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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!
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 544 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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!
This post was originally published on March 12, 2025
I actually disagree with the recs to add more water. I added more water and it came out a bit runny so I had to thicken it with a lot more cheese / cream cheese. I wish I tried this as is, and just simmered it at a low boil. Anyways– try as written. The flavors were good!
Thanks so much, Grace! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it was enjoyed:)
Happy Monday! xT
Delicious! I was unable to find the flat pasta though and wound up using rigatoni. I definitely had to add more water than just the 2 cups and it took a little longer for the pasta to cook. But still wound up being delicious.
Hey Amy,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Have a wonderful weekend! xx
I made this last night, I added an additional cup of water. It was delicious. I’ve made a handful of recipes from this website and they are ALWAYS so so good.
Hey Lauren! Aw thank you so so much! Love to hear you enjoyed this one pot recipe! Have a great weekend! xT
SO yummy! A new favorite!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed this pasta! xT
The pasta is great but no one’s gonna marry me when I serve them a meal without salt and pepper. It was in the ingredient list but never in the steps so was missed. I was just trying to follow the recipe
Hi Beverley,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, love to hear it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xx
Does the cream cheese need to be at room temperature
Hi Tiffany,
Yes, I would recommend that:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Okay thank you I’m making it tonight how much water do I need to use
The recipe calls for 2 cups of water:)
New family favorite!! Although I have made it before. I had to make a substitution after I messed up the sauce the first time around. And I served it with gnocchi. Superb! The twins loved it so that’s always a win.
Hi Jennie,
Wonderful! So glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Have a great Friday! 💐
I’ve made this recipes several times and it’s a favorite at my house!
Hi Katie,
Happy Thursday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a winner! x
Where did you get these type of noodles?
Hi Angela,
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
Do you use all the oil from the tomatoes? How much does it end up being.
Hi Michael,
Nope, you are going to drain the oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love this recipe! xx
How much of each spice do you use to make Italian seasoning?
Thanks!!
Hi Casye,
You can follow the measurements listed here:
https://fett-weg.today/essentials/#seasonings%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I made Marry Me Chicken last night for dinner. I could not find Mafalda pasta as shown in the picture so I used Farfalle (bowties). It was sooo delicious and my husband loved it also. I will be making it over and over and will pass this recipe around to my friends. Thankyou!!
Thanks so much, Patrice! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xx
I made this for the first time tonight. I have made the marry me chicken meatballs before so I was excited to make this! I used ground chicken and substituted shredded zucchini instead of spinach. Other than that I followed recipe. It was FANTASTIC!! So easy, quick and flavorful and plenty of leftovers. Hubby gobbled it up and raved about it!! Thanks!🥰
Thank you so much, Pamela:) My family loves the “marry me” dishes as well, the flavors are the best! Thanks for your kind message! xxT
I followed this recipe as written and it was delicious!! It was so creamy and full of flavor. My family loved it and we will definitely be making it again.
Hey Laura,
Happy Sunday! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xx
Beware of making this exactly as written. These changes may offer a better result:
• Replace the 2 cups of water (for the pasta boiling) with 4 cups of chicken broth and boil uncovered for the amount of time shown on the pasta box. You aren’t draining the water off after boiling pasta, and 2 cups isn’t enough to cook even for 8 oz of pasta uncovered, let alone up to 1 pound. Using broth improves the depth of flavor. If you don’t want to use broth, at least add salt to your water to better season the pasta.
• Increase chicken to 1.5 lbs (two large boneless chicken breasts)
• Sauté garlic for no more than 30 seconds
• Decrease pasta to 8 oz (up to 10 oz if you are really serving 6 people)
• Sub heavy cream or half & half for whole milk
• Increase parmesan cheese to 1/2 cup in the sauce and another 1/2 cup mixed in or topped at time of serving
• A splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice at the end will help brighten the flavors
Thanks for sharing your feedback and all of your notes, Vicki!!
I agree. The liquids are off a bit when cooking the pasta.
Thanks Vicki! I was wondering if we had to drain the water or not!
Agree! The 2 cups of water?! Not even close to enough liquid to boil pasta. The flavors are good but the measurements are off for actually executing this.
I agree — the measurements are not right. I noticed this right away. A little leery of the other recipes on this site if you can’t get a measurement of liquid right for boiling pasta!!