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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!
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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.
What type of pasta did you use in this recipe and where did you find it? I love the different , interesting pastas you use!
Hi Jean,
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&xcreo=500008
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Delicious and super easy. I added a few more sundried tomatoes as they were the star flavour for me. Love that the sauce was milk and cream cheese – felt a bit light that using a thick cream. Easy to not add the chicken and keep it veggie as well
Hey Maire,
Love to hear this dish was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Happy Wednesday! xx
Excellent. Would be even better with Gorgonzola in the sauce. We also made a quick marinade for the chicken with salt, oil, pepper, red wine vinegar, and hot honey.
Hi Grace,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a winner! Have the best weekend:)
Do you have any gluten / lactose free recipes?
You are an amazing scientist in the kitchen! Your flavour profiles are the best.
Thanks so much, Sandra!! I sure do, you can search by diet specific over on this page:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/recipes/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I just made this and it was incredible! I marinated the chicken for in olive oil and seasoning for a few hours first. The pasta and sundried tomatoes with the cream and cheese and everything turned out wonderful, with sooo much flavor. I’ll add this one to the rotation for sure.
Thanks so much, Amy!! So glad to hear this pasta turned out nicely for you, thanks for trying it! xx
Teighan!! I have to be your worst biggest fan. I make your recipes 2-3 times every week for the past 3 years and have yet to leave a comment. Own every cookbook & made 100s of your recipes – minus the new cookbook, but it will be my collection very soon. My boyfriend, friends, & family think I am a chef because of you. I fell in love with cooking from these recipes and it’s helped bring my family closer. So THANK YOU for all that you do.
With that being said, I think this had lots of flavor but it did take an extra 10 mins for me to cook the pasta with another cup of water. I use rigatoni and the bag said slow cook pasta (most likely the reason). It’s a classic marry me chicken that was quick, easy, and delicious!! Adding it to my rotation for quick dinners 🙂
Hey Tia,
Lol thank you so much:) Seriously I truly appreciate you making so many recipes and sharing with others! Thanks for sharing what worked best for you with this recipe! Have a great week! xx
I (and my husband) loved this recipe. I added a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan after browning the chicken.
Hi Katie,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
Made tonight.Just a few questions. Recipe stated S&P. Does not say when to use. I added when cooking chicken. Recipe listed Parmesan once. Recipe called for it twice. Was that correct? I added it both times. It was very good
Thanks so much for trying this dish, Charlene! I add the salt and pepper in step 1 for cooking the chicken. Sorry about the parmesan, I like to add that in step 2:) Glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Pretty good but I feel like it was lacking in flavor. I also had to add a lot more water for my pasta to boil.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Karly! So sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
This was so very good I want to give it 5 more stars! Plus, it was very manageable for a Monday after work. I used a pound of Farfalle so it took 15 minutes and 2 and 3/4 cups of water to get it al dente but no worries!
Thanks so much, Pam! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this dish and appreciate you making it! Have the best week! XxT
I used orzo pasta and it was so good! Very easy and everyone loved it.
Thanks so much, Jen! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this dish and appreciate you making it! Have the best week! XxT
It’s a nice recipe, but I did have add more water than what it called for, but that’s not surprising. Given that every pasta is different. Also, it was a touch on the bland side, which my children will love. But, I did add a splash of soy sauce (hear me out) for some umami and salt, and it was just right!
Hey Sara,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! XxT
Hi Tieghan. I’ve been trying to find out some more info about this recipe before I make it. I think my comment was either not approved or deleted 🙁 I was wondering about the Italian seasoning mix that you use specifically for this recipe – you mention sage, rosemary and onion powder. Can you clarify the amounts you use of each? I looked at the essentials page and that one is different than what you mention here. Thank you so much!!!!
Hi Caroline,
You can use a teaspoon of each:) I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you! Have a great weekend! xx
Take a deep breath of that mountain air Tieghan. This dish was wonderful for a cold snowy night! A little salt/pepper to add and the taste was great!! These cooks should know how to adjust cooking pasta,…..um, add a little water!! Thank you for your great recipes and creative mind!!
Thank you so much, Nancy:) So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Happy Friday! xx
I would agree with other commenters that this recipee is relatively bland. I did note that the receipe’s version of Italian seasoning is not the same as what you would buy at the grocery store, so I did add a good bit of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper flakes. That helped, but it still didn’t wow us. I added the full 16 oz of pasta and needed to add more like 3 cups of water in order to cook the pasta al dente. I’ve prepared quite a lot of Tieghan’s recipes over the last six or so months, and my family and I generally really enjoy the result. This one is just “okay”. I’m still a huge Tieghan fan!
Hi Cristy,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your comment, so sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave. Have a great Friday! xx
I thought the recipe was bland and I had to try and compensate after it was cooked for seasonings. Other than that it turned out fine. I did used coconut milk since I am allergic to cows milk.
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry it turned out bland for you! xx