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This super tender Marry Me Chicken with rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes is so delicious that it just might seal the deal on a proposal! It will definitely garner brownie points for you! No one has to know how easy it is!
I'm pretty sure that Scott would propose all over again just to have the promise of this delicious Marry Me Chicken in his life. Every time I make it I know there's going to be little contented sighs, "Mmmm's" and statements like "Wow, this is so good!" and "Amazing!" and "You can make this anytime!"
History of Marry Me Chicken
The original Marry Me Chicken recipe was posted by Delish back in 2018. Since then, many versions of this creamy, garlicky Sicilian-inspired chicken with sundried-tomatoes have been floating around the internet and through our social media feeds. In fact, if you google "Marry Me Chicken", 367,000,000 hits come up!
How did this dish get its name? According to Delish, "Marry Me Chicken" earned its title from a taste test by the publication's editors. When they were sampling this recipe, someone said, after taking the first bite, "I'd marry you for that chicken!". And the rest is delicious history!
My version of this renowned chicken dish is my own rendition, but does include the creamy sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. I used my Juicy Tender Chicken Breasts recipe as a base and then went with a super simple sauce made in the same pan. I love that this recipe is easy enough to make for a quick weeknight dinner, yet it also makes a very gourmet meal for entertaining.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
How to serve this Marry Me Chicken? We really enjoy this chicken served in a bowl with fresh pasta. Fresh pasta is readily available these days in most larger grocery stores. It's often stocked in the dairy case, near the butter, cheese and yogurt. It's not only super tender and delicious, but fresh pasta is also a great option because it cooks in 2-4 minutes vs dry pasta which takes around 10-12 minutes. As we all know, sometimes those few extra minutes, especially on work nights can be the deal-breaker!
Rice, mashed potatoes, quinoa, farro and polenta are also wonderful with this chicken. And if the sauce isn't enough of a splurge, just pair this dish with a side of roasted veggies. Broccoli, broccolini or these roasted carrots are all delicious too!
Put this Marry Me Chicken on your "must make" list. I'm quite certain you'll be thanking yourself over and over. And when you serve this dish to family, friends, guests... expect sighs of delight, "Mmm's" and statements like "Wow, this is so good!" and "Amazing!" and "You can make this anytime!" I'm not promising anything else... but who knows what this delicious chicken dinner might elicit....... maybe??
Café Tips for making this Marry Me Chicken
- A non-stick or regular heavy sauté pan will work well for this recipe. Just make sure that it has a cover as you will need that once you get to step 5 in the recipe.
- Most of the time, you'll find that chicken breasts are packaged with the pieces being different sizes. Don't wait for all of the chicken to reach 160˚F. Just keep an eye on it after 5 minutes of being covered and removed the pieces as they reach 160˚F. The ideal temperature for chicken that's moist and tender is 160-165˚F. The chicken will rise a few more degrees after you remove it from the pan.
- It's difficult to get perfectly cooked chicken without an instant thermometer. Instant thermometers aren't expensive and they last for years. I also use mine for baked goods to get perfectly done cakes and breads. This instant thermometer is waterproof and has over 7,000 5-star reviews.
- I like to make prepare a triple or quadruple batch of the rub and store it in a small mason jar. It makes preparing this recipe easy and quick. We also enjoy this chicken on its own (without the sauce) when we're watching our calories so it's super convenient to have this rub on hand.
- Want to make this dish ahead? Cook the chicken and sauce as directed but keep them separate. If you're preparing the recipe more than 30 minutes in advance, refrigerate both the sauce and chicken separately. Before serving, re-warm the sauce over low heat for 10 minutes, then add the chicken, cover and continue to heat (on low) until the chicken is warmed through.
- I like to use sun-dried tomatoes in oil for this recipe. I scoop out the amount I need with a slotted spoon then chop them up with a sharp knife. If you can't find sun-dried tomatoes in oil, dried will also work but you'll need to re-hydrate them before chopping.
- Either full or low-fat (Neufchâtel) cream cheese will work for this recipe but not fat-free.
- This recipe calls for white wine. A dry, crisp white wine will work well. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and dry sparkling wines are all good choices. If you don't drink wine and don't want to buy it just for this recipe, you can sub extra chicken broth for the wine.
Thought for the day:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter1:2
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.

- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1½-2 pounds
- 1 small lemon thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- For the sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth maybe more
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, plus more for garnish, if desired
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish
-
Combine the garlic salt, Italian seasoning, paprika and pepper in a small bowl. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board or large plate and sprinkle both sides with the rub. Place lemon slices on a separate plate and sprinkle with a little bit of the rub. Use all of the rub.
-
Place cream cheese in a small microwave-safe bowl or cup. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high power for 20-40 seconds or until cream cheese is very soft. Stir until nice and smooth then, slowly add the milk. Stir again until all of the milk is incorporated and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
-
Heat a medium-large sauté pan or skillet (a pan that has a cover) over medium heat. Add the butter and oil and heat until butter is melted and beginning to bubble. Add the lemons and sauté for 30 seconds then remove them back to the plate.
-
Add the chicken breasts to the pan (smooth side down) and cook, uncovered for 3 minutes or until underneath side is a pretty golden brown. You want the chicken to be sizzling while it cooks but if the butter/oil is splattering (making a mess on the stovetop), reduce the heat a bit to maintain a gentle sizzle.
-
Flip chicken to the opposite side and cover the pan. Lower the heat slightly and cook for 5-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken) until underside is golden brown and an instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160˚F. (Don’t go by just color. It’s important to check the temperature.)
-
Remove the chicken to a clean plate and tent with foil.
-
Add the finely minced or grated garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the wine and chicken stock and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits from the chicken. Boil for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about one half.
-
Reduce heat to low and add the cream cheese mixture, the sun-dried tomatoes and the chopped rosemary. Stir and cook over low heat until cream cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it out with a little more chicken broth. It should have the consistency of heavy cream.
-
Return the chicken to the pan and cover. With the heat on low, cook for about 3 minutes or until chicken is warmed through. Top with the lemon slices and sprinkle with extra chopped rosemary (and sprigs, if desired) and sun-dried tomatoes, for garnish.
See Café Tips above in the post for further instructions and detailed tips.
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Terry says
I made the Marry Me Chicken, and we just loved it! As we were eating it ,I was already thinking which guests I would serve this to.I made it according to your directions, except i reduced the Rosemary, add it still turned out wonderful.Your recipes have made me look like a master chef. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! Thank you for letting us know, Terry!
Carol Walkins says
Love love love this recipe. I used all chicken broth as suggested (dont drink wine) and cut down the amount of sun dried tomatoes. We are trying to limit carbs and this is an excellent recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Carol!
Karen L. Calanchini says
How would this work with skin on bone in chicken thighs?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Karen, the timing would be quite different, with bone-in chicken breasts taking much longer. I'm sure it would be delicious but I can't give you exact times since I haven't tested the recipe with this cut of chicken. Let us know if you try it!
me says
YEAH, the chicken came out fine...its just that, the sauce came out ruuuuuunnnnnnyyyyyy...it would have been nice to know that the cream cheese/milk is essential a roux to the overall sauce and no amount of cornstarch or butter, after the fact would help this...i havent had a microwave in decades, and i dont know how much this had todo with it...
all the fun fluff talk of recipies are just over done when you dont speak of the key elements that make or break the time and money...
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Me, so sorry you had trouble with this recipe, I hate wasting good ingredients. It's difficult to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. I haven't had this issue and, if you read the other reviews, others haven't either. Again, sorry you had problems.
Joy says
I made this for a family gathering for my daughter-in-law's birthday. I am not an experienced cook but this turned out incredible. I made an extra tray so I could send leftovers home with our children but there was not an ounce left. In particular, the men seemed to love it.
Unfortunately, it did not inspire my youngest son to propose to his girlfriend so I will have to keep serving it until it works.
Chris Scheuer says
Hahahahahaha! I love it! So happy you enjoyed it, Joy! And thanks for making me laugh.
Gayann says
I just finished making the Marry Me Chicken! I doubled the sauce, and I am serving it with mashed potatoes and asparagus…it looks picture perfect! Between this and the pink cloud cookies, I am batting 1000 this week! Thankyou Chris!!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Gayann!
MJ says
Thank you for this fabulous five-star recipe. The chicken was golden brown, juicy and full of flavor, and the sauce just made me want to throw manners out the window and lick the plate clean. I used lower-cal Neufchatel cheese in the sauce, skipped the pasta and served with fresh asparagus.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, MJ!