---
project: "[[00_MANIFEST-recipes]]"
folder: "[[00_INDEX-entrees-recipes]]"
title: Marry Me Chicken
pack: founders-pack
servings: 3
ingredients:
  - 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  - Kosher salt
  - 1 tbsp neutral oil
  - 4 cloves garlic, minced
  - 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed), sliced
  - 1 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
  - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  - 1/2 cup chicken stock
  - 1 cup heavy cream
  - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  - Fresh basil, torn, to finish
instructions:
  - "**Season the chicken** — Pat the thighs bone-dry. Salt both sides and let them sit uncovered while the pan heats."
  - "**Sear the thighs** — Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the thighs skin-side down and sear without moving until the skin is deep golden and releases on its own, 10-12 minutes. Flip, sear for 2 minutes, and remove."
  - "**Build the base** — Pour off all but a thin film of fat. Add the garlic to the fond and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, reserved oil, and red pepper flakes; stir for 1 minute."
  - "**Deglaze the pan** — Add the chicken stock and scrape up the fond. Reduce briefly."
  - "**Finish the sauce** — Lower the heat. Add the cream, then remove the pan from high heat and stir in the Parmesan. Simmer until the sauce coats a spoon."
  - "**Finish the chicken** — Nestle the thighs back into the pan skin-side up, keeping the crisp skin above the sauce. Finish in a 375°F oven, or covered on the grill, until the thighs reach 175°F internally, 18-20 minutes."
  - "**Add the basil** — Tear the basil over the chicken off the heat and serve."
protein:
  - chicken
active-preparation-minutes: 15
cook-time-minutes: 35
diet:
  - gluten-free
equipment:
  - oven
  - grill
  - cast-iron
storage-location: fridge
storage-method: airtight-container
fridge-life-days: 3
source: marry-me-chicken
notes:
  - "summary: Crisp-skinned chicken thighs finished in a creamy Parmesan and sun-dried tomato pan sauce, with basil to brighten the rich sauce."
  - Working draft — not yet cooked. Refine times and quantities after first cook.
  - Keep skin above the sauce line on the return to pan; submerging it kills the crisp.
  - Don't add Parmesan while the sauce is at a rolling boil — it films grainy and breaks.
  - Popular internet dish, no single canonical origin; `source` slug is a placeholder, not an attribution.
  - "`gluten-free` holds only if the chicken stock is GF — verify the brand."
  - Serve over crusty bread or buttered orzo to catch the sauce.
  - "Freezing omitted intentionally: the cream/Parmesan sauce breaks on thaw."
  - "polished: 2026-09-09"
---