Not to be confused with Marry Me, Chicken. The first recipe of this week is really setting the bar high. She’s a tough act to follow, this one. Delicious and easy and fast and one-pan and … and … My version of Marry Me Chicken is Italian through and through, a nod to my own roots and favorite ingredients … sun dried tomatoes, garlic, white wine, olive oil, fontina cheese … It’s just to-die-for good, and it checks all of the major MKL boxes for ease, efficiency, and affordability. Weeknight wins are forever the best.
What is Marry Me Chicken?
Named for it’s utter deliciousness and for how well the ingredients “marry together,” Marry Me Chicken is a cheeky little dish, one that really does just shine. It’s SO delicious, guys. I have always been in a bit of a love affair with sun dried tomatoes, their popularity in the nineties having little to nothing to do with my affection. No, I love them for how intense they are. They’re so stinking flavorful, in this piquant, sweet-tangy way that really is only theirs to claim.
They’re special, okay? And my initial attraction to Marry Me Chicken was a pure result of how much I love sun dried tomatoes. I hoard them apocalyptically, just stacking the jars in tidy glass towers in the recesses of my pantry. This chicken recipe is their favorite way to be used, they told me that, okay?
When you also add in my favorite cheese and a splash of white wine (more on this below), you’ve got yourself a nice little party in a skillet. A nice union indeed.
What cheese do you use in Marry Me Chicken?
Typically these Marry Me Chicken recipes feature grated or shredded parmesan cheese. This is, of course and absolutely, a great choice, always. But. Since the function of the cheese here is to melt into a cream sauce, I like to swap in some creamy, buttery fontina instead. It’s my favorite cheese guys, so you need to probably know that. It’s perfect here, there, and everywhere.
You could also use a nice provolone, I suppose. But really, this is a nice time to splurge a little bit on the Fontina.
Some cheesy tips for you:
- Always grate it fresh. The quality and taste comparison is just … well, trust me on this one. Pre-shredded cheese serves its purpose, sure. But I almost always recommend taking the 2 minutes required to grate a big block of it yourself.
- Cheese grates more easily when it’s partially frozen.
What you’ll need to make this Marry Me Chicken recipe
If you are unable to find the sun dried tomato spread or a sun dried tomato pesto, you can substitute a drained 7-ounce jar of sun dried tomatoes. Just finely chop or even food process them until they’re more of a smooth/paste-like consistency, adding water as need to achieve this. Fontina is widely available but if you can’t find that, you can sub provolone, mozzarella, or (look away food snobs!) some Velveeta (the white kind).
INGREDIENTS
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper, as needed
Olive oil or other cooking oil, as needed
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced onion, or two minced shallots
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 teaspoon chicken stock concentrate
7 ounce-jar of sun dried tomato spread or sun dried tomato pesto (see note)
â…” cup heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
1 cup shredded fontina
Fresh basil or watercress, for topping
What should I serve with Marry Me Chicken?
This chicken is truly good with and on everything, so just grab your carb of choice (rice, orzo, pasta of any shape, quinoa, etc.) and enjoy.
Marry Me Chicken: side dish pairings
Here are some great options for sides – bringing color, flavor, and variety to your plate. Guests at the reception 😉
Sticky Hot Honey Buttered Carrots with Ricotta
Perfect Crispy Roasted Potato Wedges
Easy Indian Chutney Smashed Potatoes
Garlicky Lemon Pepper Roasted Asparagus
How to make this Marry Me Chicken
One pan is all you need for this recipe, and it follows suit with many of my other chicken recipes. Sear the chicken, put it on a plate. Saute the aromatics and add in the liquids and flavor bombs. Slide the chicken back in. Add cheese. Simmer.
Smiles all around.
DIRECTIONS
Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden, and transfer to a plate (it will finish cooking later).
Reduce the heat to medium and don’t wipe out the skillet. Add the butter and a little more oil if needed to keep things from sticking (maybe a couple of teaspoons).
Next, add the onion and saute for a few minutes to tenderize.
Put the garlic in the pan and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the sun dried tomato spread or pesto (or pureed sun dried tomatoes), the cream, and sour cream and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the cheese and stir to melt it in.
Slide the chicken back into the pan, along with all of the juices. Simmer for a minute or so, or until it’s cooked through. Serve topped with watercress or basil over anything you like (rice, pasta, and quinoa are my go-to’s – depending on what I need to use up).
Enjoy.
If you like the looks of my Marry Me Chicken recipe, you might also enjoy:
Chipotle Garlic Butter Chicken
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi in a Spicy Roasted Pepper Sauce
Crispy Skin Chicken Piccata with Giant Croutons
French Onion Chicken with Cheesy Waffle Fries
Quick and Easy Indian Butter Chicken
PrintMarry Me Chicken (Ultimate Version!)
Named for its utter deliciousness and for how well the ingredients “marry together,” this is my version of Marry Me Chicken – my favorite ever. Italian inspiration abounds in this recipe (fontina! wine! sun dried tomatoes! olive oil! garlic!), and it’s a true blue fan favorite, an all-time home run hitter. She’s a keeper, this one.
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 breasts, halved crosswise (see note)
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- Olive oil or other cooking oil, as needed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free sub)
- 1 cup diced onion, or two minced shallots
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon chicken stock concentrate
- 2/3 cup dry white wine (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomato spread or sun dried tomato pesto or sun dried tomatoes, drained (see note)
- 1.5 cups chicken stock (you can sub water)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded or torn fontina cheese
- Fresh basil or watercress, for topping
Serving Suggestion: This is good with and on everything, so just grab your carb of choice (rice, orzo, pasta of any shape, quinoa, etc.) and enjoy.
Instructions
- Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden, and transfer to a plate (it will finish cooking later).
- Reduce the heat to medium and don’t wipe out the skillet.
- Add the onion and saute’ for a few minutes to tenderize in the drippings/oil. Add the butter and the flour, along with the garlic. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the wine and cook for another minute or so. Add the stock concentrate, the sun dried tomato spread or pesto (or pureed sun dried tomatoes), the stock, the cream, and the cheese. Stir to thoroughly combine, until the cheese melts. It shouldn’t need more salt, but taste and season as you like.
- Slide the chicken back into the pan, along with all of the juices. Simmer for a minute or so, or until it’s cooked through. (This makes a lot of sauce, which is not an accident.) Top with a shower of watercress or fresh basil/parsley over anything you like (rice or pasta are my go-to’s – depending on what I need to use up).
Notes
For the tomato spread: If you are unable to find the sun dried tomato spread or a sun dried tomato pesto (which work best since they’re already in spread/paste form), no worries! You can substitute a drained 7-ounce jar of sun dried tomatoes Finely chop or even food process them until they’re more of a smooth/paste-like consistency, adding water as need to achieve this. Then just use this in the recipe as instructed. It will be just as good.Â
For the chicken: You can use either boneless thighs or breasts here. I tend to always prefer thighs, because they’re more flavorful and juicy – also foolproof. But breasts are great, too. Using two breasts to feed four people, just slice them crosswise into equal halves and use those as instructed.
