Marry Me Chicken
Updated February 2, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 6 chicken cutlets (about 2 ¼ pounds total), patted dry
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Red-pepper flakes, to taste
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
½ to ¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup (1 ½ ounces) grated Parmesan
⅓ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
Fresh basil, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
15 grams carbs; 260 milligrams cholesterol; 715 calories; 16 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 43 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 967 milligrams sodium; 66 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
If using chicken breasts, start from the thickest end and slice each chicken breast in half horizontally so you end up with a total of 6 cutlets (see Tip). Season both sides of the chicken cutlets well with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Scatter the flour on a large plate and coat the cutlets, shaking off the excess. Transfer the cutlets to a sheet pan or large plate in a single layer.
- Step 3
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. As soon as it melts, add the cutlets and cook until golden on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the other side until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Do this in batches, if needed, adding more oil, if needed. Transfer the cutlets to a plate or sheet pan.
- Step 4
Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring until the color deepens, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano and red-pepper flakes, to taste.
- Step 5
Increase the heat to medium, add the stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Step 6
Add ½ cup of the cream and warm through, stirring, until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Watch the cream closely, reducing the heat if necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in the Parmesan and the sun-dried tomatoes. Add more cream, if you like, and season the sauce.
- Step 7
Place the chicken back in the pan to warm through, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter basil on top.
To make it easier to slice into cutlets, place the chicken breasts in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Private Notes
Comments
I have been making this for years. I pound my chicken cutlets and by the time it’s done they’re are falling apart tender. I add a lot more broth and thicken it with the flour from the chicken. I also add a half pound of cooked pasta and a lot of raw baby spinach at the end - it melts from the heat and makes this a true one pot meal. I always have enough for at least 2 nights!!
This recipe nearly caused a divorce in my household as my boyfriend got so mad at the amount of oil I had splattered everywhere. Also I used chicken thighs as it was the only thing I had in the fridge. Frankly the outcome was a little gross, between the fattiness of the thighs and the creaminess of the sauce. I know, none of this is the fault of the recipe, but I guess my advice is don't use thighs and get a boyfriend who doesn't hover over you while you cook.
You don't need to use that much oil & butter to make this dish, 1/2 the amount is sufficient . You can also use milk, or coconut milk instead of cream
This was outstanding! I had saved this recipe awhile back because of SOO many positive ratings and had held off because it looked too creamy. Happy to report that it was just perfect (I used coconut milk in lieu of heavy cream). I also used cut up chicken breast (a little more work wrt the flour and browning steps but worth it), and added several fistfuls of chopped baby spinach at the end (when the chicken goes back into the sauce for four mins). Served over orzo. Will be cooking on repeat!
I found cooking the sauce similar to a vodka pasta. The one thing I did differently from the recipe was a small splash of white wine (the same one I served it with) after putting in the tomato paste. I didn’t find clean up very difficult. I used a skillet for all of the cooking and for breading the chicken, I skipped the part where I lay it all out on a plate and immediately put them in the skillet as I went along. I washed the plate for the flour and the bowl for seasoning the chicken while the second batch of chicken was frying and it was smooth sailing from there.
How was the sauce this thick. I had to add cornstarch. It was way to liquidity. Nothing like shown on this video