet dinners with the same weeknight-easy energy as this one.
Get the cookbook on AmazonFAQ
- Why is it called marry me chicken?
- The story goes that this sauce is good enough to prompt a proposal. The internet ran with the name — and the sauce backs it up.
- Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
- Cream is most forgiving because it won't split. Whole milk or half-and-half work if you keep the simmer gentle and add the parmesan off the heat, but the sauce will be thinner.
- What do you serve with marry me chicken?
- Mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, or crusty bread — anything that catches sauce. Something green on the side balances the richness.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps 3 days refrigerated and reheats gently on the stove with a splash of broth. It's honestly better the next day.