Crock Pot Marry Me Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
10 min
Cook
120 min
Total
130 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Cooking chicken breasts on low in a slow cooker prevents them from drying out. Quickly brown the chicken breasts on the skin side before slow cooking to add color. The Crock Pot Marry Me Chicken comes with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce made with Parmesan cheese and paprika or other herbs.
Butter and olive oil are heated. Chicken breasts are seasoned and seared skin side down. Chicken breasts are placed in a slow cooker. Liquids used to cook chicken breasts include white wine and water or chicken broth. Other ingredients added to liquids include paprika, garlic powder, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Sour cream or heavy cream and shredded Parmesan cheese are added to the finished dish. Fresh parsley or basil is also added to the dish.
Expect cooked chicken to be browned in one preparation step and served in a thin cream sauce, not a thicker sauce. To prepare chicken for this recipe, cook it at a lower temperature for the suggested time and check the chicken's internal temperature before adding other ingredients. Mistakes to avoid include using high heat to cook chicken breasts, which can make them tough, as noted by the recipe website, and boiling a creamy sauce with cheese.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Recommended vegetables include green beans and broccoli. Sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese on platters of served food. Stir cornstarch slurry into sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking to thicken the sauce.
Why we keep this one around
- Starting with skin-side down promotes crust formation on chicken during cooking, which improves the look of chicken in the sauce.
- Low cooking temperatures help tenderize chicken breast meat by limiting its time in contact with the high cooking temperatures that would overcook and toughen faster-cooking chicken breast meat.
- Adding sour cream or heavy cream to the dish after it is cooked will keep the sauce smooth because the recipe does not call for simmering or boiling the sauce with added cream.
- Optional cornstarch slurry helps thicken the sauce while it cooks. Adding a slurry lets you change the sauce's thickness without otherwise affecting the cooking process.
- Parmesan is included as an ingredient in the recipe and stirred into the cream sauce at the finish. It is not a topping sprinkled on top.
- Wine and broth are cooked with sun-dried tomatoes and other seasonings along with chicken to flavor the meat as it cooks.
Ingredients
- •4 chicken breasts (skin on or skinless, about 2–2¼ lb total; or 2 large breasts halved)
- •2 tsp Italian seasoning
- •salt and pepper (to taste)
- •1 tbsp unsalted butter
- •1 tsp olive oil (optional)
- •½ cup white wine (plus 1/2 cup water; or use chicken broth)
- •½ cup water (use with white wine)
- •1 cup chicken broth (use instead of white wine and water)
- •4 tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes (drained)
- •1 tsp sweet paprika
- •1 tsp garlic granules
- •1 tsp chicken bouillon (if using white wine)
- •1 cup sour cream or heavy cream
- •1 tbsp cornstarch (optional, diluted in cold water)
- •2 tbsp cold water (for cornstarch slurry)
- •2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (2–3 tbsp)
- •2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil (chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the dried Italian herbs.
- 2
Heat the butter and oil in a pan or directly in the slow cooker if it has a browning function.
- 3
Pan fry the chicken skin-side down until golden.
- 4
Turn the chicken breasts over, transferring them to the slow cooker if needed, then pour in the wine and water or chicken broth. Season with paprika and garlic granules, add the chicken bouillon if using wine, and add the sun-dried tomatoes.
- 5
Cover and cook on LOW for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the chicken registers 165°F (75°C).
- 6
Optional: mix the cornstarch with cold water and stir the slurry into the sauce ten minutes before cooking time ends.
- 7
Move the chicken to one side and stir in the sour cream or heavy cream until incorporated.
- 8
Stir in the grated Parmesan and parsley or basil just to warm through; do not simmer or boil.
- 9
Serve the chicken over rice or noodles, with mashed potatoes, or as preferred.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
455
Calories
51g
Protein
24g
Fat
8g
Carbs
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