Marry Me Pasta Recipe

Marry Me Pasta Recipe

Make Marry Me Pasta Recipe: creamy sun-dried tomato pasta with seared chicken, perfect for weeknights or dinner parties.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Cook the pasta to just‑al dente

Bring a large pot of well‑salted water to a vigorous boil and add the short dried pasta. Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente so the pasta still holds a tiny white core — the toothy texture is essential to finish cooking gently in the sauce. Before you drain, ladle out and reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water into a small clear glass jar (this glossy amber liquid will loosen the sauce later). Drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside uncovered so steam escapes and the noodles don’t over‑soften.

Step 2: Season, flour, and sear the chicken until golden

Pat the thin chicken cutlets dry and season both sides evenly with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a whisper of garlic powder. Lightly dust the breasts with a thin, even coating of all‑purpose flour, shaking off excess so the coating is faint and patchy — this gives a golden, slightly crisp exterior and helps thicken the sauce later. Sear the cutlets in a hot pan until deeply golden with crisp edges and the interior is cooked through; transfer the cooked pieces to a warm plate and tent lightly so the juices settle.

Step 3: Build the fragrant, silky sun‑dried tomato cream sauce

Lower the heat and in the same pan sweat minced garlic with crushed red pepper flakes until aromatic and just turning pale at the edges. Deglaze with white wine (or chicken broth) scraping up the caramelized fond, then add chicken broth, room‑temperature heavy cream and thin strips of oil‑packed sun‑dried tomatoes. Stir in Italian seasoning and a touch of oregano, bring to a gentle simmer and reduce until the mixture is glossy and slightly thickened — creamy, ribbon‑like and satiny on the spoon. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and adjust seasoning to taste.

Step 4: Enrich the sauce with Parmesan and marry it to the pasta

Reduce heat to low and add the grated Parmesan a little at a time, stirring constantly so it melts into a perfectly smooth, non‑grainy emulsion. Add the drained al dente pasta directly to the sauce and toss gently over low heat so every ridge and tube is coated in the glossy, tomato‑flecked cream. If the sauce clings too tightly, add small splashes of the reserved starchy pasta water until the sauce loosens and becomes silky and clingy.

Step 5: Slice the rested chicken and fold it into the sauced pasta

Thinly slice the rested chicken into narrow strips and add the pieces with their collected juices into the skillet. Gently fold the chicken through the pasta for just a minute to heat through without drying, then stir in the chiffonade of fresh basil so it wilts slightly and stays bright green. Taste and correct seasoning — the final texture should be creamy, cohesive, and just loose enough to pool gently in the pan.

Step 6: Plate and garnish the finished Marry Me Pasta

Twirl generous portions into warm shallow bowls or wide pasta plates, arranging some sliced chicken on top and spooning extra sauce and visible sun‑dried tomato strips over the nest. Finish each bowl with a generous dusting of freshly grated Parmesan, a few uncut basil leaves for brightness, scattered chopped parsley if using, and a final pinch of red pepper flakes for visual pops of red. Serve immediately while the sauce is glossy and hot.

Notes