This Marry Me Chicken has pasta and juicy bites of chicken smothered in a tomato cream sauce with sundried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, white wine, and the best seasonings. You won’t believe the flavor in this dish!

Be sure to try my Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta and Pasta Primavera Recipes next!

Marry Me Chicken in a skillet with a tomato cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

The name says it all! This Marry Me Chicken Pasta really is good enough to prompt a marriage proposal! (I wish I knew how to make this when I was trying to woo Mr. Cozy Cook 13 years ago! 😝)

Here we have penne pasta and juicy bites of chicken tossed in a tomato cream sauce with sundried tomatoes, spinach, and the best seasonings and flavor enhancers. This might just be the most flavorful pasta dinner you’ve ever made! 

Be sure to check out my PRO tips below! 

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and season with salt/pepper. Sear the chicken in olive oil until cooked through, 5-6 minutes total. Deglaze the skillet with white wine and reduce the liquid by half.

A skillet of cooked and diced chicken next to a skillet being deglazed with white wine.

Add the butter and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, while you cook the pasta. 

Making a creamy tomato sauce in a skillet with a silicone spatula stirring the ingredients.

Add the spinach, followed by the chicken. Stir to combine.

Adding spinach and chicken to a skillet of creamy tomato sauce.

Add the drained pasta and stir to combine and heat through. Serve! 

Adding penne pasta to a skillet of tomato cream sauce for Marry Me Chicken.

Pro Tips

  • Pasta: A variety of pasta options work well here, including penne, cavatappi, medium shells, farfalle, and rigatoni.
  • Wine: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay are the best dry white wines to use in this recipe. Non-alcoholic wines are also widely available. Chicken broth can be used instead of wine if needed.
  • Tomatoes: I use Mezzetta Sundried tomatoes in this recipe. Be careful about selecting a variety that may be seasoned with herbs, I prefer plain as we’re already seasoning this sauce.
  • Regular diced tomatoes can be used instead of sundried; olive oil can be used instead of reserved oil from the jar. Rotel tomatoes can also be used for a little kick!
  • I use Mutti Tomato Paste tubes, they’re handy for measuring smaller/customized amounts.
  • Hot Sauce: This is a flavor enhancer in this recipe and doesn’t make the end result spicy, I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
  • Parmesan: Grate the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso Parmesan. 
  • Cream Cheese: I find that Philadelphia cream cheese from a tub (vs. a block), melts the best. 

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does freeze/reheat well.

Marry Me Chicken on a white plate with a tomato cream sauce, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • 1 quart measuring cup with a spout– This is what I use to combine the gravy ingredients at the beginning. The spout makes it easy to add it to the roux in small splashes. 
  • Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
  • Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
  • Meat Tenderizer– I use this almost every time I cook.
  • Box Cheese Grater– Always shred cheese from a block, it melts and tastes much better. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well.
  • Pasta Strainer– This is the one I have.
  • Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.

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Marry Me Chicken in a skillet with a tomato cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
5 from 24 ratings
Servings: 6 people
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This Marry Me Chicken has pasta and juicy bites of chicken smothered in a tomato cream sauce with sundried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, white wine, and the best seasonings and flavor enhancers.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Sauce

  • 1 ½ cups half and half, or heavy cream
  • 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ½ chicken bouillon cube
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, I use Frank’s
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¾ teaspoons EACH: onion powder, parsley, dried oregano, basil

Chicken/Pasta

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, oil reserved
  • ¾ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups packed spinach
  • ¾ pound ziti, see notes

Instructions

  • Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Pat the sundried tomatoes dry and roughly chop them. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
  • Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 to 3 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use a meat mallet to tenderize each side. Pat it dry. Cut into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of reserved oil from sundried tomatoes in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until golden on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  • As you continue with the following steps, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once a boil is reached, stir in some salt. (I use ½ tablespoon Kosher salt.)
  • Meanwhile, add the wine to the same skillet used to cook the chicken and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet. Simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add the butter and the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes.
  • Add the sauce mixture (from step 1), in small splashes, stirring continuously.
  • Add the sundried tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add the cream cheese and let it heat through and melt.
  • Simmer, partially covered, while you cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
  • Gradually sprinkle the Parmesan cheese into the sauce. Add the spinach and allow it to heat through for 1 minute.
  • Add the chicken along with any juices from the plate.
  • Add the drained pasta gradually, until your desired pasta-to-sauce ratio is obtained. (I prefer slightly less than ¾ lb.) The sauce will continue to thicken upon standing. Serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Cream Cheese: To soften the cream cheese quickly: place it in the microwave for 10 second intervals at lower power. (Use the "melt" function if possible, but don't actually melt it, just soften it.) 
  • Pasta: A variety of pasta options work well here, including penne, cavatappi, medium shells, farfalle, and rigatoni.
  • Wine: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay are the best dry white wines to use in this recipe. Non-alcoholic wines are also widely available. Chicken broth can be used instead of wine if needed.
  • Tomatoes: I use Mezzetta Sundried tomatoes in this recipe. Be careful about selecting a variety that may be seasoned with herbs, I prefer plain as we’re already seasoning this sauce.
  • Regular diced tomatoes can be used instead of sundried; olive oil can be used instead of reserved oil from the jar. Rotel tomatoes can also be used for a little kick!
  • I use Mutti Tomato Paste tubes, they’re handy for measuring smaller/customized amounts.
  • Hot Sauce: This is a flavor enhancer in this recipe and doesn’t make the end result spicy, I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
  • Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso Parmesan. 
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does freeze/reheat well.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 106mg, Sodium: 768mg, Potassium: 882mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 1725IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 230mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: American, Italian
Author: Stephanie