I made the TikTok-famous 'marry me chicken,' and I can see why the fall dinner would be worthy of a proposal
Erin McDowell
- "Marry me chicken" is the latest viral recipe taking over TikTok.
- The recipe varies, but I followed one that uses chicken thighs, cream, and sun-dried tomatoes.
I've heard of engagement chicken before, but only recently discovered "marry me chicken," one of the latest cult-favorite recipes to go viral on TikTok.
A recent TikTok video posted by Gimme Delicious (@gimme.delicious) has racked up over 22 million views as of October 2023, and many other videos replicating the recipe have similarly gone viral.
Despite its recent popularity, the recipe has apparently been around for a while — All Recipes credited Delish for originally creating the Sicilian-inspired chicken dish, which the food magazine first published on its website in 2016.
Made with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken broth, and cream, "marry me chicken" is said to be so delicious, it might even elicit a proposal if you make it for your significant other.
"When Delish editors started devouring this dish, people started blurting out marriage proposal-adjacent praises for this creamy, savory chicken dinner," Lindsay Funston of Delish wrote. "Hence, the name and this dish were born: A chicken dinner so good, you just might get a proposal by the last bite."
Recipes online vary slightly, but the recipe I followed from the food blog Craving Home Cooked uses chicken thighs, my preferred cut of chicken for a super tender, juicy dish, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken broth, and cream.
Here's how to make the viral "marry me chicken."
I started by gathering my ingredients, which included about 2 pounds of skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, heavy cream, chicken broth, cut sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and crushed red-pepper flakes.
The chicken thighs were a steal at just $3.30 for a package from my local Trader Joe's in Manchester, Connecticut, and many of the other ingredients I already had in my kitchen.
I also preheated my oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the recipe.
First, I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
The recipe only calls for w pounds of chicken thighs, but I ended up adding two bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks in order to have some leftovers for the week, or for my family of three to each have two pieces of chicken if they liked.
I then heated up a few tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch cast-iron pan, and I added the chicken skin-side down.
Right away, the chicken began sizzling and filling the kitchen with a truly heavenly scent.
I cooked the chicken for about five minutes on each side, until the skin was golden brown and super crispy.
Searing the chicken adds a delicious crispy texture to the finished dish.
After the chicken was fully seared, I removed it from the pan to a plate.
I've never fried chicken before, but I was pleased with the final result.
Next, I added three cloves of minced garlic, oregano, and red-pepper flakes to the pan.
It was important to work fast in order to not burn the garlic — you just want it to be fragrant.
Then I added in a half-cup of heavy cream, a cup of chicken broth, a half-cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and a quarter-cup of Parmesan cheese.
I seasoned the sauce with a touch more salt and pepper and brought it to a simmer, stirring it lightly together to melt the cheese and allow the ingredients to fully combine.
I then added the chicken back into the pan.
Before putting the pan in the oven, I ladled a small amount of the creamy sauce and sun-dried tomatoes over the chicken to allow it to bake with all of the extra flavors.
After about 20 minutes, the chicken was fully cooked. I couldn't believe how easy this recipe was.
When I removed the pan from the oven, my kitchen filled with the delicious scent of the fried chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.
I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make, given that little to no vegetable prep was needed and the cooking time was so short compared to other roast-chicken recipes I've made in the past.
I served the chicken with a few fall-inspired sides: roasted yellow potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and mashed butternut squash.
The flavors all came together perfectly, and the sauce from the chicken added some delicious moisture and flavor to my side dishes.
The chicken truly blew me away.
The skin was perfectly crispy and flavorful from the seasonings, while the savory sauce clung to everything on the plate and added even more flavor with the cream and sun-dried tomatoes.
The inside of the chicken was also perfectly moist.
The chicken was so tender, you hardly needed a knife to cut through it, and the combination of flavors came together to create a creamy, Italian-inspired meal that would be perfect for a fall dinner party or cozy date-night in.
Overall, I couldn't have been more impressed with this viral recipe, and I could immediately understand why so many people love it — and why it might even inspire a marriage proposal.
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