Marry Me Chicken Pasta Bake

Baked penne pasta with chicken, melted cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes in a white casserole dish.

This easy marry me chicken pasta bake is a creamy baked dinner that feeds a crowd with just 15-minutes of hands-on prep.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword chicken, comfort food, creamy, easy, marry me chicken, marry me chicken pasta bake

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Rest Time 5

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 414

Author Robyn Conley Downs

Equipment

Large Baking Dish
Large Pot

Ingredients

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into 1-inch pieces
⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and roughly chopped (plus 1 tablespoon of the oil)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces penne pasta (about 4 cups dry), cooked 2 minutes short of al dente, with ½ cup pasta water reserved before draining
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions

Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease or spray with cooking spray a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Boil the Water: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil.

Tip: Make sure the water is well-salted, as you will use some of it to make the sauce later on.

Cook the Chicken: In the baking dish, add the chicken pieces, sun-dried tomato oil, tomato paste, granulated garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and pepper.
Toss to coat the chicken evenly. Spread in a single layer. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is just cooked-through.

Tip: The chicken will continue to cook a bit more with the pasta, so no need to over-cook it in this step. Timing, however, will depend on how small you cut the chicken pieces.

Cook the Pasta: While the chicken bakes, cook the penne in heavily-salted boiling water 2 minutes short of al dente.
Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining. Drain (do not rinse) and set aside.

Tip: Don’t overcook the pasta in this step! You want it just slightly under-done so it soaks up the sauce without becoming mushy.

Make the Sauce: Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add the heavy cream, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, ½ cup of the mozzarella, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the baking dish. Stir well to combine with the chicken and pan juices.
Add the cooked pasta and sun-dried tomatoes and toss to coat evenly. If the sauce seems thick, add a splash of more reserved pasta water to loosen. You want the sauce to seem loose, as the pasta will soak it up while baking.
Add Cheese and Bake: Sprinkle ½ of mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan evenly over the top.
Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbling at the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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