20 Minute 'Marry Me' Chicken

Chicken breasts in creamy sundried tomato sauce in a large white skillet.

5 from 4 votes

20 Minute 'Marry Me' Chicken

If you're looking for a luxurious meal, perfect for weeknights or special occasions that only takes 20 minutes, this 'Marry Me' chicken is it. Perfectly juicy chicken breasts are nestled in a creamy sauce, laced with zingy sundried tomatoes, sharp parmesan and scattered with lots of fresh basil to make a truly gorgeous dish.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: creamy chicken, tuscan chicken

Servings: servings

Calories: 508kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless (500g)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves crushed
½ cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup sundried tomatoes drained
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon chilli flakes optional
1 cup heavy cream (double cream)
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
½ cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Cook the chicken.
Pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. To help them cook more evenly and quickly, slice each chicken breast down the middle, lengthwise, to create two thinner cutlets.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt all over them (I find using a bowl easiest for this). Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet or frying pan. Add the chicken breasts, and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until they’ve developed a lovely golden crust. Remove and place on a plate, loosely covered with foil.
Make the sauce.
Scrape any burnt bits off the pan, but keep the lovely chicken cooking juices in there. Reduce the heat to low, then add the crushed garlic and cook for a minute, until smelling fragrant.
Add in the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, then add sundried tomatoes, fish sauce (if you're using it), lemon juice, dried thyme, garlic, and chilli flakes (if you're using them), and stir for another minute. Pour in the cream, and stir to combine. Add the parmesan and stir again.
Add the chicken to the sauce.
Add the chicken back into the sauce, nestling each piece in and spooning it on top of each piece of chicken. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through

If you have a meat thermometer, you’re looking for an internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C. If you’re worried, you can cut into the center to check that it's not pink.

Garnish and serve.
Top with the basil leaves and the rest of the parmesan, then divide the chicken and sauce between plates and serve.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: You want to use heavy (double) cream here, regular single cream won't thicken up as well in the pan. Use the oil from your sundried tomatoes in place of the olive oil if you like, I love to do that to amp up the flavour even more! I love the deep, savoury flavour the fish sauce brings, but you can leave it out if you like. I like to stir through a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves before adding the chicken sometimes, to add another vegetable.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts if you like and you could swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock, or you could use water.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: It will keep well for 5 days, stored in a covered container in the fridge. You can reheat it gently on the stovetop (add a little splash of water to loosen the sauce up if it's a bit thick after sitting in the fridge) or in 30-second intervals in the microwave.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This recipe is great eaten by itself, with fresh bread (try my easy no-knead focaccia or soft flatbreads), over rice, pasta or potatoes, or with a crispy green salad or steamed green veggies.

Nutrition