MARRY ME CHICKEN STARTED LIFE AS A CREAMY CHICKEN DINNER
Italian-inspired, Marry Me Chicken is a one-skillet dinner cooked entirely on the stovetop. The light, creamy sauce features bright tomato flavor from sundried tomatoes and paste. Add onion, garlic, chicken, cheese, pasta, and for color, a handful of baby spinach, Then serve it with rice, potatoes or just a great loaf of bread. The sauce just begs to be eaten down to the last drop. That sauce is so good, what if Marry Me Chicken was turned into soup? And what if you cheated by using leftover chicken—rotisserie or otherwise? That’s exactly what this recipe does: By adding Chicken Stock, Heavy Cream, and Sundried Pesto Sauce, you can create this one pot soup in about an hour…most of which is completely hands-off.
WHERE WAS MARRY ME CHICKEN INVENTED?
Marry Me Chicken is the latest recipe belonging to what we could call “Relationship Recipes”. The name was coined by its inventor, Lindsay Funston who is the Editor-in-Chief of www.thekitchn.com. Ms. Funston declared her recipe was worthy of a marriage proposal. The idea is that it’s decadent enough to wow someone on a date night—or perhaps inspire a spontaneous proposal after the first bite. It tastes like something you’d get at a cozy trattoria… if that trattoria existed in a suburban kitchen circa 2019 and came with an engagement ring in the dessert course. There’s a whole genre of recipes that suggest they are so good, they’ll inspire lifelong commitment. We’re talking “Engagement Chicken,” “Divorce Pasta” (that one’s a little spicy in another way), and the newer, tongue-in-cheek versions like “I Ain’t Cookin’ Again Chicken.” Hers is, of course, not the first time we’ve delved into relationship recipes. Included in this genre were our Valentine’s Day posts, which will follow.
WHY THE NAME WORKS AND WHY IT STICKS
Marry Me Chicken, the dish, gives a home cook a big flavor payoff with minimal effort–especially if you use our store-bought cheats. That makes the dish a weeknight wonder. And Marry Me Chicken sparks curiosity. You hear it, and you’re already halfway to cooking just to find out why. And let’s face it, it’s also Instagrammable, TikTok-able because visually it’s creamy and golden and wildly appealing. Finally, there’s the romantic fantasy element: the suggestion that great food is a gateway to great love, which has always been a selling point in the culinary world (see also: chocolate cake, oysters, and anything involving truffle oil). And of course “Marry Me” dishes didn’t stop at Chicken. There’s Marry Me Salmon, Marry Me Pasta, Marry Me Potatoes (because apparently carbs are just as seductive), and even a “Dump Him Alfredo” for balance.
IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME CHEWING THE FAT HAS DELVED INTO RELATIONSHIP RECIPES….BUT FIRST, TODAY’S RECIPE FOR MARRY ME CHICKEN SOUP.
Msrry Me Chicken Soup
This wonderful creamy tomato-ey soup truly lives up to its name...and it's a perfect soup that makes a whole meal.
Ingredients
- ½ cup drained julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil with herbs
- 1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomato jar, divided
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (32-ounce) packages chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish (optional)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish
- 8 ounces uncooked medium shell pasta
- 3 cups packed roughly chopped fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature (preferably Boursin with Garlic
- 1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, finely shredded, plus more for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Gather all ingredients. Heat oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic
- Step 2 Cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes
- Step 3 Cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is slightly deeper red, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, cream, basil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper
- Step 4 Bring to a boil over medium, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add pasta and reduce heat to medium-low
- Step 5 Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add spinach, chicken, cream cheese, and Parmesan
- Step 6 cook, stirring often, until cream cheese and Parmesan are melted and chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with additional Parmesan, basil, and red pepper. Serve immediately.
MORE ‘RELATIONSHIP RECIPES’ ON CHEWING THE FAT.
