Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Marry Me Chicken Pasta takes that famous creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and tosses it with short pasta, so the whole dinner ends up in one bowl. The chicken gets a proper golden sear, the sauce soaks up every browned bit left in the skillet, and you’ll have it on the table in about 35 minutes. It’s rich. A modest bowl goes a long way.

Why Make This Recipe

The sauce is the reason people fall for this dish. Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, a little chili heat, Parmesan and cream simmer down into something that tastes like it took hours. It doesn’t.

If you’ve made the original Marry Me Chicken, you already know the flavor. This version slices the chicken thin and folds everything into pasta, which stretches two chicken breasts to feed four people without anyone feeling shortchanged.

It’s also forgiving. The pasta water fixes a sauce that’s too thick, a splash of broth fixes one that’s too tight after sitting, and nothing here needs special equipment beyond a 12-inch skillet and a pot.

How to Make Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes. Total: 35 minutes. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz penne or rigatoni
• 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or oil from the sun-dried tomato jar)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (use 1/4 tsp for mild)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. It should taste like mild seawater.
2. Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make thin cutlets, about 1/2 inch thick. Pat them dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and Italian seasoning.
3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the cutlets in and leave them alone for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms are deep golden and release easily. Flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the thickest part reads 165°F. Move to a cutting board.
4. While the chicken cooks, drop the pasta into the boiling water. Cook it 1 minute short of the package time. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
5. Lower the skillet heat to medium. Add the butter, then the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Stir for about 1 minute, just until the garlic smells sweet and toasty. Don’t let it brown.
6. Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for 2 minutes so it reduces slightly.
7. Stir in the cream and bring it to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.
8. Take the pan off the heat for a moment and stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time so it melts smooth.
9. Add the drained pasta and toss. Splash in pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce is glossy and loose enough to slide around the pan.
10. Slice the chicken into strips, add it back along with any juices from the board, and fold in the basil. Taste and adjust the salt before serving.

How to Serve Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Serve it straight from the skillet. A few extra torn basil leaves and a snowfall of Parmesan on top is all the garnish it needs.

Because the sauce is heavy, I like something sharp or crunchy next to it. A simple arugula salad with lemon and olive oil works well, and so do roasted green beans or broccoli with a bit of char.

Garlic bread is never a bad idea. There’s always sauce left at the bottom of the bowl, and bread is the best way to deal with it.

How to Store Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Let leftovers cool, then refrigerate them in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking. They’ll keep 3 to 4 days, which lines up with the guidance on the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart for cooked dishes with chicken.

The pasta drinks up the sauce overnight, so it’ll look dry the next day. That’s normal. Reheat it in a skillet over medium-low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth, milk or water, stirring until it turns creamy again. In the microwave, add the same splash, cover, and heat in 45-second bursts.

I don’t recommend freezing this one. Cream sauces tend to separate and turn grainy after thawing, and the pasta goes soft.

Tips to Make Marry Me Chicken Pasta

• Thin cutlets matter. A whole chicken breast takes so long to cook through that the outside dries out. Halving it gets you a juicy center in under 10 minutes. Check the temperature with a thermometer; the USDA safe temperature chart lists 165°F for poultry.
• Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. They’re softer and more flavorful than the dry-packed kind, and the oil is great for searing the chicken.
• Grate your own Parmesan. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking powder that keeps it from melting smoothly, and that’s the usual cause of a clumpy sauce.
• Keep the cream at a gentle simmer. A hard boil can make it split, especially once the cheese goes in.
• Undercook the pasta by a minute. It finishes in the sauce and won’t go mushy.
• Don’t skip the pasta water. The starch in it is what makes the sauce cling instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Variation

Stir 2 big handfuls of baby spinach into the sauce right before the pasta goes in; it wilts in about 30 seconds. Sliced cremini mushrooms, browned after the chicken comes out, add an earthy note too. For a lighter sauce, swap half the cream for whole milk and simmer a little longer. You can also trade the pasta for cheese tortellini, much like this Marry Me Chicken Tortellini, or go meatless with a creamy filled pasta like this Creamy Tuscan Ravioli.

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Seared chicken cutlets and short pasta tossed in the famous creamy sun-dried tomato, garlic and Parmesan sauce, so the whole dinner ends up in one bowl. It's on the table in about 35 minutes.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 12 oz penne or rigatoni
• 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 large
• 1 tsp kosher salt plus more for the pasta water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp olive oil or oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes use 1/4 tsp for mild
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup Parmesan freshly grated, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup fresh basil torn

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. It should taste like mild seawater.
2. Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make thin cutlets, about 1/2 inch thick. Pat them dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and Italian seasoning.
3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the cutlets in and leave them alone for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms are deep golden and release easily. Flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the thickest part reads 165°F. Move to a cutting board.
4. While the chicken cooks, drop the pasta into the boiling water. Cook it 1 minute short of the package time. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
5. Lower the skillet heat to medium. Add the butter, then the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Stir for about 1 minute, just until the garlic smells sweet and toasty. Don't let it brown.
6. Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for 2 minutes so it reduces slightly.
7. Stir in the cream and bring it to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.
8. Take the pan off the heat for a moment and stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time so it melts smooth.
9. Add the drained pasta and toss. Splash in pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce is glossy and loose enough to slide around the pan.
10. Slice the chicken into strips, add it back along with any juices from the board, and fold in the basil. Taste and adjust the salt before serving.

Notes

Halve the chicken breasts into thin cutlets so they stay juicy and cook through in under 10 minutes; check for 165°F with a thermometer. Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which are softer and more flavorful, and their oil is good for searing. Grate your own Parmesan, since pre-shredded cheese can make the sauce clumpy. Keep the cream at a gentle simmer so it doesn't split. Undercook the pasta by a minute and don't skip the pasta water, because its starch helps the sauce cling. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours for 3 to 4 days. Reheat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth, milk or water. Freezing is not recommended. Boneless skinless chicken thighs also work; sear them about 5 minutes per side.

FAQs

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

Yes, and they’re harder to overcook. Use boneless skinless thighs, sear them about 5 minutes per side, and slice them before adding them back to the sauce.

Can I make it without heavy cream?

Half-and-half works if you keep the heat low and add the Parmesan off the burner. Milk alone tends to make a thin sauce, so if you use it, stir 1 tablespoon of flour into the butter and garlic first to help it thicken.

What pasta shape works best?

Short tubes like penne, rigatoni or ziti hold the sauce and the bits of sun-dried tomato inside. Bowties and fusilli are good too. Long noodles like fettuccine work, but the chicken pieces slide off and end up at the bottom of the bowl.

Conclusion

Make this once and the steps will stick. Sear, simmer, toss, done. Next time, try the spinach or mushroom version, or turn the heat up with an extra pinch of red pepper flakes.