Marry Me Chicken: The Quickest Way to the Altar Through a Creamy Tomato-y Dish
Key Highlights :
Are you looking for a shortcut to the altar? If so, then look no further than the Tuscan-style chicken dish that has gone viral on TikTok. This cozy dish, which claims that if you prepare it for someone, you will end up getting married, features boneless chicken breasts nestled in a creamy, tomato-y sauce.
The recipe for this marriage-worthy dish was created in 2016 by Lindsay Funston, an editor at Delish. After she was done cooking, the video producer took a bite and declared, “I’d marry you for that chicken!” She named the dish “Marry Me Chicken.”
On TikTok, there are hundreds of variations on the original recipe that go by the same name. Some cooks make it with jerk-style spices; some serve the creamy dish with pasta. But this modern take on a marriage-worthy dish should not be confused with “Engagement Chicken,” an earlier recipe from Glamour magazine.
The Engagement Chicken recipe, for a whole roasted chicken with lemon and herbs, was developed by Kim Bonnell, a former fashion editor at Glamour. She started giving it to several assistants in her department in the mid-1980s and soon after, people started getting engaged.
In 2008, Rosario Araguás was dating Wesley Lavoie for a year and a half and wanted him to propose. She did a Google search and the Engagement Chicken recipe popped up. She made the roast chicken and even though he didn’t know the recipe’s name, Lavoie said he’d marry her for the dish. Three months later, he proposed.
Ina Garten also created her own take on the dish. “Nobody is using poultry to trick someone into marrying them,” said Cindi Leive, a former editor-in-chief of Glamour, “but I do think that there’s something about chicken. It’s not outlandishly expensive, it cuts across cultures, feels homey.”
So if you want to try your hand at making the Marry Me Chicken dish, here’s a quick and easy recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions:
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. Season both sides of the chicken cutlets well with salt and pepper.
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.
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.
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. 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.
5. Add 1/2 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. Place the chicken back in the pan to warm through, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter basil on top.
Tip: To make it easier to slice into cutlets, place the chicken breasts in the freezer for 20 minutes.
So if you’re looking to get married, why not try your hand at making the Marry Me Chicken dish? Who knows, it might just be the quickest way to the altar!
