An easy marry me chicken recipe that simplifies the viral recipe by using chicken thighs instead of slicing chicken breast into cutlets, plus we skip the breading on the chicken. The pan seared chicken gets married in a sun-dried tomato parmesan cream sauce. The TikTok rumor is that it'll make your special person want to marry you! It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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Best Marry Me Chicken!
If you're looking for an easy marry me chicken recipe, this seriously is it. We took out unnecessary steps and tweaked this so that you get the best marry me chicken the first time! Get it on the table in less than 30 minutes with no special tools required!
I mean...if you want your significant other to propose, if you don't nail it on the first try then you might not get that engagement! ;). All jokes aside...
What is Marry Me Chicken?
The viral Marry Me chicken recipe is actually the same as Tuscan chicken, which has been around for many many years.
The recipe for marry me chicken got its catchy nickname from TikTok and it took off from there. While the origin might have come from TikTok (perhaps this should be called TikTok marry me chicken), we can guarantee it'll be a hit in your household!
But it sounds like Gen Z just caught wind of this classic creamy chicken recipe with sundried tomatoes, so they gave it a new name and also put new life into this recipe!
Why You'll Love This!
- Full of flavor - an Italian style savory, tangy, and creamy tomato sauce gets added with juicy and perfectly cooked chicken.
- Easy to customize! Change the protein, veggies, or herbs
- Super moist and juicy meat since we use chicken thighs instead of breasts that can dry out. Plus we give you tips on how not to overcook your chicken.
- It's made without a roux, which in our opinion isn't necessary! We show you how to thicken our easy marry me chicken recipe with one less step than other recipes.
- It's low carb, gluten free, and a keto chicken recipe too!
If you're looking for more marry me chicken recipes, be sure to try our crockpot marry me chicken too! We made a slow cooker version with fresh spinach added.
Ingredient Notes
All of the ingredients used in our version are simple basic, other than the sun dried tomatoes perhaps. You can buy sundried tomatoes in a jar with oil, but we actually prefer the dried ones since they're cheaper.
Don't have or don't like sundried tomatoes? Keep reading because we show you below how to make a marry me chicken recipe without sundried tomatoes!
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- extra virgin olive oil
- butter
- SAUCE
- cloves garlic
- chicken broth
- heavy whipping cream
- dried Italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- fine sea salt
- ground black pepper
- parmesan cheese
- sun dried tomatoes
- fresh basil leaves
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Supplies You'll Need
- Large skillet to pan fry the chicken and make the sun dried tomato sauce
Substitutions
As written, our marry me chicken recipe is keto, low carb, and gluten free.
- Dairy Free- use coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream and plant based swaps for the butter and parmesan cheese like vegan margarine and nutritional flakes.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken
There's just two basic steps in cooking our Tuscan chicken recipe. Quickly pan fry the chicken and set it aside. The make a simple yet flavorful sundried tomato cream sauce and serve it over the chicken.
Cook the Chicken
- Trim any fat from the chicken, if needed. Dry the chicken with paper towels. Generously season both sides with salt, black pepper, and paprika.
- In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil and melt the butter on medium-high. Brown the chicken on each side for 3-4 minutes (it won't be cooked all the way through). Transfer it to a plate, cover it with foil, and set it aside.
- Sauté the garlic for 1 minute until it's fragrant. Add the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
Make the Sauce
- Add the heavy whipping cream, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper until the cream is heated through, do not let it come to a boil or it will burn.
- Mix in the parmesan cheese a little bit at a time (to prevent clumping). Stir constantly until it's melted.
- Stir in the sundried tomatoes. Put the chicken back in the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for a few more minutes until the chicken is cooked through to 165 F. Adjust seasonings if needed (more salt and pepper, more red pepper flakes).
- Garnish with thin basil slivers and enjoy! Serve with roasted vegetables, cauliflower rice for low carb, or over rice or pasta.
Recipe Tips
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or chicken cutlets can be used for this recipe. If you're pan-frying chicken tenders, reduce the cooking time to 2-3 minutes per side. T
- o add fresh baby spinach, mix it in when you add the sundried tomatoes.
- To lighten this recipe up a bit, use olive oil instead of butter, use half n half instead of heavy whipping cream, and add a thickener such as cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Change the protein: boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, or boneless pork chops.
- Skip the sundried tomatoes: stir in halved cherry tomatoes at the end or swap them for roasted red peppers. You could also stir in a can of drained diced tomatoes.
- Spicy Twist: Add jalapeños or red pepper flakes for heat.
- Mediterranean: Include kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese.
- Add a citrus twist with lemon zest.
- Change the herbs: while we used fresh basil, other popular Tuscan style herbs you could use are rosemary, thyme, and oregano.
- More cheese please: Melt mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top.
- Add Pesto: Add a generous dollop of pesto sauce to take this recipe up a notch!
- Coconut Lover: Swap the heavy whipping cream with coconut cream.
What to Serve With Marry Me Chicken
- White rice or brown rice
- Pasta
- Roasted vegetables
- Sauteed spinach
- Cauliflower rice
- Gnocchi
- Polenta
Storing & Reheating
- Store: The chicken dish will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freezing the creamy chicken recipe isn't ideal since some dairy products get grainy after defrosting. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, but for best results, eat it the same week you cook it.
- Reheat: Reheat leftover Tuscan chicken in a skillet over medium low heat. Make sure to bring the temperature of the chicken up to 165 F when tested with an instant read digital thermometer.
FAQ's
TikTok marry me chicken is the modern name for Tuscan chicken, which is made with chicken thighs, and a creamy sundried tomato sauce.
Sometimes you'll find it with baby spinach mixed in or fresh basil leaves. Some readers make it with chicken thighs and others use boneless skinless chicken breasts.There's more than one way to make this marry me chicken TikTok recipe!
Our marry me chicken recipe is keto, low carb, and gluten free! We made it with whipping cream instead of milk and flour to not only make it easier, but to also make this a keto friendly recipe.
More Easy Skillet Chicken Recipes
- Chicken with mushroom sauce
- Asian chicken lettuce wraps
- Chicken parmesan casserole
- Parmesan crusted chicken
If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!
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Recipe for Marry Me Chicken
An easy marry me chicken recipe that simplifies the viral recipe by using chicken thighs instead of slicing chicken breast into cutlets, plus we skip the breading on the chicken. The pan seared chicken gets married in a sun dried tomato parmesan cream sauce. The TikTok rumor is that it'll make your special person want to marry you!
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or thin chicken breast cutlets)
- salt
- pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika (not smoked)
- 1+ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1+ tablespoon butter
- SAUCE
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 C chicken broth
- 1 C heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or ½ teaspoon each of dried oregano + dried basil)
- ¼-1/2+ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼+ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 C parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the chicken, if needed. Dry the chicken with paper towels. Generously season both sides with salt, black pepper, and paprika.
In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil and melt the butter on medium-high. Brown the chicken on each side for 3-4 minutes (it won't be cooked all the way through). Transfer it to a plate, cover it with foil, and set it aside.
Saute the garlic for 1 minute until it's fragrant. Add the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add the heavy whipping cream, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper until the cream is heated through, do not let it come to a boil or it will burn.
Mix in the parmesan cheese a little bit at a time (to prevent clumping). Stir constantly until it's melted.
Stir in the sundried tomatoes. Put the chicken back in the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for a few more minutes until the chicken is cooked through to 165 F. Adjust seasonings if needed (more salt and pepper, more red pepper flakes).
Garnish with thin basil slivers and enjoy! Serve with roasted vegetables, cauliflower rice for low carb, or over rice or pasta.
Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or chicken cutlets can be used for this recipe. If you're pan-frying chicken tenders, reduce the cooking time to 2-3 minutes per side.
- To add fresh baby spinach, mix it in when you add the sundried tomatoes.
- To lighten this recipe up a bit, use olive oil instead of butter, use half n half instead of heavy whipping cream, and add a thickener such as cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
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