Ingredients
- 2 Large Chicken Breasts
- 1 Tablespoon Sun-Dried Tomato Olive Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes chopped
- 1/3 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Basil
- Sea salt and cracked pepper
Instructions
- Season and sear. Season chicken generously on both sides. Heat the sun-dried tomato oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear chicken 5 minutes per side — do not move it until it releases naturally from the pan. Remove and set aside.
- Build the aromatics. In the same skillet, lower heat to medium. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly — you want the garlic fragrant but not browned.
- Deglaze and build the sauce. Pour in the chicken stock and scrape up every brown bit from the bottom of the pan. Add cream, Parmesan, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir and reduce heat to low.
- Return the chicken and finish. Nestle the chicken back into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the tops. Cook on low for 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through (internal temp 165°F / 74°C). Top with fresh basil before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips
- Pat the chicken dry before seasoning: Surface moisture is the enemy of a good sear. A dry surface makes contact with the hot pan immediately and browns; a wet surface steams first, which means pale, rubbery chicken instead of a golden crust.
- Don't move the chicken during the sear: This is the most important instruction in the recipe. Set it down and leave it. Resist every urge to peek, press, or shift it. When the crust is fully formed, it will release. If you have to force it, it's not ready.
- Grate Parmesan on a microplane: Finely grated Parmesan incorporates into a cream sauce almost instantly. Coarsely grated cheese stays in clumps and takes too long to melt, risking a broken sauce by the time it's finally incorporated.
- The sauce should be generous: If your sauce looks thin or skimpy, something went wrong with the heat or the cheese. You should have enough sauce to pool generously in the pan and coat the chicken deeply. A good marry me chicken is not a lightly sauced dish.
- White wine makes it better: If you have dry white wine on hand, replace half the chicken stock with wine. Add it right after the garlic and let it reduce by half before adding the cream. It adds acidity that cuts the richness perfectly.