Description
This Marry Me Chicken Pasta is a creamy, flavorful one-pan dish featuring tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and a rich Parmesan cream sauce tossed with your choice of pasta. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner that feels fancy but comes together quickly.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 oz dried pasta of choice
Chicken & Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta well and set aside.
- Sauté onion and garlic: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic, cooking until fragrant and the onion becomes soft and translucent, about 3–4 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: Add butter to the skillet and then add the bite-sized chicken pieces. Season them with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through, approximately 6–8 minutes.
- Make the creamy sauce: Pour in the heavy cream and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese. Let the sauce gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4–5 minutes.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and pasta: Mix the chopped sun-dried tomatoes into the sauce, then add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss everything together until the pasta is fully coated in the creamy sauce and heated through.
- Garnish and serve: Remove the skillet from heat, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and serve the dish immediately while warm.
Notes
- Use any dried pasta you prefer such as penne, fettuccine, or rigatoni.
- For a lighter version, substitute heavy cream with half-and-half or whole milk, but the sauce will be less rich.
- Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil add more flavor but drain excess oil before chopping.
- Adjust red pepper flakes to control the heat level.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat nicely.
