Marry Me chicken pasta is made with a silky tomato-infused cream sauce, a hearty pile of grated parmesan, cute pasta, and buttery crisp chicken cutlets. I’m cool to marry the sauce alone, but that extra lean protein seals the deal for men!
So yes, the name is cheesy. The concept is a little cheesy. But the recipe is fantastic.
I’ve been making variations on Marry Me Chicken for years. This is my take on the TikTok fad: a reliable recipe you’ll want to tuck away until you need a delicious but not stressful, crowd-pleasing dinner.
I always add a little bit of white wine for balance and a solid pinch of chili flakes, along with plenty of fresh herbs. Beyond that, the flavor-packed sun-dried tomatoes do the bulk of the work. We simply let the cream pull out the tomatoes’ tangy, sweet, bright flavor and let it spread throughout the sauce, the pasta, and the chicken.
Most importantly for all of us who feel like there's never enough time (everyone, right?), this is basically a one-pot meal. The chicken and sauce are all made in one pan. Boil the pasta in another, then toss it all together. You’ll have an elegant weeknight meal in no time!
Keep reading for some tips on modifying this recipe for two people, and shortcuts you can take to make this recipe even faster.
marry me chicken pasta ingredients:
- chicken breasts
- sun-dried tomatoes
- tomato paste
- garlic
- white wine
- chicken stock
- heavy cream
- parmesan
- butter
- extra-virgin olive oil
- flour
- red chili flakes
- short pasta
- fresh basil or thyme
how to make marry me chicken pasta:
- Dredge chicken cutlets in flour.
- Sauté until cooked through and golden brown.
- Slice and tent with foil; keep warm.
- Sauté garlic and tomato paste.
- Whisk in wine and reduce to a few tablespoons.
- Stir in chicken stock, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and chili flakes.
- Simmer until thickened and flavorful, 10 minutes.
- Cook pasta and reserve some cooking liquid.
- Add pasta, parmesan, and a splash of pasta water to the tomato cream sauce.
- Toss until sauce has thickened and coats the pasta.
- Divide into bowls, top with sliced chicken, and garnish with herbs.
- Enjoy!
best pasta for Marry Me Chicken:
You can use any short pasta you have on hand.
Ideally, the shape will be sturdy with curves, scoops, or hollows to hold and carry the creamy tomato sauce.
I used gemelli in the photos, which looks so elegant and has a twist and a groove down the center to hold the rich sauce.
Other great shapes to explore are: cavatappi, cascatelli, casarecce, shellbows, elbows, penne, rigatoni, ziti, orecchiette, and trottole.
make this marry me chicken pasta recipe your own!
Mix in the following add-ins for extra veggies:
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Sautéed kale
- Baby spinach (toss in at end of cooking until)
- Chop up chicken and mix into sauce for even simpler presentation
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Swap sun-dried tomatoes for diced fresh or canned tomatoes
- Handful of frozen peas
How to make this recipe for two:
This recipe can easily be made for 2: halve all of the sauce ingredients and use 8 oz of pasta.
I recommend you stick with at least 2 chicken breasts. They reheat well and can be re-purposed in salads, wraps, or other pasta dishes throughout the week!
Shortcut this recipe for a weeknight dinner!
Skip the dredging and sautéing chicken: simply toss a few cups of shredded rotisserie chicken in the sauce, along with the pasta and parmesan. This saves so much time!
More chicken dinner recipes to try:
chicken pot pie with puff pastry
grilled turmeric chicken thighs
sheet pan harissa chicken with broccolini and chickpeas
spicy grilled chicken pita with jalapeño yogurt
marry me chicken pasta
Marry Me chicken pasta is made with a silky tomato-infused cream sauce, a hearty pile of grated parmesan, cute pasta, and buttery crisp chicken cutlets.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- ¼ tsp red chile flakes, or to taste
- ½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 lb short pasta (such as gemelli, casarecce, penne, rigatoni, ziti, cavatappi)
- Fresh basil or thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shake off excess, and transfer to a large plate.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken, add remaining tablespoon of butter, and cook until the other side is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 5- 7 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and rest a few minutes. Slice in ½-inch-thick diagonals, tent loosely with foil, and keep warm.
- Return skillet to med-low heat and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook until darkened in color, about 2 minutes.
- Add white wine and cook, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to a few tablespoons.
- Add chicken stock, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and red chile flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until thickened and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if needed.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid.
- Add pasta and parmesan to skillet and cook, tossing, until sauce is thick and coats the pasta, about 3 minutes. Add a splash of pasta water, if needed, to loosen the sauce.
- Divide pasta among 4 bowls. Top with sliced chicken and garnish with torn basil or thyme. Serve hot, passing extra parmesan.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 778
- Sugar: 6.7g
- Sodium: 377mg
- Fat: 48g
- Saturated Fat: 27g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.1g
- Trans Fat: 1.2g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 33g
- Cholesterol: 178mg
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