Marry 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.