If you love the viral Marry Me Chicken, this creamy soup version brings all those cozy flavors together in just one pot. Juicy chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, and a swirl of cream make every spoonful rich and comforting, with tender pasta and fresh spinach to keep it hearty yet bright. Perfect for a weeknight dinner that feels a little special, ready in about 30 minutes!

Creamy tomato chicken soup with small pasta and spinach in a large white pot.

5 star review

“This was delicious! I love soups, but my husband and son are typically more so-so on that food category. This was a hit with everyone. My son even gave unprompted praise – which is a real win!”

– Rebecca
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Fall in Love with Creamy Marry Me Chicken Soup

If you haven’t heard of the “marry me chicken” trend, the idea is that the dish is soooo irresistibly good that the person you make it for will want to marry you! If the key to your loved one’s heart is through their stomach, then marry me chicken is the key.

The original recipe is made with chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and heavy cream. Inspired by this flavor combo, I wanted to put my own spin on the viral trend and turn it into a cozy one-pot soup situation. And it was so good that I also had to make a marry me chicken pasta for an easy dinner that’s so good, it’s company-worthy.

To make sure we win over the hearts and bellies of your loved ones, I tested this recipe with three different types of pasta. And while I love the orecchiette and farfalle, the ditalini held its shape the best.
You don’t want to use large pasta like penne or rigatoni because that will mess with the texture. And keep an eye on smaller pasta which will take less time to cook, since you don’t want it sticking together or overcooking!

Bowls of pasta, chicken, spinach, and broth next to spices, parmesan, and an onion.
Ingredients: olive oil, onion, pepper, salt, garlic powder, thyme, tomato paste, chicken stock, water, sugar, sun dried tomatoes, chicken, pasta, cream, parmesan cheese, spinach, red wine vinegar.

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Marry Me Chicken Soup

Jump to Recipe Instructions
A wooden spoon stirring diced onions in a large pot.
Cook the onions until they begin to soften.
Diced onions and tomato paste cooked in a large pot.
Add the garlic powder, thyme, and tomato paste.
Broth being poured from a measuring glass into a large pot on a stove.
Add the chicken stock and water.
Shredded chicken and sun dried tomatoes sitting on top of tomato soup in a large pot.
Add the salt, sugar, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken.
Small pasta being poured from a bowl into a pot of creamy red tomato soup.
Add the pasta, cover, and simmer until cooked.
A spoon stirring a large pot of creamy red tomato soup with shredded chicken and small pasta.
Stir to prevent pasta from sticking.
Cream being poured from a glass into a large pot of chicken tomato soup topped with spinach and shredded cheese.
Add the cream, parmesan, vinegar, and spinach.
A large white pot filled with creamy tomato soup with pasta, baby spinach, and shredded chicken.
Enjoy your cozy hug in a bowl!

Making of the Perfect Creamy Tomato Chicken Soup

I’m telling you, this creamy tomato chicken soup has the perfect blend of flavors, and I tested it a number of times to get it exactly right. Here are a few tips to help you achieve the best soup in the shortest amount of time.

  • Tomato Paste: To really get the most flavor into this soup, I decided to use a whole can of tomato paste for a deeper tomato flavor in addition to just using sun dried tomatoes alone. Added bonus? Tomato paste is super affordable and highly concentrated in flavor. Win-win!
  • Water: Now I’m going to let you in on a little secret. We’re trying to steal hearts here, so let’s do this right! When it comes to adding water to the soup for the broth, I recommend using filtered water or bottled water especially if you don’t like the taste of your tap water. Since there are 2 cups of water in the soup, you’ll want to use the water that you’re used to drinking, so your soup tastes juuust the way you like it.
  • Sugar: You also may be a bit surprised to see sugar listed as an ingredient, but a little sprinkle balances the acidity from the tomatoes. It’s a secret flavor hack, and I promise it won’t actually make your savory soup become sweet. You can, however, leave it out if you’re avoiding added sugar for any reason.
  • Chicken: Now, what would marry me chicken soup be without the chicken, right? I personally love using rotisserie chicken to keep this stovetop meal to keep it under 30 minutes. As an added bonus the shredded chicken sops up all the creamy liquid and rich flavors of the soup. Of course, if you want to cook fresh chicken, by all means go for it! You can saute it up in the first step of the recipe.
A white bowl filled with creamy chicken tomato soup topped with fresh parsley.

Testing Notes + Tips for Success

  • Make Ahead: This soup is so comforting and delicious as leftovers. But keep in mind that the pasta will continue to soak up the liquid with time. Just thin it out with a little stock, and you’ll be good to go! If you want to make the soup ahead and avoid this issue, you can always cook the pasta separately and combine it with the soup when ready to serve.
  • Cream: Marry me chicken wouldn’t be the same without heavy cream, but I was able to lighten this dish up just a touch by cutting the cream down to just a half cup. If you’d prefer to use half and half that’s fine, but of course your soup won’t be quite as creamy. I just wouldn’t use anything with less fat than whole milk, because your soup will taste watery. For dairy-free, swap out the heavy cream with dairy-free unsweetened creamer. But make sure you like the taste of your creamer before mixing it into your beloved soup!
  • Finish: Finally, have you heard the saying that we eat with our eyes first, then our stomachs? Well a burst of color from baby spinach will make this soup undeniably drool-worthy! And as the pièce de résistance, a splash of red wine vinegar brightens the whole soup at the very end. Feel free to use lemon juice or white wine vinegar instead, based on what’s in your pantry.
A metal spoon in a bowl of creamy tomato soup with small pasta, shredded chicken, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and fresh parsley.
Marry me chicken soup in a large white pot.
5 stars (37 ratings)

Marry Me Chicken Soup (Creamy 30-Minute Dinner!)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
If you love the viral Marry Me Chicken, this creamy soup version brings all those cozy flavors together in just one pot. Juicy chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, and a swirl of cream make every spoonful rich and comforting, with tender pasta and fresh spinach to keep it hearty yet bright. Perfect for a weeknight dinner that feels a little special, ready in about 30 minutes!
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, small diced
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 6-oz can tomato paste
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 2 cups filtered water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
  • 3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
  • 2 cups small-shape pasta (uncooked) such as orecchiette, ditalini, farfalle

To Add at the End

  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Heat a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Cook until the onion begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Sprinkle the onion with the garlic powder and thyme, then cook until fragrant, about one minute, stirring constantly. Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
  • Add the chicken stock and 2 cups of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 teaspoons salt,the sugar, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken, stirring to combine. Cover, and bring to a rolling boil.
  • Add the pasta, stirring to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick. Cover, reduce to a strong simmer, and cook until the pasta is just cooked through, about 8-15 minutes, depending on the pasta shape. Uncover and stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together or anything sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • Turn the heat off, uncover, and add the cream, parmesan cheese, vinegar, and spinach, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Notes

  • Thyme: is the herb used in the original marry me chicken, but you can swap out no-salt-added Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning.
  • Tomato Paste: 1 can of tomato paste is about 10 tablespoons. If using a concentrated tube of tomato sauce, just be sure to adjust according to the concentration level.
  • Pasta: I tested this recipe with three different types of pasta. And while I love the orecchiette and farfalle, the ditalini held its shape the best. Just don’t use large pasta like penne or rigatoni because it will soak up too much liquid. And keep an eye on the cook time, depending on the size of your pasta. Smaller pasta will take less time to cook, and you don’t want it sticking together or overcooking.
Course: dinner, Soup
Cuisine: American

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 84mg, Sodium: 781mg, Potassium: 588mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1399IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

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