Marry Me Chicken
Marry Me Chicken is a family favorite two-thumbs-up dinner. The chicken is juicy, the sauce is creamy, and the tomatoes give it a kick of spice. You need a few ingredients, one pan, and less than an hour to have dinner on the table from start to finish.
Everyone loves a good chicken dinner, and this one rates up there with the best. It’s loaded with garlic, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, half and half, and parmesan cheese. The chicken is nestled in the sauce and baked until done. It’s quite easy, and the flavors blend together well to make a lip-smacking dish.
Why Is It Called Marry Me Chicken?
Rumor has it that once your “sweetie” takes a bite of this chicken, they will be yours forever. Now I can’t say that I personally know anyone who has given their heart to another over a chicken dish; however, it is a great dish for someone special.
What Makes This Dish Fantastic?
This Marry Me Chicken Recipe is a super simple dish full of fantastic flavors. Once you brown the chicken and mix the sauce, the oven does the work for you. The creamy sauce is fantastic scooped over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Why Should I Make This Recipe?
- Easy– Once you brown the chicken, the oven does the work for you.
- Amazing Flavors– The garlic, diced tomatoes with green chilis, and parmesan cheese fills this dish with lip-smacking goodness.
- Few Ingredients– A great dish with just a few ingredients.
Ingredients Needed for the Best Marry Me Chicken
Chicken – I used chicken thighs for this recipe, and they were big, thick deli-style cuts. But feel free to use your favorite cut of meat. Boneless breast, thighs, or legs will work. However, you will need to adjust the cooking time depending on the cut and the size of your chicken.
Salt/Pepper – There is no amount listed. Season to your taste.
Oil – Vegetable oil is fine for browning the chicken.
Minced Garlic – I like to use jarred garlic in most recipes. It’s already minced and ready to go.
Red Pepper Flakes – This gives this dish the right amount of spice. I used 1/2 teaspoon, but feel free to adjust the amount according to your family’s taste.
Chicken Broth – I used the 1 cup for added flavor and sauce.
Half & Half – This gives the dish added creaminess.
Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis – A little more spice is nice.
Parmesan Cheese – The shredded cheese melts into the sauce, adding flavor and creaminess. I used 1/2 cup; use more if desired.
How To Make Easy Marry Me Chicken
For complete instructions, scroll to the bottom for the recipe card.
- Season and Brown the Chicken
- Add all ingredients to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
- Bake until done.
- Serve over noodles, rice, or potatoes.
Tools
Cast Iron Skillet or Oven Safe Skillet
Expert Tips and Variations
- Select chicken about the same size in thickness. This will ensure everything gets done at the same time.
- This recipe moves quickly. It is helpful to have all of your ingredients ready before cooking.
- Boneless will work well for this recipe. The cook time will be shorter for boneless cuts.
- If you don’t have half & half, heavy cream will also work. I sometimes swap out these ingredients, and the outcome is the same.
- Start this dish in a skillet that is oven safe. This will cut down on transferring to another dish before baking.
Storage Tips
Store any leftover Marry Me Chicken in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. This will keep for 3-4 days.
How to Serve
Serve Marry Me Chicken over pasta noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. Make sure to spoon extra sauce over the top.
If you prefer other sides:
Broccoli Salad is excellent.
Honey Butter Skillet Corn will have you licking the dish for more.
Southern Collard Greens is a southern favorite.
Cabbage and Onions is so simple to make and a wonderful side dish.
Recipe FAQs
Other Easy Dinner Dishes I Should Try:
Marry Me Chicken
Ingredients
- 5-6 chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic from a jar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup half & half or heavy cream
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilis drained
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet/oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with oil.
- Brown both sides of the chicken- about 5 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- To the hot skillet, add the minced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, add pepper flakes, chicken broth, half & half. Scrape all those tiny bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in tomatoes with chilis and cheese and bring to a simmer.
- Return the chicken to the skillet turning several times to coat the chicken well.
- Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. This cooking time will depend on your chicken's thickness and cut.
- Remove from the oven and serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. Or enjoy it with another side dish.
It looks amazing and tastes even better! Excited to add this to the weeknight rotation.
I could definitely see how this could reel someone in for good. It’s such a tasty dish!
This quick, easy and fabulous, marry me chicken is going on my Menu right now.
This is so easy and delicious. A perfect weeknight meal!
Yummo! I love marry me chicken, and your version looks fantastic. I love that sort of almost burned top. It’s perfect!
The name sounds interesting, and I am going to make this chicken recipe this weekend. Thanks for sharing.
We tried this last night and it was wonderful! Definitely a must-try chicken recipe!
what a cute name and it is really flavourful. I’d make it agian!
OMG!!! This is the best chicken ever. Love how tender and juice in the inside is, and how flavorful it is on the outside.
Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely delicious. This is a fantastic recipe!
Love the sauce on top of pasta! My family loved this chicken dish!
The name cracks me up! Had to make it just because of that…great, easy recipe!
The skin looks so crispy, love it! I have some chicken drumsticks sitting in the fridge right now, so will try your recipe with them, I guess it doesn’t really make much difference if I use thighs or drumsticks. Looking forward to the result.