30-Minute Marry Me Chicken Pasta
This marry me chicken pasta is creamy, dreamy, and lovely for a romantic date night at home or a cozy dinner party with friends! With seared chicken, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and fresh basil, it's an easy (almost) one-pot dinner that is lovely with a glass of wine.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (454 grams)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (14 milliliters)
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta (340 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (14 grams)
- 1/4 cup finely diced shallots (25 grams - 1 small shallot)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste (32 grams)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (60 milliliters)
- 15 ounces tomato sauce (425 milliliters)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240 milliliters)
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan, plus more for serving (35 grams)
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained & finely chopped (56 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving (6 grams)
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet
- Meat tenderizer
Instructions
Cook the chicken
- Place the chicken breasts (or thighs) on a cutting board. Cover the chicken with a layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Then, use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound the chicken into an even 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- Next, heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it's very hot and shimmering. Sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side until it's golden brown. Continue cooking, flipping every 30 seconds or so, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then, slice the chicken and set aside.
Boil the pasta
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Pour in the pasta and boil it until it's 1 minute shy of al dente. Use a mug or liquid measuring cup to reserve about 1/2 cup (120 grams) of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta well.
Make the sauce
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in the same cast iron skillet that you cooked the chicken in over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until they're softened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the tomato paste into the shallot mixture and cook until it's dark red, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Then, pour the tomato sauce and heavy whipping cream into the pan. Stir until smooth and bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer.
- Add the chicken bouillon, parmesan, a pinch of red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and oregano. Let the parmesan sit for 1 minute and then stir until the cheese is smooth. Stir the sun-dried tomatoes into the sauce.
- Pour the pasta, chicken, basil, and about 2 Tablespoons (30 grams) of the reserved pasta water into the sauce. Stir for 1 minute, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is glossy. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water, a small splash at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve the pasta with freshly-grated parmesan, chopped basil, and extra red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Don't skip tenderizing the meat! Pounding it into an even thickness makes the chicken more tender and helps it cook more consistently. Otherwise, the chicken could come out tough, dry, and chewy.
You can use whatever pasta you like, but I like a tube pasta like rigatoni or something with lots of nooks and crannies like farfalle. You want something that will soak up all of that creamy sauce!
Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than al dente. The rigatoni will finish cooking in the sauce and you don't want it to over-cook!
It's important to use high-quality tomato paste and sauce in this recipe! I've tested this recipe with generic tomatoes and the sauce tasted acidic and tinny. High-quality tomatoes will make for a rich, sweet, and balanced sauce. I like Cento, Muir Glen, and Bianco Dinapoli tomatoes!
Let the parmesan sit on top of the sauce for 1 minute before stirring it together. The heat from the sauce will help the cheese slowly melt so it doesn't come out clumpy.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 593kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 34.5g, Fat: 33.8g, Saturated Fat: 17.2g, Cholesterol: 166mg, Sodium: 980mg, Potassium: 1078mg, Fiber: 3.9g, Sugar: 7.3g, Calcium: 150mg, Iron: 3mg
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