Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Indulge in the luscious Marry Me Chicken Pasta, where tender chicken meets a rich, creamy sauce infused with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic! This delightful dish not only satisfies your taste buds but also aligns perfectly with your nutritional goals. Get ready to impress your loved ones with this easy-to-make, flavor-packed meal that’s sure to steal hearts!
Prep
15
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper (10 ml)adjust based on your spice tolerance
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (15 ml)
- pepper
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 13oz boneless skinless chicken breast (369 g)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (120 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 25g fresh parm (0.88 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 10oz protein pasta (Penne Barilla) (284 g)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (15 ml)
- onion powder
- 2tsp salt (10 ml)
- 1tbsp smoked paprika (15 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 3/4 cup half & half (180 ml)
- Handful of sun dried tomatoes
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop your chicken breasts & season them in a bowl.
- 2
While you’re doing that, have a pan rolling on medium/high heat and have your protein pasta cooking.
- 3
Next, add chicken in the pan - let it cook for around 3-4 mins before mixing in Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, & minced garlic.
- 4
Now cook that for another 3-4 minutes.
- 5
Next, add 1/2 cup chicken broth, 3/4 cup half & half, and your fresh parm.
- 6
Lower the heat a bit and let it thicken - maybe 4 to 5 mins before adding 10oz of your protein pasta.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Sear the chopped chicken in a single layer without overcrowding the pan so it browns via the Maillard reaction instead of steaming; overcrowding drops pan temp below 300°F and traps moisture.technique300°F+ surface temp
- ✓Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta's starchy cooking water before draining—adding a splash to the cream sauce helps emulsify the fat and half & half so it clings to the pasta instead of separating.ingredient1/2 cup reserved water
- ✓Bloom the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper in the residual chicken fat for the full 3-4 minutes specified because dried herbs and chili flakes are fat-soluble, releasing more flavor compounds when heated in oil versus added directly to liquid.technique3-4 minutes
- ✓Add the fresh parmesan off direct high heat and stir it in gradually, since parmesan's protein structure breaks and turns grainy above 175°F, causing the sauce to separate instead of staying silky.temperaturebelow 175°F
- ✓Let the sauce reduce to coat the back of a spoon before adding the cooked pasta—this typically takes the full 4-5 minutes at a gentle simmer, as the half & half needs time to concentrate and thicken via water evaporation rather than starch gelatinization.timing4-5 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Indulge in the luscious Marry Me Chicken Pasta, where tender chicken meets a rich, creamy sauce infused with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic! This delightful dish not only satisfies your taste buds but also aligns perfectly with your nutritional goals. Get ready to impress your loved ones with this easy-to-make, flavor-packed meal that’s sure to steal hearts!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper (10 ml)adjust based on your spice tolerance
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (15 ml)
- pepper
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 13oz boneless skinless chicken breast (369 g)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (120 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 25g fresh parm (0.88 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 10oz protein pasta (Penne Barilla) (284 g)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (15 ml)
- onion powder
- 2tsp salt (10 ml)
- 1tbsp smoked paprika (15 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 3/4 cup half & half (180 ml)
- Handful of sun dried tomatoes
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop your chicken breasts & season them in a bowl.
- 2
While you’re doing that, have a pan rolling on medium/high heat and have your protein pasta cooking.
- 3
Next, add chicken in the pan - let it cook for around 3-4 mins before mixing in Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, & minced garlic.
- 4
Now cook that for another 3-4 minutes.
- 5
Next, add 1/2 cup chicken broth, 3/4 cup half & half, and your fresh parm.
- 6
Lower the heat a bit and let it thicken - maybe 4 to 5 mins before adding 10oz of your protein pasta.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Sear the chopped chicken in a single layer without overcrowding the pan so it browns via the Maillard reaction instead of steaming; overcrowding drops pan temp below 300°F and traps moisture.technique300°F+ surface temp
- ✓Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta's starchy cooking water before draining—adding a splash to the cream sauce helps emulsify the fat and half & half so it clings to the pasta instead of separating.ingredient1/2 cup reserved water
- ✓Bloom the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper in the residual chicken fat for the full 3-4 minutes specified because dried herbs and chili flakes are fat-soluble, releasing more flavor compounds when heated in oil versus added directly to liquid.technique3-4 minutes
- ✓Add the fresh parmesan off direct high heat and stir it in gradually, since parmesan's protein structure breaks and turns grainy above 175°F, causing the sauce to separate instead of staying silky.temperaturebelow 175°F
- ✓Let the sauce reduce to coat the back of a spoon before adding the cooked pasta—this typically takes the full 4-5 minutes at a gentle simmer, as the half & half needs time to concentrate and thicken via water evaporation rather than starch gelatinization.timing4-5 minutes