Marry Me Chicken (Creamy Parmesan Sun-Dried Tomato Skillet)
Skin-on thighs browned deep in cast iron, then finished in a parmesan-spinach cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and an optional Cajun kick. The internet named this dish and keeps searching for it — creamy, cheesy, and absolutely delicious is not an exaggeration. Make it for somebody you'd like to keep around.
I'd been hearing about this dish for a while before I ever made it — Marry Me Chicken had everybody in a chokehold — so I set out to make it as easy as possible. That's really my whole approach: I'm not a chef, I'm a cook. I just know how to cook and I know some cool recipes, and this is one of them.
In the video there's a stretch where I'm working with one hand because the other one is holding the camera, and I'll confess — I let my thighs get a little charred by stepping away from the skillet. Learn from me: do not leave your pan while it's browning. And if anybody's been doubting you in the kitchen, I promise you, after this dish they'll put some respect on your name.
Watch me make it — video from my YouTube channel
The recipe
Marry Me Chicken (Creamy Parmesan Sun-Dried Tomato Skillet)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, skin-on
- seasoning blend: salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, and Cajun seasoning (optional)
- about 1–2 tablespoons avocado oil — enough to form a paste with the seasoning blend
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1–2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (I use 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon oil (for searing; any high-smoke-point oil works)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Cajun seasoning, to taste (optional, for heat)
- fresh spinach (as much as you like)
How to Make It
- Mix the seasoning blend together well.
- Stir 1–2 tablespoons of avocado oil into the seasoning blend until it forms a paste.
- Rub the seasoning paste all over the chicken thighs, including under the skin, then set them aside.
- Dice the half onion.
- Grate 1 to 2 cups of fresh Parmesan and set it aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a hot cast-iron skillet.
- Lay the chicken thighs flat in the skillet and brown for about 5 to 6 minutes per side (browning only — not cooking through).
- Remove the browned chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and scrape up the browned seasoning bits.
- Before the butter fully melts, add the diced onion and the garlic and sauté.
- Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth, add the sun-dried tomatoes, mix, and bring to a boil.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Stir in 2 cups of heavy cream.
- (Optional) Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on top to taste for heat.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and let it thicken.
- Stir in the fresh spinach, as much as you like.
- Stir in the grated Parmesan (I use about 2 cups), stirring constantly so the cheese doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the cheese breaks down and the sauce condenses, turn off the heat.
- Return the chicken to the pan and coat the tops with the sauce.
- Bake at 450°F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
- Check the pan around the 15- and 20-minute marks, and temp the chicken before serving — internal temperature should be greater than 165°F.
Curtis's Tips
- Seasoning blend amounts are from my pinned comment: salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, and optional Cajun seasoning. The video says the full list is "in the comments section below."
- The avocado oil in the seasoning paste "helps a lot when it's time to actually marinate the chicken."
- Wear cutting gloves when dicing — my knife skills are admittedly "cringy," so don't do what I'm doing in the video.
- Cheese amount is flexible: grate 1 to 2 cups of Parmesan depending on how cheesy you like it; I went with 2 cups.
- Do not walk away from the skillet while browning — his chicken came out "a little charred."
- On the flour: he says "maybe a tablespoon and a teaspoon, a little bit more than a tablespoon," but settles on "add a tablespoon." The video description lists 1/4 cup all-purpose flour if you prefer a thicker roux-style sauce.
- Use heavy cream, NOT half-and-half — it makes a thicker consistency and works better with the flour.
- For extra heat, I recommend Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning — not a sponsored video, that's just what I use.
- Keep stirring while the Parmesan melts so the cheese doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.
- Keep your eyes on the oven and check periodically, especially around 15 and 20 minutes; always temp the chicken (above 165°F).
- The video description lists 3 tablespoons olive oil with no butter as an alternative fat system (no butter listed). As cooked on camera: 1 tablespoon oil for searing + 3 tablespoons butter for the sauce.
Why this works
Every step here is doing a job. The seasoning gets mixed with avocado oil into a paste before it ever touches the chicken — that helps a lot when it's time to actually marinate, and I work it all over the thighs, under the skin too. The sear is browning only, not cooking through: lay the thighs in flat so they cook evenly, then pull them out. All that browned seasoning left in the skillet is flavor — the butter goes in specifically to pull it up into the sauce. And go with heavy cream over half-and-half: it makes a thicker consistency and it does really good with the flour. The oven finishes the chicken through at the end, so trust the process on the sear.
FAQ
Can I use half-and-half instead of heavy cream?
I wouldn't. Get the heavy cream — it makes a thicker consistency and it works really well with the flour. Just trust me. If your sauce has ever come out thin, that swap is the usual reason. Also give the sauce time at a boil to thicken up before the spinach and cheese go in.
When do the sun-dried tomatoes go in?
A couple of you have asked this one, so let's clear it up: they go in with the chicken broth. Pour in the broth, add the sun-dried tomatoes, mix, and bring it up to a boil — all before the flour and the heavy cream.
Does the chicken cook all the way through in the skillet?
No — the sear is just for browning, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. The thighs finish in the oven at 450°F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Keep your eyes on it, check around the 15- and 20-minute marks, and always temp it before serving — you want the internal temperature above 165°F.
How much Parmesan should I use?
Grate 1 to 2 cups of fresh Parmesan, depending on how much you actually want in it — I'd go with 2, but if you like less cheese, go with 1. Keep stirring while it melts so the cheese doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan, and once it breaks down and the sauce condenses, turn the heat off.
How do I make it spicier?
Add some Cajun seasoning to the top of the sauce — it gives the dish a nice pop of heat. If you really want to push it, Slap Ya Mama is the one I'd grab (not a sponsored mention — just what I use). It's all up to your heat tolerance; the Cajun kick is completely optional.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 4 servings): ~1020 calories · 44 g protein · 88 g fat · 13 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
