Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Made with pan seared chicken breast, drenched in a creamy, sun dried tomato sauce with fresh spinach leaves and al denté pasta, this marry me chicken pasta is a decadent and tangy dish that is absolutely worthy of its name.
What we love about this marry me pasta
- Marry me chicken pasta is perfect for an elegant, date night at home – it has the perfect blend of sophistication and luxury. And while that might be somewhat obvious, this pasta dish is also wholesome and comforting and our families, wholeheartedly love this recipe.
- This dish is just creamy and decadent enough. We love using half and half to make creamy recipes slightly lighter, balanced with the chicken stock this sauce has loads of flavor, without it being too rich.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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- Chicken breast
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Fresh spinach leaves
- Half and half
- Chicken stock
- Pecorino romano cheese
- Tomato paste
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make marry me chicken pasta
Sear the chicken. In a large cast iron skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Pat the chicken breast dry and season with a sprinkle of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. When the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165˚F, remove it from the skillet and set aside. After allowing the chicken to rest, slice into bite sized pieces.
Cook the pasta. In a separate pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions for al denté. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining and set aside. If you need more information on how to cook dried pasta, this post on how to boil pasta, has lots of detailed information.
Make the sauce. While the pasta cooks and the chicken rests, cook the sauce in the same cast iron skillet as the chicken. Returning it to medium heat, melt butter and simmer garlic until aromatic. Whisk in flour to make a roux, then whisk the chicken stock, tomato paste, coarse salt and half and half until smooth. Allowing the cream to warm before adding the pecorino will ensure a silky smooth sauce.
Marry everything together. Stir the sun dried tomatoes and spinach into the sauce, then add the pasta and chicken – stir until everything is well coated in sauce.
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Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Made with pan seared chicken breast, drenched in a creamy, sun dried tomato sauce with fresh spinach leaves and al denté pasta, this marry me chicken pasta is a decadent and tangy dish that is absolutely worthy of its name.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Penne
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cup half and half
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- ½ cup roughly chopped, sun dried tomatoes
- 2 – 3 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 cups spinach leaves, packed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
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In a large cast iron skillet, over medium heat melt butter and sear chicken until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Remove and set aside.
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In a separate pot of salted water, cook pasta according to the package directions, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
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In the chicken skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and spices, then whisk in flour to make a roux.
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Whisk in chicken stock, heavy cream, tomato paste and coarse salt, allowing the liquids to warm through before adding then the pecorino romano cheese.
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Add sun dried tomatoes and fresh spinach leaves.
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When the spinach leaves have wilted, stir in the pasta and sliced chicken until well coated with sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 324
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 172 mg
- Fat: 6.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.5 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 14.2 g
- Cholesterol: 22.2 mg
