Prep 15 min cook 15 min
Marry Me Chicken is an indulgent dish full of flavor and enveloped in a creamy cheesy sauce that makes for an irresistible combination.
You won’t find a recipe for it on any serious food website. The New York Times, Epicurious, Saveur or Bon Appetit do not have it listed as a recipe but every so often when I am researching chicken dishes this recipe pops up.
With heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese it is pure Americana circa 1980’s when sun dried tomatoes were all the rage alongside Beef Strogonoff and Chicken Kiev. But what the heck, it has been another long Covid year, the holiday season has started and putting aside all the trendy and health recipes out there, it is time to get back to good old fashioned basics and a little nostalgic frivolity.
The dish is supposedly based on a classic Sicilian recipe and legend has it that it is so good, whoever cooks it will get a marriage proposal. Whether or not that’s true is beside the point. It is delicious, quick to make and my only attempt to highlight its Mediterranean roots is to be generous with the fresh basil. Otherwise, there are so few ingredients that the recipe cannot be tampered with for fear of losing its universal appeal.
Marry Me Chicken- Mediterranean Style
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- 10" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 piece of a boneless and skinless chicken breast cut horizontally then across in half.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp all purpose flour (plus some extra for dusting the chicken)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes chopped
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 5-6 basil leaves, coarsely shredded.
Instructions
- Pat chicken breasts dry. Cut along the length then across in half to end up with four slices of chicken.
- Gently flatten chicken with a mallet or the bottom of small pan to even out thickness.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cover a plate with a dusting of flour and lightly dredge chicken in flour and shake off any excess.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium/low heat. Swirl pan to coat with oil evenly.
- Cook chicken for about 2 on one side without moving. Turnover and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer onto a plate, cover and set aside. (It will continue to cook while resting and will get another cooking when warmed up with the sauce at the end).
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the garlic for a minute until it's fragrant. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to a brisk simmer and deglaze the pan scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Adjust the heat back to medium-low, and add the heavy cream and the parmesan cheese to the skillet. Allow the sauce to simmer for a minute then season with chili flakes, thyme, and oregano.
- In a glass, mix 1 tsp of flour and about a tbsp of water into a light paste and stir into sauce.
- Add the sundried tomatoes then put the chicken back in the sauce and let the sauce simmer and thicken for a few more minutes. (check that chicken juices run clear to indicate that the chicken is cooked).
- Garnish with chopped fresh basil leaves and serve warm over rice or Pappardelle pasta.
Nutrition
Valerie
Delicious!! I love dishes with a cream sauce and the sun dried tomatoes absolutely perfect the dish.