Dolly Parton Shared the Meal That Saves Marriages: ‘You Can’t Go Wrong’

Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, have been married for over five decades. In that time, they’ve navigated her celebrity and their long relationship with grace. Parton shared that her skill in the kitchen also helps keep their marriage strong. She revealed the dish that she recommends married couples should make to improve their relationship.

Dolly Parton has been married to her husband for over 50 years

Parton moved to Nashville to pursue music on the day after her high school graduation. She met Dean that same day.

“I was walking down the street to the laundromat and he stopped me. He said, ‘Hey, you’re going to get sunburned out here!’” she told The Guardian, adding, “Well, he had to say something.”

Though Parton wanted to focus on her music career and not a boyfriend, she and Dean began dating. Nearly six decades later, they’re still happily together.

“My first thought was I’m gonna marry that girl,” Dean said on their 50th anniversary, per Entertainment Tonight. “My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin.’ And that was the day my life began.”

She shared the meal that every married couple should make

Parton freely admits that she and Dean are essentially opposites. She warmly embraces stardom while he stays far out of the spotlight. Their relationship works well, however. She shared that this could be, in part, because of her skill in the kitchen. There’s one dish in particular that she claims is necessary for a successful marriage.

“You can’t go wrong with fried chicken,” Parton told Insider. “I think everybody should really know how to make good fried chicken. No matter where people come from, they love good fried chicken. So you need to make good fried chicken!”

The dish, which Parton serves with mashed potatoes and coleslaw, is a classic recipe of the Southern cooking of her childhood. She shared her tips for the best fried chicken.

“Make sure your batter is good,” she explained. “And some flour, some pepper, and salt — I put a little extra pepper on mine. Then you just dunk it in your oil or grease, whatever you cook with.” 

While a good fried chicken recipe is important for marital success, Parton shared that Dean likes nearly all her cooking.

“A lot of people like my chicken and dumplings,” she said. “I’m pretty famous for that. Carl likes all my cooking. But he, like the rest of them, especially likes the chicken and dumplings.” 

Dolly Parton says she likes it when her husband joins her in the kitchen

Parton likes cooking for Dean, and she also enjoys having him in the kitchen with her.

“I like it when he comes. A lot of times he’ll sit and watch me, or he’ll talk,” she told People.

She shared that while cooking is often a solitary activity for her, Dean plays an essential role in the process. Still, she’ll ask him to leave if she wants some alone time.

“I’m a messy cooker, and he’s good about cleaning up for me and keeping the stuff cleaned up around me,” she explained. “But sometimes I don’t want anybody around, so I’ll just say, ‘Why don’t you go to the den, I’ll clean this up later or you can help me later.’”