Marry Me Chicken Pasta (Weeknight Favorite!)
This creamy and easy marry me chicken pasta is made with a combo of sun dried tomatoes + tomato paste to ensure tons of punchy “marry me” flavor. And with just a touch of cream & fresh spinach, this 30-minute weeknight dinner is hearty without feeling heavy.
5 star review
“This was dinner last night and lunch today. So easy but so much flavor. We loved it and it was requested for next week. ”
– Christine
Dinner Just Got Elevated with Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Okaaaaay, I think I just solved the question of what’s for dinner tonight! It starts with juicy sauteed chicken and ends with luscious sun dried tomato + cream sauce, and oh, of course there’s pasta. Because what’s life without pasta? Allow me to officially introduce you to this easy marry me chicken pasta. It’s a fun twist on the marry me chicken trend, with chunks of hearty chicken, garlic + thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, and a little cream. And after people went wild for my marry me chicken soup, I tested this pasta version numerous times to get it juuust right for a quick weeknight dinner that feels like it’s from a fancy restaurant, but only takes 30 minutes to whip up.
When it comes to the ingredients, I wanted to keep things slightly lighter, so we’re only adding a quarter cup of cream (rather than several cups like other recipes call for) along with grated parmesan and a few tablespoons of cream cheese to make the sauce super thick. As for the chicken, I initially tried using rotisserie chicken, but I didn’t really like the texture, so instead I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut up into pieces and then quickly sautéed for maximum flavor.
And of course we can’t create delicious Tuscan flavors that are classic for “marry me” dishes without sun dried tomatoes! However, I found that just using sun dried tomatoes on their own did not provide enough flavor. So I pulled out the very affordable, very accessible pantry staple of tomato paste to add even more concentrated tomato flavor, which really elevates and highlights the sundried tomatoes in oil and gives a big flavor punch. Finally, a couple handfuls of spinach adds a pop of fresh green and some veggie goodness to your new favorite chicken pasta!
Welcome to My Kitchen – Let’s Make Easy Marry Me Chicken Pasta!
Tips to Make This Weeknight Chicken Pasta Feel Fancy
- Oil: Sometimes I like to use the oil from the jarred sundried tomatoes for a budget hack & to add even more flavor to this dish.
- Cream Cheese: In testing I found that just four tablespoons help thicken the sauce so it’s not watery, without needing to pour in tons of cream. However, you can leave it out and double the amount of cream if you don’t have cream cheese.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Don’t skip this at the end! When testing this recipe I found that it brightens the whole dish without making it actually taste like vinegar.
- Sugar: Just a little bit adds a delicious balance to the acidity from the tomatoes, but you can leave it out if you don’t want it.
Marry Me Chicken Pasta (Weeknight Favorite!)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta of choice (such as penne or rigatoni)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 teaspoons granulated garlic, divided
- 3 teaspoons dried thyme, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, small diced
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
To Add at the End
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cups baby spinach
Equipment
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Carefully remove 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, in a medium bowl combine the chicken with 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons of the granulated garlic, 2 teaspoons of the thyme, and 1 teaspoon of the salt, tossing the chicken to coat evenly in the spices.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then add the seasoned chicken and cook until golden on all sides, but not quite cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
- To the same pan (no need to wash it first), add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the onion, 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon of thyme, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the chicken stock, ¼ teaspoon of salt, sugar, and sun dried tomatoes to the pan. Bring to a strong simmer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- To the simmering sauce, add the chicken along with any accumulated juices, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and cream cheese. Simmer over low heat and stir until the ingredients are incorporated, the sauce is smooth, and the chicken is cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked pasta along with ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water, tossing the pasta to coat in the sauce. Turn off the heat and add the spinach and vinegar, stirring to wilt the spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary, adding additional pasta to thin the sauce if needed.
Notes
- Chicken: Breasts and thighs work equally well here, based on your preference. Just be sure not to overcook the chicken in step 3 (no one wants dry chicken!) since it’ll continue cooking in the simmering sauce.
- Pasta Water: Reserve a cup of starchy pasta water & just add a little at a time until your sauce is the perfect creamy consistency that you want.
This was delicious!
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken pasta, Michelle. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
This was dinner last night and lunch today. So easy but so much flavor. We loved it and it was requested for next week.
Christine, I love it when a recipe makes it onto the regular dinner rotation list! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Just made this for my 2 and 5 year olds and it was a huge hit. I subbed the chicken breast with some rotisserie chicken I had on hand and it still worked great!
Genevieve, yay, so happy to hear this one was a hit and great tip to use rotisserie chicken! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!