This Marry Me Chicken Tortellini recipe is an easy 30-minute dish made with cheese tortellini and tender chicken in a rich sun-dried tomato sauce. Unlike most one-pan versions, I cook the tortellini separately so the pasta stays al dente and the sauce stays creamy.
Note from Erin
Marry Me Chicken was everywhere before I ever made it. I assumed it was one of those recipes that gets popular because it looks good on camera and then disappoints on the plate.
It wasn't. We love the flavors, but chicken and sauce alone doesn't feed my family, and I was tired of making a side to go with it. Adding cheese tortellini turned it into a quick, creamy pasta I can serve as the whole dinner.
Helpful Ingredient Tips
The recipe card at the bottom of this post includes the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Chicken Breasts: Coating the chicken in seasoned flour helps it brown and keeps it from drying out. Once the chicken goes back into the sauce, the coating gives it a velvety texture and helps thicken the sauce.
Sun-dried Tomatoes: I prefer to use jarred sun-dried tomatoes (make sure to drain them before adding them to the sauce) because they are already hydrated. If you're using dried you'll want to soak them for 20 minutes.
Parmesan Cheese: It's worth it to grate this off the block. Pre-shredded Parmesan is coated in anti-caking agents that keep it from melting into the sauce, and you'll end up with a grainy texture.
Basil: Technically, fresh basil is an optional ingredient but it adds so much flavor that I never make this recipe without it.
Step-By-Step Tips for Making Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Brown the Chicken
- For extra flavor, use some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes jar to brown the chicken.
- Pull the chicken while the centers are still a little underdone. You're only after color here, and it finishes cooking in the sauce.
Build the Sauce
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer once the cream goes in. If it boils hard the cream can break, and you'll see a greasy separation around the edge of the pan.
- Let the sauce thicken slightly before returning the chicken to the skillet. The flour coating on the chicken will help thicken it further once the chicken goes back in.
Cook the Tortellini
- Save some of the pasta water before you drain the tortellini. If the sauce gets too thick, a splash of that starchy water loosens it and helps it cling to the pasta.
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Finish the Dish
- Stir the Parmesan in until it's melted all the way through before the tortellini goes in.
Why I Cook the Tortellini Separately
I tried it the one-pan way first, because I'm a fan of fewer dishes. The tortellini came out gummy and it drank up so much of the sauce that the dish was dry by the time I served it to my family.
Boiling the pasta separately means I can pull it at al dente and the sauce stays as thick as I made it. That's more than worth the extra pot.
Recipe Variations
Lemon: If the sauce feels too rich for you, stir in 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice before the tortellini goes in. It cuts through the cream the same way it does in my Lemon Pesto Pasta.
Spinach: For a chicken florentine twist, add 1½ packed cups of chopped spinach to the sauce when you add the chicken back in. It wilts down in the residual heat.
Mushrooms: Sauté 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms with the garlic at the start before you add the broth.
Serving Suggestions
The chicken and tortellini already make this filling, so I keep whatever goes next to it light. Usually a spinach caprese salad thrown together while the chicken browns. Garlic bread if I've got it, mostly for scooping up the sauce left in the bowl.
Recipe
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
Recipe by:Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup (32 gram s) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 grams) black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1 ¼ cups (296 ml) low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cup (296 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes drained from oil
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) crushed red pepper adjust to taste
- 19 ounces (539 grams) tortellini fresh or frozen
- ½ cup ( 45 grams) Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup basil leaves thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and pat dry with paper towels.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a large resealable bag or shallow dish. Add the chicken pieces and toss them until they are well-coated with the seasoned flour.¼ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the coated chicken pieces in a single layer, cooking in batches if needed. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once or twice, until the outsides are golden but the centers are still pink. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Pour in the chicken broth while scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the skillet.1 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth, 1 ¼ cup heavy cream, ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low heat and add the chicken. Coninue simmering for 3-5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken and chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook the tortellini according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the tortellini and set it aside.19 ounces tortellini
- Add the Parmesan cheese and basil to the skillet with the cream mixture. Stir until the cheese is melted.½ cup Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup basil leaves
- Add the cooked tortellini to the skillet and gently toss to coat in the sauce. If the sauce is thicker than you want, stir in a splash of the reserved pasta water until it loosens.
- Serve immediately, garnished with more grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired.
Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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