This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta. Pan-seared Italian seasoned chicken in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. Cooked together with pasta and spinach, then finished with freshly grated parmesan cheese and Italian basil. An incredibly simple one-pot dinner that happens to be delicious. Everyone will ask for seconds!
Half Baked Harvest At Home
20+ new recipes for wholesome comfort food made with everyday ingredients. Pre-order today! HBH At Home will be released on Tuesday, February 23rd!
I’m in a one-pot pasta phase as we head into spring. With last Sunday’s time change, my excitement for spring and springtime recipes is heightening! I want to add more herbs, more vegetables, and more color into every dish! I love how the changing of the seasons brings on new inspiration. Especially after winter!!
And the ease of using only one pot for a pasta dish gives me more time to enjoy that extra sunlight. This feels like a nice transitional style dinner that’s a mix of cozy and light as we head into warmer, longer spring days.
After returning from travel last week (which included dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant), I had a strong desire to create an Italian-style dinner for the family. I really wanted to make a pasta I knew we all would find so yummy!
Mary Me Chicken has quickly become one of our favorites. It’s simple to make yet has so much flavor. I also like to make my own homemade Italian seasoning, so I added that in too. We all really loved this!
There’s a reason why it is called Marry Me chicken. It’s definitely delicious enough to encourage a marriage proposal!
Let’s Dive Into The Details
Ingredients
- oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- Italian seasoning – I shared my mix below
- salted butter
- garlic
- dry shortcut pasta
- chili flakes
- whole milk
- cream cheese
- parmesan cheese
- fresh Italian basil
Special Tools
For this pasta, you need a large pot. A cutting board and a good knife. The basics and nothing else!
Steps
Step 1: cook the chicken
The first step should be to prepare the chicken. Using scissors, I like to cut the chicken directly over the pot I will be cooking with. Trust me, prepping the chicken this way will save so much time and create less mess. We all love less mess!
Add the chicken to a big pot with the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Add the Italian seasoning and start cooking!
When the chicken is seared and cooked through, scoop it out of the pot. Set aside on a plate.
Step 2: the pasta and the sauce
Now add the butter to the pot, along with the garlic and remaining seasoning. I like to use 2 spoonfuls of seasoning on the chicken and then 2 spoonfuls of the sauce. You want this to be REALLY delicious.
Cook the garlic in the butter with the seasonings until fragrant. The kitchen will smell great!
Drop in the dry pasta and toss it with the butter, then add a couple cups of water. Cook the pasta until it is all dente.
Step 3: finish the pasta
To finish the pasta, add the milk. Make sure to use whole milk for the best results and the creamiest pasta. Toss in a couple ounces of creamy cheese and then lots of spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Add the chicken back in. Stir and cook the pasta over low heat until it is very creamy. Once the pasta is done, take it off the heat. Add all the basil. It will instantly smell so delicious!
As with most pasta recipes, you’ll want to serve this immediately while it’s at its most delicious stage!
The Italian Seasoning
I love to use a mix of dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and dried sage.
Then, I add some smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili flakes for spice.
If I have any mix left over, I store it in a glass jar.
And that’s it, this is very simple dish. And thanks to the Italian seasonings being packed with flavor, this pasta has a minimal ingredient list!
You and your family will enjoy!
Looking for other meals? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- salt and black pepper
- 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3/4 -1 pound short cut pasta
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot set over medium-high heat, cook the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar with the chicken and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Scoop the chicken out of the pot and set aside.2. Add the butter, garlic, and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the pasta and 2 cups of water. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, and parmesan. Mix until creamy.3. Slide the chicken into the pasta, add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan, and gently mix. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.4. Serve the pasta immediately with fresh parmesan and basil. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Can you substitute the whole milk for a reduced fat milk?
Hi Isabel,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
The Marry Me Chicken Pasta sounds delicious and I will make it soon. Do you use measurements for the Italian Seasoning? Would love to know them. Thank you. Happy Spring!
Hey Louie,
Sure, you can find the recipe for my seasoning mix here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/#seasonings
I hope you love the dish! xxT
Could you please post the measurements you used to make your Italian seasoning. Thanks!
Hey Vanessa,
Yes, you can find those measurements here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/#seasonings
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Can you substitute full fat coconut milk for the whole milk?
Hi Deanna,
Yes, that will work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This looks so good! I really love that you’ve been doing so many quick and easy recipes lately. I love cooking, but as a busy mom I truly appreciate these one-pot and simple recipes to get dinner on the table on busy evenings.
Thanks so much, Emily!! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hello! I don’t know if it’s too late to amend, but in the post info, you don’t mention adding the chicken back in. I see it in the recipe method, of course, but just wanted to let you know. Cheers!
Hi Lesley,
You are going to add the chicken back to the pasta in step 3:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Sounds great. Going to make this weekend! What are the Tbsp/Tsp amounts of the ingredients in the your homemade Italian Seasoning? Amount of dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili flakes?
Thanks so much! You bet, you can find my seasoning mix here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/#seasonings
I hope you love the recipe! xx
This sounds delicious! Do you have the measurements for the Italian seasoning?
Hey Dianne,
Thanks so much! Yes, you are going to use 4 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I’d love the exact measurements for all the spices in your homemade Italian seasoning please! Youre recipes are always a hit in out house so I want to go all the way on this recipe. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Sue!! You can find the recipe for the seasoning mix here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/#seasonings
I hope you love this dish! xx
This sounds delish! Making it for dinner tonight. What can I substitute the cream cheese with?
Thanks so much, Tina! You could use ricotta in place of the cream cheese, that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this dish!!
I am truly asking – how can this recipe be thoroughly tested & a family favorite, when you just made it less than a week ago & your family has been traveling?
Hey Sara,
Thanks so much for asking! Any of my marry me chicken recipes, my family loves, so I just knew they would really enjoy the flavors. It really just depends on each recipe, sometimes I start testing recipes months in advance and then come back to them. Sometimes, recipes don’t take long to test at all as they just come together so quickly. There’s so much behind the scenes that people don’t see:) I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Looks like a good recipe to try on our next Cub Scout campout, should work well in a Dutch oven over campfire coals.
Sounds like a great idea, Keith!! I hope you love this dish! xx
This sounds awesome, Tieghan, but I need to reduce the iron content. What could I replace the spinach with?
Hi Sharon,
I would just omit it, no big deal:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Yum, looks delicious and easy, which is quite the feat! Would you mind sharing where you got the exact pasta that you used in the photos please? They look so beautifully rustic.
Thanks so much, Alex! Of course, here is the link for the pasta that I used:
https://go.skimresources.com/?id=135293X1598627&isjs=1&jv=15.7.1&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.halfbakedharvest.com%2Fcorn-pasta-alfredo%2F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiadzy.com%2Fcollections%2Fshort-pasta%2Fproducts%2Fgiadzy-taccole-pasta&xs=1&xtz=240&xuuid=2dd315c5ee20acfb58b2cd534a5fd403&xcust=G_z_JfQafaAvaJxlTCz63%7Eplt%7Clm&xjsf=other_click__contextmenu%20%5B0%5D
Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
Why is it called “Marry Me”? Has this recipe gotten you a marriage proposal?
There’s a reason why it is called Marry Me chicken. It’s definitely delicious enough to encourage a marriage proposal!
Tieghan, what is the name of this pasta and where can it be purchased? The link above takes me to Radiatore pasta. I searched short cut pasta, small square pasta, etc.. I’ve looked everywhere I know to look but can’t find it anywhere.
I’m looking forward to making this!
Please and thank you!
Cathy C
Hey Cathy,
Thanks so much! Here is the link for the pasta that I used:
https://go.skimresources.com/?id=135293X1598627&isjs=1&jv=15.7.1&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.halfbakedharvest.com%2Fcorn-pasta-alfredo%2F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiadzy.com%2Fcollections%2Fshort-pasta%2Fproducts%2Fgiadzy-taccole-pasta&xs=1&xtz=240&xuuid=2dd315c5ee20acfb58b2cd534a5fd403&xcust=G_z_JfQafaAvaJxlTCz63%7Eplt%7Clm&xjsf=other_click__contextmenu%20%5B0%5D
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
You ROCK, Tieghan!
They are out of stock, currently, but I’ll find some and let you know how it goes.
Thank you!