Marry Me Pesto Chicken
Marry Me Pesto Chicken is succulent, smokey chicken drenched in a delicious creamy pesto sauce with sun dried tomatoes that is beyond easy and crazy delicious. Make it, love it, make it again.
Marry Me Pesto Chicken
Marry Me Pesto Chicken
Marry Me Pesto Chicken
Looking for new chicken dinner ideas? You may have just found your new go-to favourite!
If you haven’t heard of Marry Me Chicken, that’s ok, it was a recipe that broke the internet a little while ago, and has recently resurfaced in some tasty spin-offs: pasta, sandwiches, you name it.
My spin-off, much like your Breaking Bad to Better Call Saul - similar vibe, the characters are there, but it’s a little more complex… flavour wise, not morally.
Basically if you like Marry Me Chicken, or any kind of creamy chicken and you like pesto, you’ll freaking love this. Best of all, it’s so easy and quick to make and totally delivers on flavour.
I made this using my homemade pesto recipe, which gives it a vibrant green colour because it is freshly made. A store bought pesto is a fantastic hack for this dish and just as yum though.
This dish goes perfectly with a simple salad or roast potatoes.
When searing the chicken, don’t have the heat up too high because the smoked paprika will burn. Make sure the cream is on a gentle simmer, if it boil the chicken will get tough and the cream may split.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, then coat in smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
Then in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over low-medium heat, brown chicken for about 5 minutes on both sides, remove to a plate.
Add garlic and ½ tbsp olive oil, and fry for about 1 minute to soften, then add ¾ cup of pesto, cream, chicken stock, lemon zest, parmesan cheese, most of the sun dried tomatoes (leaving a few for garnish), pepper, bring to a gentle simmer.
Once it’s beginning to bubble, add the chicken back in, gently simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Once chicken is cooked through - internal temp of 75 C / 165 F, (check the thickest part) serve the chicken onto plates, topping with the sauce, a drizzle of the remaining presto and a garnish of sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, then coat in smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
Then in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over low-medium heat, brown chicken for about 5 minutes on both sides, remove to a plate.
Add garlic and ½ tbsp olive oil, and fry for about 1 minute to soften, then add ¾ cup of pesto, cream, chicken stock, lemon zest, parmesan cheese, most of the sun dried tomatoes (leaving a few for garnish), pepper, bring to a gentle simmer.
Once it’s beginning to bubble, add the chicken back in, gently simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Once chicken is cooked through - internal temp of 75 C / 165 F, (check the thickest part) serve the chicken onto plates, topping with the sauce, a drizzle of the remaining presto and a garnish of sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Marry Me Pesto Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 300ml heavy / thickened cream
- 1 cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon zest (about 1 tbsp)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, then coat in smoked paprika, salt and pepper, then in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over low-medium heat, brown chicken for about 5 minutes on both sides, remove to a plate
- Add garlic and ½ tbsp olive oil, and fry for about 1 minute to soften, then add ¾ cup of pesto, cream, chicken stock, lemon zest, parmesan cheese, most of the sun dried tomatoes (leaving a few for garnish), pepper, bring to a simmer, then add the chicken back in, gently simmer covered for 10 minutes
- Once chicken is cooked through - internal temp of 75 C / 165 F, (check the thickest part) serve the chicken onto plates, topping with the sauce, a drizzle of the remaining presto and a garnish of sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.