The popular Marry Me Chicken is even better as a pasta dish. This version of Marry Me Chicken Pasta comes together with a luscious cream sauce flavored with onions, garlic, tomato paste and sundried tomatoes.
Ingredient Notes
Heavy cream– This is certainly an essential ingredient to create a luscious, creamy sauce. No substitutes here!
White wine– If you’re not a wine drinker, you can omit this ingredient. You can also substitute this with a shot of vodka for a similar addition of acidity.
Tomato paste– Although this ingredient is not found in most Marry Me Chicken recipes, I thought this addition makes the dish over-the-top delicious! The flavor and sweetness from the tomato paste make this dish somewhat reminiscent of pasta with vodka sauce.
Chicken broth– Considering we only need a small amount of chicken broth for this recipe, I would suggest freezing the remainder of the broth or making another recipe within a week that requires broth. You can also use an instant broth, such as Better Than Bouillon, to avoid waste.
Recipe Steps
First, season and sear the chicken breast on both sides (1). It should not be fully cooked through. Next, sauté the onion in butter. When softened, add garlic and red pepper flakes (2). Then add the tomato paste and sundried tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Pour in white wine and reduce by half (3).
Add chicken broth, heavy cream and fresh thyme to the pot. Add the seared chicken to the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through (4). Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest before cutting into cubes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta until al dente. Add the cooked pasta and cubed chicken to the sauce and stir to coat. Lastly, add cheese and pasta water, followed by the parsley (5).
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- To avoid washing extra pots and pans, try to find something that will work well to both sear the chicken and prepare the sauce.
- Keep in mind, you can easily double or even triple this recipe. Obviously, use larger pots and pans in that case.
- For the most tender chicken, make sure not to cook it all the way through in the searing step. Also make sure to simmer in the sauce over gentle heat.
Essential ingredients in Marry Me Chicken include chicken breast, onion, garlic, heavy cream, sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
For my Marry Me Chicken Pasta recipe, there are approximately 750 calories per serving. Calories will vary widely depending on the serving size and accompaniments.
This post is also available as a web story.
Related Recipes
- Penne Alla Vodka
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Pasta with Mushrooms and Proscuitto
- Classic Chicken Piccata
- Crispy Chicken Thighs with Rosemary and Garlic
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Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Description
This version of Marry Me Chicken Pasta comes together with a creamy sauce flavored with onions, garlic, tomato paste and sundried tomatoes.
Ingredients
- ½ lb penne pasta
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (8-10 oz)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1–2 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ¼ to ½ cup parmigiano reggiano (or parmesan) cheese, finely grated
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
-
Heat a medium-sized pot or pan with high sides over medium-high heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook until browned on both sides but still raw in the center, about 2-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. While chicken is cooking, heat water in a large pot for cooking the pasta. Keep warm until ready to use.
-
Add butter to the pan used to cook the chicken. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, until translucent. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sundried tomatoes. Add wine, bring to a boil and reduce by half.
-
Lower heat to medium-low. Add broth, cream and thyme. Add back chicken. Simmer gently for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate, allowing to rest 5-8 minutes before cutting into cubes. Taste sauce for seasoning. If sauce is not thickened to desired consistency, continue to simmer. Remove and discard thyme sprigs.
-
Meanwhile, bring water for cooking pasta to a boil. Season water liberally with salt. Add pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta.
-
Add in cooked pasta and chopped chicken to the sauce. Stir in ¼ cup of cheese. Add pasta water, as needed, to adjust consistency of the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning or add more cheese, as desired. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with more cheese and parsley, as desired. Enjoy.
Notes
If you’re not a wine drinker, you can omit this ingredient. You can substitute this with a shot of vodka for a similar addition of acidity.
Although tomato paste is not found in most Marry Me Chicken recipes, I thought this addition makes the dish over-the-top delicious. The flavor and sweetness from the tomato paste make the recipe somewhat reminiscent of pasta with vodka sauce.
Considering we only need a small amount of chicken broth for this recipe, I would suggest freezing the remainder of the broth or making another recipe within a week that requires broth. You can also use an instant broth, such as Better Than Bouillon, to avoid waste.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Saute, Boil
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅓ of Pasta
- Calories: 755kcal
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 270mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 66g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
This is a delicious recipe. My husband, who is Mr. Meat and Potatoes, said ” That was very good, honey”.
I laugh, but he is right. Great recipe!
Thank you! That makes my day 🙂
Great flavors! Sun dried tomatoes is a good addition. I plan on using this sauce on a bowl of steamed mussels. Thanks again!
Jeff C
Thank you so much, Jeff!! Using the sauce with mussels is a brilliant idea!
Marry me chicken?! You had me at your lasagna recipe!
I would like to try this but I’ve had an aversion to chicken because of wood breast. I’ll post back after making this recipe.
Thank you,
Jeff C