Why is it called "Marry Me Pasta"?

The name “marry me chicken” came from a viral tiktok that walked us all through a chicken recipe that was so good, anyone would ate it would ask you to marry them. Yes, it really is that good. I’ve made it with pasta here to make it a full meal, hence the name!

How can I make Marry Me Pasta dairy-free or vegan?

You can! I would omit the chicken (or swap for a plant-based alternative) and then make the sauce with dairy-free cream and cheese. If using stock rather than pasta water, make it vegetable stock.

How can I reheat any leftovers?

Yes you can reheat this just fine, it’s never quite as good as when freshly made but it works. I always add a tiny splash of water to the bowl with the cold pasta before heating it in the microwave until piping hot. The water means that it loosens the sauce up a bit and returns it to its loose, glossy form rather than stodgy.

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Marry Me Pasta

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Creamy sundried tomato, garlic, spinach, and chicken tossed with pasta, parmesan, fresh basil. This is your next go-to pasta recipe.

Author: margie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 2
Category: Pasta
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

2 boneless & skinless chicken breasts, (about 400g) cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp olive oil,
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
150 g sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
225g dried pasta (I like penne for this but any pasta shape will work)
150ml pasta cooking water (or chicken stock)
250 ml double cream (heavy cream)
60 g parmesan, grated
60 g spinach
Maldon salt and black pepper
handful of basil leaves

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Instructions

Cook the water in boiling salty water until al dente – you want it to still have quite a bit of a bite as you finish cooking it in the sauce
While the pasta is cooking, take a large, deep frying pan and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the chopped chicken. Season well and cook for 6 -8 minutes stirring occasionally until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan.
Reduce the heat and then in the same pan you cooked the chicken in, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and paprika. Cook for a few minutes to allow the sun tomatoes to soften.
Pour in the double cream and the pasta cooking water, tossing well and allow to bubble for a few minutes so the cream can thicken.
Add the chicken and the cooked pasta to the sauce along with the spinach and stir well. After a minute the spinach should have wilted and the pasta will be perfectly cooked. Add more pasta cooking water if you think it needs it – it should be loose and glossy not stodgy.
Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan and basil leaves. Scoop into bowls, top with more parmesan, fresh basil leaves, fresh black pepper and enjoy!

Notes

If you like a bit of heat, add a pinch of chilli flakes alongside the oregano and paprika.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/marry-me-chicken-pasta/