Marry Me Chicken: A recipe to say ‘I do’
This dish has become a viral culinary phenomenon. Perfect for inexperienced cooks, its creamy sun-dried tomato sauce is as irresistible as a diamond ring
After trying a few of the carb-free “breads” that are making the rounds on social media, we had lost all faith in viral recipes (and in humanity). However, one of the latest TikTok culinary phenomena has helped us recover it. Is called Marry Me Chicken and it is so effective, simple and delicious, that it will make your mouth water as much as an expensive engagement ring.
A relatively easy digital evolution of the Engagement Chicken from the 1980s, Marry Me Chicken is basically a few sautéed breasts with a creamy sauce. Does it have an air of classic-ish international food? Yes. Is it delicious? Also yes, because the greasiness is balanced by the acidity of the tomato, the spiciness of the chili pepper and the freshness of the basil. If you want to see how it is done, just watch the video above.
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: TikTok level
Ingredients
Serves four
1.75 lb of chicken breast
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of tomato paste (or 2 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of ground cayenne or dried red chili flakes
1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
5.3 oz of heavy cream
1.4 oz of Parmesan cheese
3.5 oz of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 tablespoon of butter (optional)
Fresh basil
Flour
Olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
Instructions
1. If the breasts are very thick, slice them horizontally in two. Then cut each half into two pieces. Advice: If you want, you can use boneless thighs.
2. Dry the meat with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Prepare a bowl with flour. Advice: You can add a tablespoon of butter to the oil.
4. Dredge the breasts in the flour and brown them in the pan. Remove them as soon as they are browned. Advice: If the pan is not large enough to hold all the chicken, brown it in batches.
5. Lower the heat and sauté the chopped garlic in the pan for a couple of minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
6. Add the tomato paste, oregano and cayenne. Keep stirring until it darkens a little.
7. Moisten with the broth and increase the heat. When it boils, lower it and cook gently for 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about half.
8. Add the cream and cook for a few more minutes over low heat until it thickens slightly.
9. Cut the dried tomatoes into strips. Save a few and add the rest to the sauce along with the grated Parmesan.
10. Finally, put the chicken back in the pan and cook over low heat for a couple of minutes. Advice: If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a little chicken broth or water.
11. Remove from the heat and serve with the rest of the tomato strips and some fresh basil on top.
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