One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta – tender chicken breast and penne pasta in a restaurant quality creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta Recipe
The viral Marry Me Chicken recipe has been taking social media by storm. Lightly crispy golden brown chicken breasts with a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, finished with a sprinkle of fresh basil. We serve ours with garlic mashed potatoes, but as soon as I tried it I knew it would make a perfect one-pot pasta recipe. So I adapted our favorite One Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo into a restaurant-style one-pot creamy chicken pasta that you can make any night of the week! They say that one bite will convince your significant other to marry you. There is no doubt it’s a flavor-packed recipe that will impress your family and friends!
Ingredients for One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced: They are sliced thinly to ensure they cook through quickly in the one-pot method. I used one large chicken breast (1 pound) sliced in half lengthwise.
- All-purpose flour: Used to coat the chicken before browning, creating a slightly crispy exterior.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive Oil: Used for browning the chicken.
- Butter: Used to sauté the garlic and crushed red pepper. Adds richness and depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic, minced
- Crushed red pepper flakes: Adds a touch of spice and heat.
- Italian seasoning (no salt added): A blend of dried herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme, offering a savory Italian flavor.
- Fresh basil leaves: Adds a fresh, peppery taste and brightens the dish. Chiffonade the basil leaf for best results.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Provides the base for the creamy sauce and adds savory flavor.
- Heavy cream: Creates a thick and rich sauce.
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned: Adds a sweet, tangy, and concentrated tomato flavor. Julienned means they are cut into thin matchsticks. Look for a jar that is already julienned if available.
- Grated Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded: Freshly grated so it melts smoothly into the sauce.
- Penne pasta, uncooked: Any similar sized pasta, like Farfalle or Rigatoni, will work.
How to Make One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Prep the chicken: Slice chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.
- Brown the chicken: Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken until browned on both sides. Set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pan, cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Build the sauce: Add chicken broth, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer, scraping browned bits from the bottom.
- Cook the pasta and chicken: Stir in uncooked pasta and top with chicken. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and chicken reaches 165°F.
- Finish the dish: Remove chicken, dice or slice, then stir in Parmesan cheese and fresh basil to the sauce. Combine chicken and pasta, and serve.
Recipe Tips
- The chicken breast I used was very large, so I only needed one and sliced it in half lengthwise. If using smaller chicken breasts, you can skip the slicing.
- I’ve tried cutting the cooked chicken into slices and dicing into cubes and both work great. If you want the chicken to be coated in the sauce, diced into cubes is probably the best since the chicken and pasta are about the same size. If you want to serve the chicken on top of or next to the pasta, go for the slices.
- Don’t skip the basil! Add it to the sauce and as a garnish. It really elevates the flavors of the dish!
- If you would prefer to make the pasta separately, just cook the pasta in a large pot as directed on the box, drain well, then add cooked pasta to the sauce.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Let cool and store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. The best method for reheating will be over the stovetop. Reheat gently over medium-low heat adding more cream or half and half to loosen the sauce as it reheats. Alternatively, you can add more cream and reheat in the microwave at half power stirring often. Whichever method you use, gentle reheating will keep the creamy sauce from breaking.
More One Pot Recipe Favorites
- One Pot Swedish Meatballs
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo
- One Pot Chicken Broccoli and Rice
- One Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta – tender chicken breast and penne pasta in a restaurant quality creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
- 1 pound chicken breasts sliced thin
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup julienne sun dried tomatoes in oil drained
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning no salt added
- 8 oz penne uncooked
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- fresh basil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
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Pat chicken breasts dry. Season with salt and pepper and dredge through flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat olive oil over medium high heat and brown chicken on both sides. Once chicken is browned, remove from pan and set aside. Chicken will not be cooked through at this point.
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Reduce heat to medium and add butter to pan followed by garlic and crushed red pepper flake. Sauté 1-2 minutes. Then add chicken broth, heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Increase heat to medium high and stir scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan.
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Once broth and cream mixture starts to simmer, stir in uncooked pasta and top with chicken breasts. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for about 20 minutes until pasta is tender and chicken breasts have reached 165℉.
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Remove chicken breasts from pan and set aside to rest. Reduce heat to low and stir in parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Slice or dice chicken breasts, stir into pasta and serve.
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
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- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
Beth
I mean, I know this recipe gets its name because they flavors marry so well, but after making this, I feel like this dish would make anyone marry you. LOL. This stuff is great!
Gina
OH-MY-WORD – this was INCREDIBLE. Like – eyes rolling to the back of my head with each and every bite!
Sandra
This recipe was really really good! Everyone in my family loved it! And I love how easy it was to make!
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Dessert
Always a favorite on our table! I’m definitely making this again!
April
You had me at one pot. And I would seriously marry anybody who makes this for me – it’s AMAZINGLY delicious. Creamy, so much flavor, absolutely incredible meal.
Catalina
I made the One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta last night, and let me just say, if I wasn’t already married, I would have proposed to myself! It was that good! 🙂
Allyson Zea
This was absolutely perfect – thank you!
Jessica
Can you slice the chicken into cubes or strips before cooking?
Melissa
For sure! I have another similar recipe for chicken alfredo if you want guidance on prep and cooking time! https://www.number-2-pencil.com/one-pan-chicken-alfredo-2/
Amanda
How much fresh basil did you use? Did you chop it up or put the leaves in whole?
Melissa
Hi Amanda,
You can add the fresh basil to taste. I used a palmful of basil sliced, about 1/4 a cup.