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Juicy chicken in a flavour-packed marinade is another winning easy chicken dinner. Inspired by the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rated Marry Me Chicken, this Divorce Me Chicken (!) is its sweeter, spicier cousin. Simple ingredients, big results and cooks in 25 minutes.
If we can have a chicken dish that’s good enough to make someone want to marry us, surely we can make a recipe that’s surprising enough to make someone want to divorce us, right?!
Joking, joking.
If you love the viral and ever-popular Marry Me Chicken, I urge you to give this Divorce Me Chicken a try.
It replaces Marry Me’s creamy, tangy sauce for a slightly sweeter, spicier flavour that’s just as mouthwatering, but less comfort food, more.. Wow-what-just-happened-here 👀
We make a quick marinade and bake it instead for hands-off convenience. Just make sure to keep an eye on the time as chicken breast can dry out if overcooked.
And please don’t blame me if your spouse is a little taken aback when they ask you what you’ve cooked for them! 😂
Why you’ll love this Divorce Me Chicken recipe
⭐️ Juicy, succulent, delicious chicken
⭐️ Dress up or down with variety of sides
⭐️ Hands off and super easy method
What is Divorce Me Chicken?
Marry Me Chicken has been a big hitter on my website since it was published and went on to inspire lots of other versions, such as my meatballs, soup, pasta and a slow cooker method.
I figured if you’re a fan of it, you might fancy something similar with a slightly different twist. (I wanted my Divorce Me Chicken to be a bit less involved too, by baking it rather than cooking it on the stove.)
And if you’re interested in how this came about, Marry Me Chicken was coined by American food publication Delish (in relation to US national foodie treasure Ina Garten’s much-loved Engagement Roast Chicken).
I thought it would be fun to come up with an opposite version, hot, spicy, sweet, everything that MARRY Me Chicken isn’t!
Divorce Me Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken – This recipe uses 4 breasts for 4 people.
- For the simple marinade – Olive oil, honey, chilli flakes, garlic granules, paprika, lemon zest and juice and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To serve – Lemon wedges and extra chilli flakes (optional).
How to make Divorce Me Chicken
1. Mix the marinade ingredients together (put some aside for glazing later). Coat the chicken and leave to marinate, as per the full recipe below.
2. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, then spoon your extra marinade over and grill for a glazed effect. Scatter chilli flakes and serve with lemon slices.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or covered in the oven before serving. Leftovers are delicious cold in salads or sandwiches too.
In the freezer There isn’t loads of sauce with this so you may find the chicken is a little dry once frozen, thawed and reheated, however I wouldn’t let it go to waste. If freezing is your best option, do it, but manage your expectations for when you reheat it. Adding it to pasta as a sauce might be nice though.
Recipe Tips
Marinating time
I wouldn’t usually advise leaving chicken to soak if the recipe had lemon juice in it, but as we’re only using a little and balancing it with honey and oil, it’s not overly acidic so the texture of the meat should still be fine if you leave it for a while.
I would say a minimum 1 hour for best results, and no longer than 12 hours should be fine.
Make sure you cover the chicken and store it in the fridge while marinating.
Cooking time
How long your chicken will take will vary on the thickness of the breasts. If in doubt, check your meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked through. (The ideal cooking temperature for chicken is 74°C, according to Thermapen – my go-to thermometer-makers. There’s also more cooking time information here).
Make sure to keep an eye on the time as chicken breast can dry out if overcooked.
More easy chicken recipes…
One Pot
Lemon Chicken Tray Bake
Slow Cooker Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken {with Sticky Sauce}
Dump & Bake
Marry Me Chicken and Rice {Dump & Bake}
Family Dinner Ideas
Teriyaki Chicken {with Sticky Sauce}
FAQs
The beauty of this recipe is you can keep it simple for an easy midweek meal, or you can make it more special, depending on the sides you serve it with.
Homemade Skin On Fries and a simple green salad is what I love. Or go a little fancier and try Parmentier Potatoes and a Carrot Salad.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Divorce Me Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts
For the marinade:
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Chilli flakes
- 2 tsp Garlic granules
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 Lemon, Zest and juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
- Lemon wedges
- Extra chilli flakes
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, adding a good pinch of salt and pepper, then take 2 tbsp of this mix and place in a small separate bowl to the side (optional: this is to use to glaze the chicken at the end of cooking.)
- Leave to marinate: Add the chicken breasts to the large bowl containing the marinade and mix, coating well. Leave covered in the fridge for as long as you have (maximum 12 hours). Season with salt and pepper.
- When ready to cook: Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Bake the chicken breasts in a baking dish for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Optional glaze: At the end, spoon over the marinade you kept back earlier. Pre-heat the grill to high and pop under for 3-5 minutes until the chicken has browned a little on top (be sure your dish is grill safe if doing this!)
- To serve: Scatter over some extra chilli flakes and wiggle in a few extra lemon slices before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
