I love a recipe that comes as folklore. Legendary with a sprinkle of drama. A great story even if it’s only half true. My favorite are the recipes that, as legend would have it, are SO GOOD they’ll inspire a marriage proposal. Has a chicken alone ever carried so much weight? This is likely how our favorite Aunt Ina bagged our favorite Uncle Jeffrey, with a roasted chicken, good quality olive oils and tomatoes picked from the garden, amen amen. I can humbly say that if marriage proposals were based on chicken alone you’d best believe I’d be knockin’ down men on their knees a few times a week. Maybe it’s not just one great dish that inspires the knee, but a hot simmering dinner pot and all the love therein, seals the deal. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, friends: Marry Me Chicken.
Full disclosure, this might be a TikTok recipe though it’s certainly not a TikTok concept. I made a few essential changes to this commitment chicken. I opted for boneless skinless chicken thighs, roasted tomatoes instead of sun-dried tomatoes, I added olives, and doubled the amount of sauce in order to serve the dish over rice or pasta and not be stingy. Stingy is not sexy – that’s what we know.
My hope is that you pull this one-pot wonder out of the oven this Valentine’s weekend. Do it for just you. Do it for someone you love, whatever your chosen level of commitment. It’s lowkey legendary.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this Marry Me Chicken recipe:
• chicken thighs or chicken breast, just try to avoid large chicken breasts (slice them to make them thinner)
• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• heavy cream
• a splash or red or white wine, optional
• chicken broth
• kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• red pepper flakes
• dried oregano or thyme
• fresh basil or fresh parsley to top
We’ll start this recipe in large oven-safe skillet or pan. This dish goes from oven to stovetop, and back to the oven. I used a 10-inch enameled large cast iron skillet.
Add cherry tomatoes (mostly halved) to a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. We’ll roast the tomatoes until the burst and sizzling.
This Marry Me Chicken recipe originally calls for sun-dried tomatoes. I’ve been hard pressed to find a sun-dried tomato that I enjoy but it’s possible that I was just forced to eat too many of them in the 90’s and I don’t care for them anymore. If you prefer sun-dried tomatoes, you can skip this whole tomato roasting step and simply add finely chopped sundried tomatoes to the cream sauce.
After the tomatoes roast, remove the pan from the oven. Remove the tomatoes from the pan and (without washing the pan), we’ll sear the chicken pieces.
*NOTE! I do not want you to burn your hand!
Taking a skillet from the oven to the stovetop is a sure fire way to forget the handle is OVEN HOT and thoughtlessly reach for it. I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit. KEEP A TOWEL OR POTHOLDER OVER THE SKILLET HANDLE. Just do it even if you think you’ll remember that the handle is a scorcher, please.
Generously season chicken thighs or chicken breasts with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Heat oil in the skillet and sear the chicken pieces, in batches, over medium-high heat on both sides.
One trick to properly searing chicken: don’t fuss with the chicken pieces for several minutes as it sears. You really want to leave the meat alone to let it caramelize and brown. The meat will stick to the pan as it sears but will become easier to loosen and flip once it’s seared to a crusted golden brown.
Remove the seared chicken pieces from the skillet. We’re not expecting the chicken to be completely cooked through – just browned well. The pan should have all sorts of crusty browned bits stuck to the bottom. That’s perfect. That’s delicious.
Add a tiny splash more oil (only if you need it), reduce the heat under the pan, wait a few moments for the pan to cool a bit, and quick stir in the garlic. Stir constantly for 1 minute to soften the garlic without burning it. Add the oregano and red pepper flakes.
Now it’s time to feel like a fancy chef and deglaze the pan. Stir in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan as the wine cooks down. Add the cup of chicken broth and roasted tomatoes.
Add a scant cup chicken broth (I prefer low sodium here) along with the heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Just as the sauce begins to simmer, return chicken pieces to the pan.
Nestle the chicken pieces in a single layer in the pan, cozy in the sauce. Almost like you’re tucking them in to bed.
Place the pan, uncovered, into a 375 degree oven to bake for 20 minutes. The chicken will cook through and tenderize and the sauce will bubble and thicken just slightly. It’s perfect, really.
After a 20 minute bake, remove the chicken from the oven and AGAIN!! Keep a pot holder or towel around the handle of the pan. It’s all too easy to forget that handle is scorching hot!
If you’d like to thicken the sauce, transfer chicken to a plate, place the pot on the stovetop over medium heat and stir in a slurry of cornstarch or a potato starch paste. Let simmer to thicken for just a few minutes, turn off the heat and slide the chicken back into the pan.
Garnish this chicken dish with chopped fresh parsley and torn green olives for a zippy bright bite. Parmesan cheese is also nice!
Serve Marry Me Chicken with rice or pasta, couscous or roasted potatoes. Choose your starch. I also like it with a side of roasted green beans, or blanched broccoli or asparagus.
It’s a perfect dinner busy weeknights and any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for midnight snacking.
Print
One-Pot Marry Me Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2 with lefotvers or 4 without leftovers 1x
- Category: dinner
Description
A creamy, salty, saucy chicken dinner made with chicken thighs or chicken breast. Serve with rice, pasta, or potatoes – it’s DELICIOUS! Just… please don’t burn your hand.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little more
- A pint of cherry tomatoes (or a few less), most of them cut in half
- Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, a few times throughout the recipe
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (fresh and chopped is also nice if you have it)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- A splash (3 tablespoons or so) red or white wine, (water or chicken stock if you don’t want the booze)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Optional to thicken the sauce: 2 teaspoons cornstarch or potato starch + 1 tablespoon water
- Caselveltrano olives, torn in half to garnish (or regular green olives or capers)
- Fresh parsley, torn to garnish
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grab a large 12-inch skillet that can go from the stovetop to the oven. If you don’t have a big skillet a big oven-friendly pot will also work!
- Place tomato halves in the skillet and drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper and toss it all together to combine. Place in the oven to roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring once. Roast until the tomatoes have sizzled off some of their water and begin to brown slightly. Remove from the skillet from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Tansfer all of the tomatoes to a small bowl. We’ll incorporate them later. *** Leave a pot holder or towel on the skillet handle so you don’t forget it’s OVEN HOT and reach for it bare handed. Trust me on this one!
- While the tomatoes roast, season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken in the same pan the tomatoes roasted in (no need to clean it). Add an additional few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken (I had to do this in two batches) until golden brown on both sides. Don’t worry about cooking the chicken all the way through. It will spend more time in the oven to cook through and tenderize. Place the seared chicken in a bowl or plate with a lip and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to low. By this time there should be some nice browned bits across the pan. That’s fantastic. That’s flavor! Add chopped garlic to the pan and stir constantly around the pan for 1 minute. Stir in the oregano and red pepper flakes. Return the tomatoes to the pan along with a splash of wine, water, or stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all those browned bits off the bottom of the pan as the wine cooks off.
- Stir in chicken stock and heavy cream and bring to a low simmer.
- Return the chicken pieces to the pan, nestling them in the sauce. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven (keep that pot holder on the handle!). If you’d like to thicken the sauce here’s what you do. Remove the cooked chicken pieces to a clean plate. In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch or potato starch and water and whisk it into the hot sauce in the skillet. If the sauce doesn’t thicken, place it over a low burner and whisk until thick, just a few minutes.
- Return the chicken to the sauce and top with torn olives and fresh parsley.
- Serve over rice, pasta, couscous or potatoes. Serve next to roasted green beans. It’s up to you!
41 Responses
This is one of my go to favorite meals. Everyone loves it. I think it’s even better the next day so I will often make it for others that are sick or need a meal delivered. Although, nobody has asked me to marry them after making this meal.
I’m so glad you love it, Angela!
One of my new favorites in rotation.
Made this once before. Making this again today. Didn’t have thighs so I used drumsticks. Delicious.
This is amazing! So delicious and easy to make.
Is there a way to prepare on the stovetop completely?
It is getting so hot where I live, I hate turning on the oven.
I’ve made this several times with great results. A friend’s mother-in-law passed away & i brought a pan to the family. My friend told me it was a big hit & several family members requested the recipe..Thanks Joy!
What do you think about coconut milk to replace the cream? Dairy free over here and jealous of this recipe.
I think coconut milk is a great idea here! it’ll add lovely creaminess to the recipe. Happy cooking! xo
I made it using oat milk that’s made to use like heavy cream. The brand is earths own, it’s Canadian and is usually in the natural foods section. Worked perfectly!
Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it!
Lovely recipe
Great flavor for the wings. I cooked them in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove, pouring the combined marinade ingredients over them.
Great recipe and really a nice one. Will surely try this
I would love to make this but my partner is VERY lactose. Do you think this would work with coconut milk?
This sauce was so good and full of flavor. I used extra garlic and threw in a splash of red wine and we plopped the chicken and sauce on top of a bed of mashed potatoes, alongside roasted broccoli. Wowowowow. Next time, I’m going to add bread for an extra vehicle to sop up this sauce. Thanks Joy! I’m adding this as a dinner party regular.
Can marry me tofu be a thing? I just made this replacing chicken with veggie broth, heavy cream with oat cream and chicken with tofu. It’s a winner. I will be doing this again. I could drink the sauce. Lol
Simple and delicious. Will make this again!
This was great! Though for proposal-inspiring it’s still Slight Fear of Commitment Roast Chicken for me :)
I’m with Kristin :)
I really enjoyed this dish. I used chicken breasts but cut them thinly and it worked pretty well. The sauce was delicious. I served it over rice as suggested. You may want to update the cook time since I think you forgot to include one of the two cooking segments. Thanks!
Hi Joy! I made this recipe over the weekend, and I have just to say, it was amazing (sorry, no pictures). It is simple to make and tastes of comfort. I served it over white rice.
Trying it ASAP! I’ll let you know if my hand was asked :D
Made this last night and it is INCREDIBLE. We are having friends over for dinner tomorrow and we made a last minute menu switcheroo so we can make this again and they can enjoy it too! :)
This looks delicious AND I so appreciate your comment about not burning your hand! Only had to do that once to learn the hard way, love the idea to keep a potholder or towel draped over the handle to remind yourself.
Thank you so much for publishing this AMAZING recipe Joy. I made it for my husband on Valentine’s Day. It turned out phenomenal even using junky kitchenware at our rented cabin in the woods. Made an ungodly mess, but it was so worth it! I cannot wait to make this at home where I have all the proper tools. Could not stop drinking the sauce…like literally, I put some in a cup. My husband had a good laugh! You are an amazing gift! Thank you!
Perfect Valentines Day meal to make just for myself! Was sooo good! Didn’t think I was a huge olive fan but I still added them and they were a delicious component of the dish!
Making this for Vday. The print version is missing this sentrvce’ Add the oregano and red pepper flakes.‘ just FYI.
I am grateful for what you put out in tte world- including your opinions!
Someday, New Orleans . Regards,
Hetty
This is so good! I made it yesterday and my partner and I really enjoyed it. I used cashew cream instead of heavy cream.
Looks delicious. Could I replace the cream with coconut cream for lacrose intolerance?
Yes, you can!
Joy, I find your recipes to be life-affirming. Tapioca ok instead of starch?
Hi, Marina! I’m genuinely glad you feel affirmed here :) And yes! tapioca flour can be used as a thickening agent in lieu of corn/potato starch.
Thank you for yelling at us about hot pan handles as they come out of the oven. You’re doing God’s work.
Though I’ve followed your blog for years, the recent ads that won’t stop moving to catch my attention has irritated me to the point that I may have to stop reading. That would be sad because I look forward to your voice in your writing.
You better let Joy pay the bills, honey!!! You managed to find the comment box just to be rude soooo I guess the ads are not that much of an issue for you. Don’t come for Joy, she’s a Gemini! xx
When I have my cast iron pan that goes from stovetop to oven, I turn it so the handle points to the left (I’m right-handed). It’s an easy reminder when I open the oven door not to just reach right in and grab the handle!
Can’t wait to try this! Just wanted to pop by and say that I have the same issue with sundried tomatoes. I never found ones that I love. Now I dry cherry tomatoes from my garden in my oven at 200 degrees for a few hours and put them in the freezer for a winter treat when tomatoes aren’t at the best. They get raisin-y like a sundried tomato but don’t have all the oil, which I think makes them taste fresher in recipes.
Joy, this chicken looks amazing!
Sidenote: Your recipes always look like the best things we have ever eaten. My wife and I have followed your recipe posts for 12+ years now, have cooked many of your recipes together with great results, and have all of your cookbooks. Thanks for being awesome.
MAKE.THIS.RECIPE! It is everything Joy says it is! We could drink the sauce! Made as written. Served with rice. Bursting with flavor! Would give it 10 stars. Joy, you are so damn good! Very excited to make for fam and friends. Note: in the recipe instructions there is no mention to add the red pepper flakes and oregano. I realized when the chicken was in the oven that those ingredients were left out so I added it while the chicken was cooking in the sauce. Came out absolutely perfect! thanks Joy!
Adds print or block ability to print recipe completely. Painful. I usually print the recipe and bring to grocery store.