This Marry Me Chicken pasta is the weeknight dinner of dreams! It’s ready in 25 minutes and packed with tender chunks of chicken tossed with fusilli pasta in a creamy pan sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and herbs.
If you love the flavors in recipes like my creamy Tuscan chicken and the ease of one-pan dinners like this lemon chicken fettuccine, you need to try Marry Me Chicken pasta ASAP!
In case you missed it, Marry Me Chicken is an internet-famous skillet chicken recipe with sundried tomatoes, herbs, parmesan, and cream. The story goes that the recipe’s video producer, after tasting it, told the chef, “I’d marry you for that chicken!” and that’s how it got the name.
Today’s recipe turns Marry Me Chicken into a delicious and easy pasta dinner that’s just as rich, creamy, and packed with Italian-inspired flavor. Make it tonight, and you might just get a proposal! 💍 Funny enough, without even knowing about this recipe, I made my own version about 20 years ago on my fourth date with my now-husband. He still says that’s when he knew I was the one and couldn’t let me get away! 😁
Why You’ll Want to Marry This Chicken Pasta
- Rich Tuscan flavors. There’s something romantic about a rich, creamy pasta loaded with Italian favorites like sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. This Marry Me Chicken pasta is a great candidate for date night (just sayin’).
- One pan. I love one-pot dinners like my Caprese pasta and this chicken pasta. You cook the chicken and sauce all in a single skillet, for easy clean-up.
- Super quick. This pasta is ready in under 30 minutes. Weeknight dinners don’t get much quicker than that!
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are some notes on the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy chicken pasta. Scroll down to the printable recipe card after the post for the full list and recipe details.
- Olive Oil – Or another good quality oil for sautéeing.
- Chicken – I like to use chicken breast filets as they’re easy to cut into cubes. You can make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
- Pasta – Choose your favorite! I recommend fusilli or penne for this recipe since these short pasta types really cling to the cream sauce. Any long or short-cut dried pasta will work, though.
- Butter – I use unsalted, but salted is fine.
- Garlic – Freshly minced cloves are best, but you can substitute ¼-½ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove if needed.
- Flour and Heavy Cream – The sauce in this recipe is a kind of béchamel, made from melted butter, all-purpose flour, and cream. You could substitute heavy cream with half-and-half if you prefer.
- Italian Seasoning – This can be store-bought or you can use a homemade seasoning blend.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan, or pecorino for a sharper flavor.
- Sundried Tomatoes – I love using chopped sun-dried tomatoes in everything from pasta to chicken recipes. Naturally, they bring their Tuscan vibes to this chicken pasta, too.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken Pasta
My Marry Me Chicken pasta is a wedding of two favorite dinners, and you’re all invited! Let’s get started:
- Cook the chicken. First, chop the chicken filets into cubes. Season with salt and pepper, and then cook the chicken in a skillet with oil until that’s golden and seared on all sides.
- Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, boil your choice of pasta in salted water (I use fusilli, pictured here). Cook until the pasta is just al dente. Before you drain it, save about ⅓ cup of the leftover pasta water. You’ll use it later!
- Make the sauce. Next, sauté the garlic with melted butter in the same skillet you used to cook the chicken. Whisk in the flour, and after 1-2 minutes, slowly stir in the heavy cream and a splash of the saved pasta water.
- Add seasonings. Stir in your Italian seasoning, grated parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Put it all together. Return the cooked chicken back to the skillet with the sauce. Let that simmer for 3-4 minutes to thicken and get the flavors mingling. Lastly, fold in the drained pasta and toss everything together to coat. Serve garnished with fresh basil, and dig in!
Tips and Variations
- Salt the pasta water. There’s an Italian saying that goes, your pasta water should be salty like the Mediterranean sea. Add 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of (inexpensive) salt to the water you’ll use to boil the pasta. This way, the pasta comes out seasoned even before you add the sauce.
- Save the pasta water. Another trick I use often is reserving some of that seasoned pasta water after the pasta is cooked. Pasta water is loaded with starches that help emulsify the sauce.
- Don’t burn the garlic. Garlic cooks quickly. Usually, 30 seconds is enough to have it sautéed and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic as it’ll turn bitter.
- Check that the chicken is done. The easiest way to test the chicken for doneness is to use an instant-read thermometer. Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reads 165ºF.
- Easy add-ins. You can easily bulk up this pasta recipe with more veggies, like spinach, kale, broccoli, fresh cherry tomatoes, etc.
Serving Suggestions
This Marry Me Chicken pasta is great on its own, or I’ll serve it with a side of homemade garlic breadsticks or crispy grissini and a big sharing-style salad (move over, Olive Garden!). It’s a great dish for any time of the year, whether we’re dining outside with a Campari spritz in hand during the summer, or cozied up inside with a starter of mozzarella sticks for a comforting wintertime meal. As for dessert, I’ve been loving this chocolate soufflé recipe lately.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover chicken pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. To reheat, warm this Marry Me Chicken pasta in a skillet on the stovetop. I like to add a splash of water or milk to help loosen up the sauce again.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
Pin this now to find it later
Prepare the chicken and pasta:
-
Cook the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Next, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season it to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
-
Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, cook your pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water.
Make the sauce:
-
Sauté. Add butter to the same skillet where you cooked the chicken. Heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, for 20 seconds.
-
Make a roux. Add the flour and cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream and reserved pasta water.
-
Add the flavor. Stir in the Italian seasoning, parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes.
-
Put it all together. Place the chicken back into the skillet and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the drained pasta to the prepared sauce and stir to combine.
-
Serve. Garnish your Marry Me Chicken pasta with fresh basil and serve it warm.
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 1006mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1264IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
