One Pan Marry Me Chicken Thighs

Marry me chicken thighs are seared boneless thighs finished in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce with garlic, Parmesan, and basil, all in one 12-inch skillet.

Using thighs instead of the usual breasts changes how the dish cooks: the chicken goes back into the sauce for a 10-minute simmer, picks up the sun-dried tomato flavor, and does not dry out the way a breast would.

The sear also happens in the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, which puts that flavor into the crust instead of only the sauce.

Start to finish is 35 minutes for four servings.

Why You’ll Love It

• One 12-inch skillet, 35 minutes
• Boneless thighs stay juicy through a 10-minute simmer in the sauce
• Sauce is cream, broth, garlic, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan, with no flour or cornstarch
• Serves 4 with about 8 ounces of chicken each
• Leftovers reheat in the same pan in under 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomato jar

For the Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (about 3 ounces)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1½ ounces), plus more for serving

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Steps

1. Pat the thighs dry with paper towels, trim off any large flaps of fat (they stay rubbery in a quick simmer), and season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and smoked paprika.

2. Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then lay in 4 thighs smooth side down with space between them — crowding the pan steams the chicken gray instead of browning it.

3. Leave them alone for 4 to 5 minutes until the underside is deep brown and they release without tearing, flip, cook 3 more minutes, and move them to a plate; they will not be cooked through yet, which is intended.

4. Sear the remaining 4 thighs the same way, then lower the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic, and tomato paste to the empty pan, stirring for 1 minute until the paste darkens a shade and smells sweet.

5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes, stir for 30 seconds, pour in the broth, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a flat-edged wooden spoon while it simmers for 2 minutes.

6. Turn the heat to medium-low, stir in the cream, bring it to a bare simmer, and add the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts — a hard boil here reduces the cream too fast and can turn the cheese grainy.

7. Nestle the thighs back into the sauce along with any juices from the plate, spoon sauce over the tops, and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once halfway.

8. Check the thickest thigh with an instant-read thermometer: 165°F (74°C) is safe, but thighs are better at 175°F (79°C), where the connective tissue has softened, and the sauce should coat the back of a spoon by then.

9. Turn off the heat, taste the sauce for salt (the Parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes carry a lot), scatter the basil and extra Parmesan over the top, and let it rest 3 minutes before serving.

Helpful Tips & Substitutions

Chicken breasts work, but pound them to an even ¾-inch thickness with a meat mallet, sear 4 minutes per side, and simmer in the sauce only 3 to 4 minutes to 165°F, or they go dry and stringy.

Bone-in, skin-on thighs also work: sear skin side down for 6 to 7 minutes, build the sauce, return the thighs skin side up, and finish uncovered in a 400°F (205°C) oven for 15 to 18 minutes, which keeps the skin out of the cream.

Use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet rather than nonstick, because the browned bits that stick to the pan are what give the sauce its depth, and nonstick does not build them.

Grate the Parmesan from a block on a microplane; the pre-grated kind in a canister is coated with cellulose and leaves the sauce gritty.

Heavy cream is the right choice because the acid from the tomatoes can break half-and-half at a simmer; if half-and-half is all you have, keep the heat lower and whisk in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with the broth.

Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are specified for a reason, since dry-packed ones need a 15-minute soak in hot water first and leave you with no flavored oil for the sear (use olive oil in that case).

If the sauce is thinner than you want after the simmer, lift the chicken out and let the sauce bubble another 2 minutes; if it is too thick, a splash of broth loosens it.

Two cups of baby spinach stirred in during the last 2 minutes wilt into the sauce without changing the timing.

The red pepper flakes are a background warmth, not heat, so keep them in even if you do not usually cook spicy food.

Serving Ideas

The sauce needs something to soak into, and garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes are the match, since the Parmesan in both ties them together.

Crusty bread torn at the table does the same job with less work, and a pound of cooked pasta tossed through the leftover sauce turns it into a second dinner.

For a vegetable, garlic Parmesan green beans cook in the 10 minutes the chicken is simmering.

If you want this sauce without the chicken, marry me shrimp pasta uses the same base with shrimp and finishes in about the same time.

Slice the thighs across the grain before plating if you are serving over pasta, so every bite has sauce and chicken together.

Make-Ahead & Storage

Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, and the sauce thickens to a soft paste when cold.

Reheat in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of broth or cream for 8 to 10 minutes, or in the microwave at 50 percent power so the cream does not separate.

The finished dish can be frozen for 2 months, but cream and Parmesan sauces split when thawed, so expect to whisk hard and add a tablespoon of cream while reheating to bring it back together.

A better freezer plan is to sear the seasoned thighs, cool them, and freeze them alone in a bag; the sauce takes 10 minutes to make fresh while they reheat in it.

The thighs can be seasoned up to 24 hours ahead and kept uncovered on a plate in the fridge, which dries the surface and improves the sear.

Mince the garlic and chop the sun-dried tomatoes a day ahead and keep them together in a small container, and the active cooking drops to about 25 minutes.

The sauce keeps thickening off the heat while the chicken rests, so pull it when it looks a little looser than you want it on the plate.