Name: Marry Me Chicken (Asian Edition)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 650 g chicken breast or thigh (boneless and skinless); 50 g sundried tomato; 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 tbsp unsalted butter; Salt (season to taste); Black pepper powder (season to taste); 2 shallots; 3 cloves garlic; 1 inch galangal; 2 stalks lemongrass; 1.5 cups chicken stock; 1.5 cups coconut milk; 1 tbsp corn starch (mixed with same amount of water); 4 kaffir leaves (remove the stem and crush the leaves); 100 g mushrooms; 1 handful fresh basil leaves (washed)

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Since there are already so many marry me chicken recipes out on the internet and each of them are more or less the same way of cooking with the same types of ingredients, I decided to make this Asian edition. My version of this popular chicken dishes uses roughly similar ingredients, except for the addition of Asian aromatics such as the galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and coconut milk. The galangal is a really fragrant ginger-lookalike spice that has a earthy peppery aroma. The kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass have refreshing citrusy profiles and are usually added to curry dishes and Asian stir fries. The coconut milk just adds a special tropical flavour to the sauce. Coupled with the rather western ingredients such as fresh basil leaves and sun-dried tomatoes, the end result is just mind blowing.

What is Marry Me Chicken

The much raved about Marry Me Chicken, in Asian style. Tender sautéed chicken breasts cooked in a delicious creamy aromatic sauce. It was said that your significant other will love this chicken dish so much that you will get a marriage proposal once he savours it. Well, also the saying, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Although the truth is, I have yet to get a marriage proposal yet from my SO, but he sure enjoyed the dish so much that it’s frequently requested.

How long does it take to cook Marry Me Chicken

My version of this dish only takes about 30 minutes. 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients, no marinating required for the meat. Then about 10-12 minutes to sear the meat, another about 10 minutes to cook the sauce and assemble the dish.

How do I store Marry Me Chicken

Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container and in the fridge chiller for up to 2 days. If kept in the freezer, it’s good for up to a week. Remember there’s coconut milk in the sauce, and coconut milk is best enjoyed as soon as it’s cooked.

Ingredients for Marry Me Chicken

Here is the list of simple ingredients in this recipe. The Asian aromatics can be bought from Asian supermarkets and groceries stores.

Olive oil and butter – Grease for searing the chicken and sautéing the aromatics. You can also use vegetable oil for healthier option but the olive oil and butter adds a unique taste to the cooking.
Chicken stock – This is the base for the sauce. An alternative to chicken stock can be vegetable stock or beef stock or even water if you don’t have stock on hand.

Coconut milk – The original recipe calls for cooking cream, so coconut milk is my substitute for the Asian version. Coconut milk adds an Asian taste profile to the dish. The texture of the coconut milk should not be too diluted nor too thick. Coconut milk is typically added to Asian curries, do check out my chicken curry recipe.
Fresh basil leaves – This is for the aroma, added at the last stage to finish the cooking.
Salt & black pepper – Seasonings for the dish, add it at almost the last part of the cooking and season the dish according to your liking.

Sun-dried tomatoes – I love sun-dried tomatoes. I add it to salads, on toasts, in stir fries, and in this dish, this ingredients gives a hint of intense sweeteness and sourness to the sauce.
Lemongrass – A versatile herb that has a fresh citrusy aroma. I have used it to make tea, refreshing drinks, added to stews, made curry pastes and many other usages. This herb is very hard, so the way to release the essential oil is to smash it with a pounder or the back of the knife.
Kaffir lime leaves – Kaffir lime leaves are basically leaves from the kaffir lime trees. These leaves contain essential oils that are believed to have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. I’ve added it to enhance curry pastes, meat dishes and marinades. To use it, just remove the middle stem and crush the leaves to release the aromatic oil. If you can’t find these leaves, but you have a lemon tree in your garden, you can also use the leaves from the lemon tree.

Galangal – A South Asian spice, that looks like a younger ginger and has been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine and cooking. Galangal comes with loads of health benefits, and has a distinctive aroma on its own.
Shallots and garlic – These are pretty standard aromatics to add fragrance to the grease before cooking the rest of the ingredients.
Mushrooms – I used button mushrooms but you can opt for other kinds of mushrooms such as enoki or shiitake.

Chicken breast or thighs – Choose boneless and skinless chicken. I used chicken breast in this recipe as it’s a healthier choice of meat but thighs would taste better IMHO.