This Marry Me Chicken and Rice is a dish I always get excited about knowing I've got it for dinner. It's always a crowd-pleaser with friends and family too. We've got seared chicken thighs and jasmine rice cooked in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. It's super low effort, all made in one pan, and absolutely delicious.
I asked on Instagram what you wanted to see more of and one pot dinners came up over and over. Now, we all love a one pot pasta dish, but I personally think that one pot rice dishes are seriously underrated.
If you like these flavors, my marry me chicken ramen is the same sauce in noodle form, and my sun-dried tomato pasta leans on the same jarred tomatoes. For another creamy one pan chicken dinner, my baked chicken with cream of chicken soup is about as low effort as it gets.
Jump to:
- Why this marry me chicken and rice works
- Ingredients for marry me chicken and rice
- How to make marry me chicken and rice
- Marry me chicken and rice substitutions and variations
- Tips for the best marry me chicken and rice
- Storage, freezing and reheating
- What to serve with marry me chicken and rice
- Marry me chicken and rice FAQs
- Marry Me Chicken and Rice
Why this marry me chicken and rice works
Almost every version of this dish dices chicken breast and cooks it through before the rice goes in. That gives you uniform cubes of chicken that have been through two cooking processes, and breast doesn't survive the second one well. Whole thighs, seared and then rested on top of the rice, come out juicy with the browned crust still on them.
The cream is the other change. Heavy cream is the default here, but the Parmesan and the starch coming off the rice do most of the thickening anyway, so the fat in heavy cream is doing less work than you'd think. Light cream gets you the same sauce for around a third fewer calories.
And because the rice steams in the sauce rather than in a separate pan of water, nothing seasoned goes down the drain.
Ingredients for marry me chicken and rice
- Chicken thighs: boneless and skinless. Thighs have enough fat to sit in a covered pan for 10 minutes without drying out, which breast does not. If you only have breast, butterfly it so it's an even thickness.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: the defining ingredient of any marry me chicken. I use the oil-packed ones and chop them roughly.
- Light cream (single cream): Half-and-half works and is easier to find in most US stores. Heavy cream also works if that's what you have, you'll just get a richer, heavier dish.
- Jasmine rice: basmati or long grain both work. Avoid instant rice and short grain. Don't rinse it here, you want that surface starch thickening the sauce.
- Mushrooms: I tear rather than slice them so the rough edges catch color. I'm using shiitake mushrooms, but chestnut or cremini have lots of flavor too.
- Parmesan: I'd freshly grate the parmesan, but if you've only got pre-grated, use that!
- Chicken stock: broth is the same thing. A cube dissolved in water is completely fine.
- Paprika, red pepper flakes and dried oregano: sweet paprika, not smoked. Leave the red pepper flakes out if you don't want heat.
For the full ingredient list with measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to make marry me chicken and rice
Step 1. Sear the chicken
Season the thighs with salt and pepper. Get a deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat with a little oil, then sear the thighs for about 2 minutes a side. You want color on the outside only (they won't be cooked through at all, we finish their cooking process with the rice). Take them out and set aside.
Step 2. Build the flavor base
In the same pan, add the garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, red pepper flakes and oregano, then the torn mushrooms. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the garlic smells sweet rather than raw and the mushrooms start to shrink.
Step 3. Add the cream, stock and Parmesan
Pour in the cream and stock, then grate in the Parmesan. Stir until the cheese has disappeared into the sauce. It should look loose and slightly orange from the paprika, not thick, because the rice still has to absorb it.
Step 4. Stir in the rice and top with the chicken
Add the rice and spread it into an even layer so it cooks at the same rate all over. Sit the seared thighs on top along with any juices from the plate. Don't push them down into the rice.
Step 5. Cover and cook
Put the lid on over medium heat. As soon as you hear it bubbling properly, turn it to the lowest heat and leave it for 10 minutes. Do not stir it during this time or remove the lid. Just leave it to steam gently!
Step 6. Rest, then finish
Turn the heat off and leave the lid on for 5 more minutes. The rice finishes steaming here and goes from wet to fluffy. Then lift the lid, scatter over torn basil and add a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!!
Marry me chicken and rice substitutions and variations
- The chicken: chicken breast works if you butterfly it first. Skin-on bone-in thighs are lovely but need closer to 25 minutes covered, so feel free to fry for longer at the beginning of the recipe. For a vegetarian version, use extra firm tofu, sear it the same way, and swap to vegetable stock.
- The vegetables: mushrooms are what I had, but chopped red bell pepper or eggplant work in their place. Add a couple of handfuls of spinach in the last two minutes if you want more greens in there.
- The cream: single/light, half-and-half or heavy cream both work. For dairy free, full fat coconut milk holds up better than any oat cream I've tried, and it doesn't fight the sun-dried tomatoes as much as you'd expect. Soy cream also works.
- The heat: leave the red pepper flakes out entirely for kids. A spoonful of the sun-dried tomato oil at the end adds richness without heat.
Tips for the best marry me chicken and rice
- Use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Fry the garlic in a spoonful of it instead of plain oil. It's already carrying tomato and herb flavor and it costs you nothing.
- Get the pan hot before the chicken goes in. The thighs should sizzle the moment they land. A lukewarm pan gives you gray chicken and no fond in the bottom of the pan.
- Tear the mushrooms instead of slicing them. The rough torn edges brown far better than a clean knife cut, and they hold onto the sauce.
- Spread the rice flat before the chicken goes on. A mound in the middle cooks unevenly and you get crunchy grains at the edges.
- Take the lid off as little as possible. The steam trapped under it is what's cooking the rice. Every peek sets you back a minute or two.
- Every rice is different. After the rice has cooked and rested, taste and if the rice is still al dente, feel free to add in a splash more boiling water and leave to simmer for a few more minutes until the rice is fluffy.
Storage, freezing and reheating
It keeps in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container (make sure to let the rice dish cool before storing it away).
To reheat, add a splash of stock or water first, because the rice will have drunk the sauce overnight. Microwave covered in short bursts, stirring between them, or warm it in a covered pan on low.
I wouldn't freeze this one. But if you're going to throw it away otherwise, place in containers and into the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
What to serve with marry me chicken and rice
It's a complete meal on its own, so nothing you add needs to bring carbs. What it wants is something sharp to cut through the cream. An apple and fennel salad does the job, or just dressed leaves with plenty of lemon.
Greens work well too. Tenderstem broccoli or green beans, blanched and then tossed in garlic and olive oil, give you something with a bit of bite next to all that softness.
And if there's sauce left in the pan at the end, which there usually is, a piece of bread to wipe it up is a personal favorite of my partner.
Marry me chicken and rice FAQs
The name is a joke about the dish being good enough that whoever you cook it for will propose. It started as a creamy sun-dried tomato chicken recipe on the US food internet in the mid 2010s and spawned endless spin-offs, including this one, marry me chicken pasta and marry me salmon.
Yes, but butterfly it first so it's an even thickness. Breast has almost no fat to protect it during the covered cooking time, so it goes from done to dry quickly. Thighs are far more forgiving in a one pot recipe like this.
Long grain white rice. Jasmine is what I use, basmati works too. Avoid instant rice, which is precooked and will collapse, and avoid short grain or risotto rice, which releases too much starch and turns the whole thing into a porridge. Brown rice works but needs roughly double the time and liquid.
Usually stirring. Once the rice is in and the lid is on, leave it alone, because agitating it pulls starch out and thickens everything into a paste. The other cause is heat that's too high, which boils the liquid away before the grains have absorbed it. Low and undisturbed is the answer to both.
Half-and-half is the closest widely available swap in the US and behaves the same way. Heavy cream or full fat works and gives a richer result. Whole milk will work at a push, but add an extra spoonful of Parmesan to make up the body, and keep the heat low so it doesn't split.
You can, and it reheats well for lunch the next day with a splash of stock. What I wouldn't do is cook it fully in the morning and hold it warm, since the rice keeps absorbing sauce and goes stodgy. Cook it, cool it, refrigerate it, then reheat.
More chicken recipes to try
- Marry Me Chicken Ramen: the exact same sauce, but built into a noodle bowl
- Chicken Gorgonzola: another creamy chicken dinner, this time with blue cheese
- Quick Cheesy Baked Chicken with Cream of Chicken Soup: the lowest effort creamy chicken on the site
- Honey Ginger Chicken: sticky, sharp and on the table just as fast
Marry Me Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs skinless and boneless (about 1¼ lb / 550g)
- 1 tablespoon oil or oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped (about 10 halves / 50g)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 oz shiitake mushrooms torn (150g)
- ¾ cup Light cream or half-and-half 200ml
- 1 cup Chicken stock 250ml
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan 20g
- 1 cup jasmine rice unrinsed (200g)
- Salt and black pepper
To serve
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- Lemon, for squeezing
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and sear the thighs for about 2 minutes per side, until browned but still raw inside. Remove to a plate.
- In the same pan, add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, red pepper flakes and oregano, followed by the torn mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in the cream and chicken stock, then grate in the Parmesan. Stir until smooth and season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Add the rice and spread it into an even layer. Sit the seared chicken thighs on top along with any resting juices.
- Cover with the lid and bring to a boil over medium heat, then immediately reduce to the lowest heat and cook, undisturbed, for 10 minutes (do not remove the lid!!).
- Turn off the heat and leave covered for a further 5 minutes to steam. Finish with torn basil and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Do not stir once the rice is in. Stirring releases starch and makes the rice gluey.
- Light cream is sold as single cream in the UK. Half-and-half is the closest US substitute; heavy cream works but gives a richer dish.
- Use long grain rice. Instant, short grain and risotto rice will all turn to mush.
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of stock. Not suitable for freezing.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken for seared extra firm tofu and use vegetable stock.
Nutrition
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