Traditional Marry Me Chicken starts with chicken breasts—halved, pounded, and browned—then finishes them in a creamy sun-dried-tomato sauce. It makes a lovely dinner for two. This version starts with a chicken that has already given us one meal.
Shred both breasts from a rotisserie chicken and fold them into the finished sauce. With no raw chicken to brown, the work of the pan is flavor: sun-dried tomatoes warmed in butter, tomato paste cooked until it darkens slightly, then garlic, homemade chicken stock, herbs, lemon zest, spinach, and cream.
Take the skillet off the heat before stirring in Parmesan and Dijon. Tear in the basil at the end so it stays fresh. Spoon the sauce over rice, pasta, or noodles. The skillet feeds four—or two tonight, with dinner already made for another evening.
Ingredients
- Shredded meat from both breasts of 1 rotisserie chicken
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup water-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic
- 1 cup homemade chicken stock
- 6 fresh basil leaves, torn, plus 6 more for finishing
- 1–2 teaspoons dried oregano, depending on its pungency
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional, or more to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- ½–¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, or up to 4 ounces for a richer sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, or more to taste
- Cooked rice or pasta, for serving
Method
- Set a large skillet over medium heat.
- Melt the butter. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring, until heated through.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute, until it darkens slightly. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken stock. When it begins to simmer, add 6 torn basil leaves, the oregano, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest.
- Add the spinach and stir until it wilts into the sauce.
- Stir in ½ cup of the cream and return the sauce to a gentle simmer. Add more cream as needed to reach the consistency you prefer.
- Fold in the shredded chicken and cook just until it is heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Stir in the Parmesan and Dijon until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Add the remaining torn basil leaves. Taste and adjust with more Dijon or red pepper flakes if desired.
- Spoon over cooked rice or pasta and serve.
Why This Method
The chicken is already cooked, so the sauce is built before the meat goes into the pan. Sun-dried tomatoes warm in butter, tomato paste darkens, and garlic releases its aroma before stock and cream dilute them.
The chicken goes in near the end so it heats through without drying out. Parmesan and Dijon are stirred in off the heat, where they can thicken and sharpen the sauce without boiling. The basil waits for the same reason, so it stays fresh.