Marry Me Chicken Pasta
This Marry Me Chicken Pasta is a whole meal in one. Penne pasta, seasoned chicken all coated in a rich and creamy sauce that’s bursting with flavor!
DINNER ON THE TABLE IN 35 MINUTES TYPE RECIPE
Marry Me Chicken Pasta is a fast weeknight dinner recipe that is based off the super popular Marry Me Chicken recipe. If you’ve seen my other versions of this Marry Me Chicken recipe, you know the flavor is out of this world! Now, I’m making an even better version with some hearty penne pasta but still keeping that pop of flavor so it’s a really hearty meal! I don’t know anyone that hasn’t loved these flavors. Even people who swear they hate sun-dried tomatoes have fallen in love with this dish!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Penne pasta is ideal, but you can use any pasta you have on hand. Fusilli, farfalle, or rigatoni work well too. Just adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions.
To keep the chicken tender, cook it until just done and avoid overcooking it to make it rubbery or dried out. Chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees.
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat if you’d like to take this dish up a notch.
This dish pairs wonderfully with a side of garlic bread and a fresh green salad. If you really want to go all out, try making a Olive Garden style salad with Olive Garden Salad Dressing.
You can prepare the chicken and sauce ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, cook the pasta, reheat the sauce slowly so it doesn’t separate, and combine everything together.
Yes, you can add any vegetables you think would work well like mushrooms, bell peppers, or zucchini to enhance the dish. Simply sauté the vegetables in the skillet after cooking the chicken.
If the sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding a bit more chicken broth or a splash of milk until you reach the desired consistency. It’s very easy to fix. Sometimes the pasta likes to really soak up that sauce.
Yes, if you’d like to make a Crock Pot version of this, use my Crock Pot Marry Me Chicken recipe and then cook the penne separately before stirring it in at the end of cooking in the slow cooker. There’s plenty of sauce in that recipe to coat all the pasta.
Sure, but that’s more like my simple Marry Me Chicken stovetop dinner recipe that’s easy to make and quite delish too!
Two options for storage, either refrigerate them or freeze them. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can freeze the pasta in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm on the stove with a splash of cream or milk to loosen the sauce.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- penne pasta – you’ll need about 1/2 a box of 16-ounce pasta. You can use any similar size pasta for this.
- chicken breasts– boneless, skinless and cut into 1-inch pieces. You can substitute chicken breasts with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- olive oil – you can use any neutral flavored oil.
- butter
- small yellow onion
- garlic cloves – My go-to will always be freshly minced garlic. It gives the absolute best garlic flavor. But if necessary, you can use the jarred stuff.
- flour
- chicken broth – if you need to cut back on the sodium, you can use a low or no sodium broth.
- heavy cream – If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half-and-half or whole milk as a substitute. Keep in mind that the sauce may be slightly less thick and creamy.
- grated parmesan cheese – you can use freshly grated or the stuff in the green bottle.
- sun-dried tomatoes – These can be found in the canned vegetable aisle of most grocery stores. If you don’t enjoy sun dried tomatoes then leave them out. They are a staple ingredient though for Marry Me Chicken. You can always remove them before eating but allow them to cook with the chicken pasta to impart that flavor.
- paprika – if you don’t have paprika, don’t go out and buy some just for this recipe. You can leave it out and this still tastes amazing.
- oregano
- fresh basil – I love the additional flavor this adds as a garnish but if you can’t find it or don’t have it on hand, this will still taste delicious.
HOW TO MAKE MARRY ME CHICKEN PASTA
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and flour, whisking continuously to create a roux. Cook for about 1 minute. Gradually pour in the chicken broth while whisking to avoid lumps. Stir in the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, and oregano.
Cook until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and the pasta into the skillet, stirring to coat with the sauce.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve warm.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Crock Pot Marry Me Chicken
- Marry Me Chicken Gnocchi
- Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta
- Marry Me Chicken (stovetop version)
- Marry Me Chicken & Rice
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Beef Pasta
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Chicken Pasta
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- chopped fresh basil (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 8 ounces penne pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
- Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until browned and fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat.
- Add 1 small yellow onion, finely diced, 2 garlic cloves, minced and stir for a minute then add 2 Tablespoons flour, whisking continuously to create a roux. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Gradually pour in 1 cup chicken broth while whisking to avoid lumps. Stir until fully mixed.
- Stir in 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon oregano. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the cooked pasta and cooked chicken into the skillet, stirring to coat with the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped fresh basil (optional) and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was easy and very tasty. Husband and neighbor loved it
This is very good. The Crock Pot version is delicious as well.