Marry Me Chicken

I had never made this recipe before but thought it appropriate for the coming together of two families in celebration of our children's recent engagement. It's not usually recommended to try out a new recipe at a special event, but luckily this one was a crowd pleaser. This recipe has immediately earned a place in our family favourites group of recipes!

Large batch serves 10-12

(And see pasta option below)

Ingredients:

3 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 tbsps olive oil, divided

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsps dried oregano

1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cooking cream

1 cup sundried tomatoes, slivered

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 tbsps fresh chopped parsley to garnish

You could leave the chicken breasts whole, but I prefer to cut them in half. Some people will eat just one piece, but can always come back for more. Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper and, working in 2 batches, heat a tbsp of olive oil to medium high in a large skillet and brown 3-4 minutes on each side.

Remove the chicken to an oiled baking pan large enough to hold the chicken with deep sides to accommodate the sauce. I used a 17 X 12" pan 2" deep.

Next reduce heat to medium, add 1 tbsp oil in the skillet along with the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir 1 minute scraping up any brown bits.

Pour the broth and heavy cream into the skillet as well as the sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Heat through, simmering 2-3 minutes. Check to see if it needs more salt or pepper then pour over the chicken in the baking pan.

Bake uncovered in a 375°F oven for 17-20 minutes. Check the chicken for doneness at 17 minutes and only add more time if necessary. If it's done and you want to keep it warm while preparing other components of the meal simply cover the pan with foil and keep it in the oven (turned off) for about 30 minutes.