Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta, smothered with fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Then we simmer it in a homemade creamy herbed sauce until all of the flavors are, well, married. Top this cheesy skillet chicken dish with sliced cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of spicy olive oil.
This family favorite dinner comes together easily, highlights in-season summer tomatoes, and is so delicious! Serve with crusty, toasted bread for mopping up that yummy cream sauce! It's truly a 30-minute meal!
We are just over two months away from the first glimpses of fall! I can’t wait. Although some of these summer nights lately have felty pretty wonderful, haven't they? In my book, the first day of school is the unofficial start of fall days. Ugh, it's coming like a freight train! The boys and I are NOT ready yet.
Anyways, I wrote this recipe with a busy family full of picky eaters in mind while giving a nod to all of the hobby gardeners out there. Something that would help me feed my family fast on a busy weeknight, while still giving us at least a serving or two for leftover lunches.
Maybe you also have a small patio vertical garden with a few tomatoes and fresh herbs growing, too! Even if you buy all of these fresh ingredients from the supermarket or farm stand, don't worry! This Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta is going to taste verrrrry good. It's inevitable.
Summer tomatoes, fresh basil, simple chicken breasts, it’s all coming this season. I foresee lots of yummies produce dishes ahead.
Jump to:
- What to serve with Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Ingredients for Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Instructions for making Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Recipe
- SUBSTITUTIONS & VARIATIONS FOR MARRY ME CHICKEN
- Substitutions & variations for marry me chicken
- Helpful tools
- Top tip
- FAQ
- Pairing
- More tasty foods!
- Comments
What to serve with Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Serve this delicious chicken recipe with a crisp salad of leafy greens, I like thinly sliced romaine tossed with fresh chopped cucumbers, yellow onion, and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle it with a Lemon Vinaigrette and serve this side salad with a generous spoonful of creamy pasta and a side of baguette bread.
Ingredients for Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Skinless Chicken breasts - we're cutting the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces for this pasta dish.
- Garlic powder - along with salt & pepper, it seasons the chicken and creamy sauce.
- Butter and olive oil - for sautéing and building flavor in the sauce.
- Flour - to thicken the cream sauce.
- Garlic - powder is great, but the real thing kicks it up a notch!
- Chicken broth- I use chicken broth because it's a pantry staple in our kitchen, but a dry white wine or leftover whey from cheesemaking would work well.
- Heavy cream - because why not? We're fancy around here.
- Tomato paste or powder - My kids are picky, so I opt for using smooth tomato paste or powder instead of diced tomatoes. Any of those options will work.
- sun-dried tomatoes - either the kind in a jar from the store, or dehydrated garden tomatoes packed in olive oil.
- Oregano and basil - dried oregano and fresh basil just make it so flavorful!
- Red pepper flakes - they add a gentle warmth and really do enhance the dish, so unless you absolutely can't tolerate even a hit of spice, I'd keep them in
- Parmesan - buy a wedge and grate it yourself, if possible. So much better flavor!
- Pasta - I love cavatappi for this recipe! Use regular or gluten free. Penne pasta is another great option!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for making Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat a skillet over medium heat for several minutes. While the skillet is heating, prep the chicken by chopping it into bite-sided pieces. Once the skillet is hot, but not smoking, add the olive oil, chicken, garlic powder, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Do not stir the chicken for several minutes. This will allow it to caramelize golden brown and sear through. After two minutes, flip the chicken so the uncooked side is touching the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes more. Test for doneness and remove the chicken from the pan when it is cooked through.
The skillet will have browned bits in the bottom, and that is just perfect! Leave them there. Add the flour and butter to the skillet and begin stirring with either a metal whisk or a flat bottomed metal spatula/turner. Really scrape at the bottom of the pan while continually stirring the butter and flour. This step takes about 1-2 minutes.
Pour the broth into the pan and stir or whisk continually. Scrape the bottom of the pan with the utensil to release the browned bits from the skillet. Once the chicken stock begins simmering, pour in the cream. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer for five minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces by almost half.
Add the dried basil, oregano, tomato paste (or powder) and sundried tomatoes to the sauce and whisk until smooth.
After letting it thicken to your desired consistency, remove from the heat, and stir in the parmesan and basil.
Add the cooked pasta and cooked chicken into the sauce.
Toss the pasta and chicken in the cream sauce until evenly coated.
Serve immediately!
Hint: Cook the pasta in broth to enhance the flavors and nutritional value. I either substitute all of the water for chicken broth, or even just half.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Loaded Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- 12" skillet
- stock pot
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried or fresh
- 1 teaspoon basil dried or fresh
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup parmesan freshly grated
- 16 ounces cavatappi pasta cooked al dente
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat for several minutes. While the skillet is heating, prep the chicken by chopping it into bite-sided pieces. Once the skillet is hot, but not smoking, add the olive oil, chicken, garlic powder, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Do not stir the chicken for several minutes. This will allow it to caramelize and sear through. After two minutes, flip the chicken so the uncooked side is touching the skillet. Cook two minutes more. Test for doneness and remove the chicken from the pan when it is cooked through.
- Begin boiling the pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- The skillet will have browned bits in the bottom, and that is just perfect! Leave them there. Add the flour and butter to the skillet and begin stirring with either a metal whisk or a flat bottomed metal spatula/turner. Really scrape at the bottom of the pan while continually stirring the butter and flour. This step takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the broth into the pan and stir or whisk continually. Scrape the bottom of the pan with the utensil to release the browned bits from the skillet. Once the broth begins simmering, pour in the cream. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer for five minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces by almost half.
- Add the dried basil, oregano, tomato paste (or powder) and sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce and whisk until smooth.
- After letting it thicken to your desired consistency, remove from the heat, and stir in the parmesan and basil.
- Add the pasta and cooked chicken into the sauce.
- Toss the pasta and chicken in the cream sauce until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS & VARIATIONS FOR MARRY ME CHICKEN
- If you have a picky eater in your house who doesn't like sun-dried tomatoes, I would chop up a small Roma or slice cherry tomatoes and use them instead. My best trick for getting my kids to eat tomatoes is by drying tomatoes and grinding them into a powder, just like onion or garlic powder. It blends smoothly into recipes, no chunky pieces!
- This recipe could be made gluten free by simple leaving out the pasta or using a gluten free option for the flour and pasta.
- When the garden is bursting with vegetables, get creative! This is delicious with diced zucchini, fresh peas or yellow squash.
- This recipe is not written for a vegan diet. While there are options for substituting the cheese and cream, I would not recommend it.
- You may substitute the chicken broth for whey, white wine or vegetable broth.
Nutrition
Substitutions & variations for marry me chicken
- If you have a picky eater in your house who doesn't like sun-dried tomatoes, I would chop up a small Roma or slice cherry tomatoes and use them instead. My best trick for getting my kids to eat tomatoes is by drying tomatoes and grinding them into a powder, just like onion or garlic powder. It blends smoothly into recipes, no chunky pieces!
- This recipe could be made gluten free by simple leaving out the pasta or using a gluten free option for the flour and pasta.
- When the garden is bursting with vegetables, get creative! This is delicious with diced zucchini, fresh peas or yellow squash.
- This recipe is not written for a vegan diet. While there are options for substituting the cheese and cream, I would not recommend it.
- You may substitute the chicken broth for whey, white wine or vegetable broth.
Helpful tools
As an amazon associate, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
This is a pretty basic recipe. You will need a large skillet, I prefer a 12" cast iron or stainless steel. Another tool that I use nearly every time I cook meat is a digital read thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of getting your chicken to the safe temperature of 180F.
A few tools that can speed up the prep process are a garlic press and a microplane for finely grating the parmesan.
Top tip
Make a large batch of this Loaded Marry Me Chicken for leftovers to eat the rest of the week!
FAQ
Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Use any leftovers within 3-4 days if stored in the refrigerator. This recipe can be frozen for up to one month. Reheat any leftovers in the microwave or in the oven.
Pairing
These are a few of my favorite dishes to serve with Loaded Marry Me Chicken:
More tasty foods!
Looking for other recipes like this? Here's my lates foodie favorites:
Madi
Yum!! Love the pasta!
Meg
Thanks, Madi! PS: Perfect for a romantic newlywed pasta night <3
Carrie
We made this for dinner last night! It was big hit! Thank you for sharing the recipe!