This Marry Me Chicken Pasta takes everything people love about the famous creamy chicken recipe and turns it into a cozy pasta dinner. Tender chicken, pasta, parmesan cheese, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes come together in a rich sauce that coats every bite.

It has that special dinner feeling without being complicated, which makes it perfect for busy nights, family meals, or anytime you’re craving something creamy and comforting. This pasta is inspired by my original Marry Me Chicken Recipe, using the same creamy sun-dried tomato flavors and turning them into an easy pasta night favorite.

Close-up of rigatoni coated in glossy cream sauce with visible sun-dried tomatoes and fresh-grated Parmesan

About This Recipe

This Marry Me Chicken Pasta is a creamy chicken pasta recipe made with tender chicken, parmesan cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and your favorite pasta. The sauce combines savory garlic, herbs, and cheese with slightly sweet tomatoes for a comforting dinner that feels special but is easy enough for weeknights.

Recipe Snapshot

Pasta water is the secret: The starchy, salty water left from cooking the pasta emulsifies the cream sauce into something glossy and clingy that coats every piece of pasta evenly.
Ridged pasta is not optional: Rigatoni, penne rigate, or fusilli — ridges mechanically trap the sauce. Smooth pasta lets it pool at the bottom of the bowl.
One pan: Chicken sears, sauce builds, pasta finishes. Everything in the same skillet, so all that flavor stays where it belongs.
Faster than the pillar: Cubed chicken cooks faster than whole breasts. This is the weeknight-friendly version of the marry me chicken sauce.
Best For: Weeknight dinners, date nights at home, or any time you want a pasta dish that genuinely impresses without a lot of work.

David’s Tip: Have everything ready before you add the pasta to the sauce. Warm bowls, family at the table, garnishes prepped. Cream pasta is at its absolute peak the moment it hits the plate — it does not wait.

SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE CONTENT ON:

ADD ME AS A TRUSTED GOOGLE SOURCE

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Glossy, clingy sauce every time: The pasta water emulsification technique is a genuine game-changer. Once you use it, you'll never make cream pasta any other way.
25 minutes start to finish: Faster than any delivery option and dramatically better than any takeout pasta you've had recently.
Uses one pan plus the pasta pot: Everything builds in one skillet while the pasta boils. Minimal cleanup, maximum flavor.
Flexible protein: Pre-cooked rotisserie chicken works perfectly here — skip the searing step and you're down to 15 minutes total.
The leftovers surprise you: Cold marry me pasta straight from the fridge is something I look forward to. And reheated with a splash of stock in a covered pan, it's almost as good as fresh.

Rigatoni, chicken breast cubes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, heavy cream, Parmesan block, and fresh basil arranged on a marble surface

The Ingredient Breakdown

Pasta (rigatoni, penne rigate, or fusilli) — the ridge structure on these pasta shapes is doing serious work. The sauce gets physically trapped in the grooves and channels, which means every bite has sauce all the way through. I tested this with spaghetti once out of curiosity. The sauce all slid to the bottom of the bowl. Don't make that mistake.
Chicken breast — cube them evenly so they cook at the same rate. The cubes sear faster than a whole breast — about 3 to 4 minutes total — and they distribute more evenly through the pasta than sliced chicken does in a bowl. If you're using rotisserie chicken, skip the searing step entirely and add it to the sauce to warm through.
Sun-dried tomato oil — the infused oil from your sun-dried tomato jar. This is the fat the chicken sears in, and it's already carrying garlic, herb, and tomato flavor before anything else happens. Even if you're using jarred tomatoes, scoop a spoonful of the oil from the jar rather than reaching for plain olive oil.
Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped — chop them fine enough that they distribute evenly through the pasta. You want sun-dried tomato flavor in every bite, not one big chunk in the middle of the bowl.
Heavy cream — goes in over low heat. The emulsification technique with pasta water does a lot of the texture work, so you're not relying on the cream alone to make the sauce thick. Don't substitute milk — it won't thicken properly and is prone to breaking during the pasta toss.
Parmesan, freshly grated — grate it yourself, always. Pre-shredded cheese in a cream pasta sauce creates a grainy, clumpy result. Freshly grated Parmesan on a microplane dissolves into the sauce in seconds and creates a smooth, unified coating.
Pasta cooking water, reserved — the single most important ingredient in the whole recipe. Scoop it out right before you drain the pasta. It's salty, starchy, and hot — the perfect emulsifier. Reserve a full cup even if the recipe only calls for half. You can't get it back once the pasta is drained.

Top Tip for a “Fabulous” Finish

Salt the pasta water until it tastes like mild seawater. I mean it — about 1 tablespoon of salt per 4 quarts of water. Under-salted pasta is one of the most common reasons a pasta dish tastes flat even when the sauce is excellent. That salt doesn't all stay in the water — it seasons the pasta from the inside out.

pan of marry me pasta on a linen-covered table with fresh pieces of basil to garnish on a dark wooden spoon

How to Make Marry Me Pasta (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it aggressively with salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente — not fully done, because it's going to finish cooking in the sauce. Pull it 2 minutes before the package time if you're unsure. Before you drain, scoop out at least half a cup of the pasta water — it should look slightly cloudy and milky from the starch. That cloudiness is exactly what you want. Drain and set the pasta aside.

Step 2: Sear the Chicken Cubes

Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When it shimmers, add the chicken cubes in a single layer — don't crowd them or they'll steam instead of sear. You want to hear a confident sizzle, not a whisper. Leave them for about 90 seconds without touching, then start turning them. After 3 to 4 minutes total, they should be golden on the outside. They don't need to be fully cooked through at this point — they'll finish in the sauce. Remove and set aside.

Step 3: Build the Sauce

In the same pan (leave all those browned bits), lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir constantly for one minute — you'll smell the garlic right away, which tells you it's working. Add the cream and lower the heat to low. Stir in the Parmesan until it's fully melted and the sauce looks smooth and glossy. Taste it. It should be rich, savory, and slightly tangy from the tomatoes. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and a small amount of salt if needed — the Parmesan and salted pasta water both contribute salt, so taste first.

Step 4: Emulsify and Toss

Add the drained pasta, the seared chicken, and about a quarter cup of the pasta water to the sauce all at once. Raise the heat to medium-high. Now toss everything continuously for exactly one minute. This is the step I used to skip, and it's the step that changes everything. The pasta will move from sitting in a pool of sauce to being coated by it — you can see it happen in real time. The sauce tightens, goes glossy, and clings to every ridge of the rigatoni. If it looks too tight at any point, add another splash of pasta water and toss for 15 more seconds. Serve immediately into warm bowls with fresh basil and extra Parmesan.

David's Tip

Pasta water is salty, starchy, and hot — it's essentially a light slurry. When you add it to a fat-based sauce over high heat, the starch molecules swell and act as an emulsifier, binding the cream and rendered chicken fat into a single glossy coating. This is how every Italian restaurant pasta dish achieves that clingy, light quality you can't replicate at home without knowing this step.

Marry me pasta piled high in a sage ceramic bowl, glistening with creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, topped with fresh Parmesan shavings and basil

Fun Variations

Vegetarian version: Skip the chicken and add a handful of baby spinach and a can of drained white beans. Same sauce, same pasta water technique, fully satisfying without the meat.

Spicy version: Double the red pepper flakes and add a small amount of Calabrian chili paste to the garlic step. It adds a deeper, fruitier heat than flakes alone.

Shrimp version: Replace chicken cubes with large shrimp. They cook faster — about 2 minutes per side — and the sauce pairs beautifully. My panko shrimp would also be excellent tossed through this sauce at the end.

Soup-adjacent: If you want a brothier, soup-style version of this flavor profile, check out my marry me chicken soup — same sauce base, completely different format.

What to Serve With Marry Me Pasta

A simple arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and lemon dressing — the peppery bitterness cuts the richness of the cream sauce perfectly.

My Italian Parmesan bread for sauce-mopping — genuinely one of the best uses of this bread you can find.

A glass of dry white wine — Pinot Grigio or unoaked Chardonnay both work with the cream and sun-dried tomato profile.

For a bigger spread, start with easy caprese skewers with prosciutto and the pasta becomes a satisfying main course for a full dinner party menu.

Make this tonight and let me know in the comments what pasta shape you went with. I'm a rigatoni loyalist but I've heard strong arguments for cavatappi. And if you tried the vegetarian version with white beans — I want to hear how it turned out.

tossing rigatoni with cream sauce in a stainless steel skillet, sauce clinging to pasta ridges as it emulsifies

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions

Refrigerator: Up to 2 days. The pasta will absorb most of the sauce overnight — this is just how cream pasta works. Reheat with a generous splash of chicken stock or water over low heat in a covered pan, stirring constantly.

Reheating: Low heat, covered pan, add liquid. Don't microwave on high — the cream will separate and you'll end up with a greasy, broken sauce.

Freezer: Not recommended for the full dish. Freeze the sauce alone for up to 1 month and cook fresh pasta when ready to serve.

Make-ahead: Make the sauce 1 to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. When ready to eat, cook fresh pasta, reheat the sauce with a splash of stock, and toss together with pasta water as directed.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes

David Murphy

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

This marry me chicken pasta uses the famous sun-dried tomato cream sauce and turns it into a 25-minute one-pan dinner. The secret is the pasta water emulsification step — toss over high heat for exactly one minute and the sauce goes glossy, clinging to every ridge of the rigatoni

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings: 4 Servings

Course: Quick And Easy Meals

Cuisine: American

Calories: 471

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups short pasta rigatoni, penne, or fusilli — ridges help the sauce cling (250g)
1 large chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves minced
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
½ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup Parmesan freshly grated
½ cup pasta cooking water reserved before draining
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil
Salt pepper, red pepper flakes, fresh basil to finish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Boil in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.
Sear the chicken cubes. Heat sun-dried tomato oil over medium-high. Sear chicken cubes on all sides until golden — about 3–4 minutes total. Remove and set aside.
Build the sauce. In the same pan, cook garlic and sun-dried tomatoes 1 minute. Add cream and Parmesan, lower heat, stir until Parmesan melts.
Emulsify. Add pasta, chicken, and pasta water to the sauce. Raise heat to medium-high and toss continuously for exactly 1 minute. The sauce will tighten and coat the pasta. Serve immediately with fresh basil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServinCalories: 471kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 26gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 229mgPotassium: 694mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 627IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Pro Tips

Cook pasta to al dente, not beyond: It's going to finish in the sauce during the one-minute toss. If you cook it fully before that, it will be overcooked — soft and breaking apart — by the time it hits the plate.
Reserve more pasta water than you think: A full cup, even though the recipe calls for half. It's disposable if you don't use it; irreplaceable once the pot is drained.
Plate immediately: This dish does not wait. Have everything ready before the pasta goes into the sauce. Cream pasta keeps absorbing sauce after it leaves the pan, so the longer it sits, the drier it gets.
Add pasta water in increments: Add a few tablespoons at a time and toss. Stop when the sauce coats the pasta and looks glossy — not soupy. You may not need the full half cup.
Warm your bowls: Pasta served in a cold bowl loses temperature and texture almost immediately. Fill your bowls with hot tap water while you cook, then dump and dry right before serving. Your pasta stays hotter, longer.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

FAQs: Marry Me Pasta Questions, Actually Answered

Can I use pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken?

Yes — it's actually one of the best use cases for this recipe. Skip the searing step and add shredded or cubed pre-cooked chicken directly to the sauce to warm through before adding the pasta. The sauce does all the heavy lifting either way.

Why does the sauce look thin even after the one-minute toss?

A few possible causes: the pasta water was too dilute (older water sitting in the pot loses starch), you added too much pasta water at once, or the heat wasn't high enough during the toss. Try another 30 seconds over medium-high heat while tossing. If still thin, the sauce was too loose going in — next time reduce the cream a little more before adding the pasta.

Can I make this ahead?

Not the full dish — pasta keeps absorbing sauce and becomes dry by the time you reheat it. Make the sauce 1 to 2 days ahead, refrigerate, and toss with freshly cooked pasta when ready. Reheat the sauce with a splash of stock and proceed from Step 4.

Does the pasta have to be al dente before the toss?

Yes. It finishes cooking in the sauce during the one-minute toss. If it's fully cooked before it goes in, it'll be past al dente — soft and breaking apart — by the time it's plated. Check it a couple minutes early and pull it when it's just slightly firm in the center.

Can I add vegetables?

Yes. Cherry tomatoes halved and added with the garlic, wilted spinach stirred in at the very end, or roasted zucchini added with the pasta all work beautifully. Add vegetables before the pasta to avoid overcrowding the pan during the toss.

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

About This Recipe

Recipe Snapshot

SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE CONTENT ON:

Why You'll Love This Recipe