Marry Me Chicken Pasta
This creamy Marry Me Chicken Pasta recipe combines tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and pasta in a luxurious Parmesan cream sauce. One pot, 30 minutes, and absolutely proposal-worthy! The perfect date night dinner that's easy enough for weeknights.
Equipment
- Large pot for pasta
- Large skillet or sauté pan
- colander
- Measuring cups and spoons
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- Shallow dish (for dredging)
- Wooden spoon or tongs
- Plate (for resting chicken)
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta Casarecce, penne or fettucine
- 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts about 1¼ lbs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; separated for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight.
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot or small yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 14.5 oz can lower-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained and chopped
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside while you prepare the chicken and sauce.
- In a shallow dish (or large plastic zip-loc bag), combine flour, ¾ tsp salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces to coat evenly.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken until golden (3 min). Remove chicken from pan onto a plate. Set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the shallot or onion until soft (2-3 min). Add the minced garlic (30 sec).
- Add cream, chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, pepper flakes, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt. Boil, reduce heat, simmer until thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano and basil.
- Return chicken and pasta, toss to coat.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve with extra basil and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Notes
Salted pasta water: Add salt (1½-2 tbsp kosher or 1 tbsp sea salt per 5-6 quarts water).
Chicken: I use pre-cut, thin-sliced chicken breasts from the store. But if you're working with regular chicken breasts, first, slice them in half horizontally (like you're butterflying them), then pound them out until they're between ⅛ and ¼-inch thick. And trust me – don't skip the halving step first! If you pound whole chicken breasts, you'll have pieces bigger than your plate.
Storage:
Store in airtight container up to 3 days.
Store in airtight container up to 3 days.
