This Marry Me Chicken Pasta Bake combines juicy chicken breast and creamy sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce with tender pasta and melted cheese. It’s a one-pot dinner recipe that is quick, easy, and everyone will love.
For more of the best pasta bake recipes, try this Slow Cooker Tortellini Pasta Bake, Ground Beef Pasta Bake, or our Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells.
Marry Me Chicken Pasta Bake
Take just one bite of this Marry Me Chicken and you’ll understand how it became such a viral hit. Juicy chicken swimming in a creamy garlic and sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce—I mean come on!
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This recipe turns these flavors into an easy pasta bake by adding in al dente pasta, topping with shredded mozzarella cheese, and baking until the cheese is golden brown and delicious. Top it off with a little fresh basil leaves if you’d like, and plan on making this recipe a lot.
Of course it wouldn’t exactly be Marry Me Chicken, but if you want to turn this into a simple vegetarian dinner, skip the chicken and substitute sauteed mushrooms.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts – you will need about 1 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are cut into approximately ½” dice. They are cooked and then set aside while you make the sauce. To save yourself a little time, use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken—just make sure it’s cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – sun-dried tomatoes are one of the key flavors of Marry Me Chicken and should be roughly chopped before adding to the sauce.
- Heavy Cream – the heavy cream will keep your sauce extra rich and creamy.
- Parmesan Cheese – the Parmesan cheese should be finely grated before adding to the sauce. It adds a nice nutty flavor to the cheesy sauce.
- Seasoning – this recipe calls for a blend of Italian seasonings with nutmeg and a hint of red pepper flakes.
- Pasta – penne pasta, or any other short tube pasta, is always a good choice for pasta bakes. But, so many other pasta shapes would work such as cavatappi, gemelli, or even medium shells.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – you will need half of the shredded cheese to mix into the filling and half to sprinkle over the top before baking.
- Fresh Basil – I like to finish with a little fresh basil. This adds color but also some nice fresh flavor.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Cook the pasta. Boil in salted water until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Saute the chicken. Cook the diced chicken over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Make the sauce. In the same saucepan, add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until the Parmesan cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened—about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble. Combine the pasta, chicken, pasta sauce, and 1½ cups of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until evenly coated. Spray a 9″ by 13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add the pasta mixture and cover with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the pasta and serve warm. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Marry Me Chicken originated from a recipe about a decade ago written by an editor at Delish for roast chicken breasts covered in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. It was said that the recipe was so delicious, someone would marry you for making it for them.
Just like with most pasta bake recipes, you can prep and assemble this recipe, then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, pull it from the fridge while you preheat the oven and bake as directed.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: either microwave or reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Marry Me Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Chicken Pasta Bake Ingredients
- 1 pound Penne Pasta, or your favorite pasta
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" dice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, sliced thinly (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Cook the Chicken
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, then add a drizzle of avocado oil. Once shimmering, add the diced chicken, salt, and pepper, and saute until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
For the Sauce
- In the same saucepan, add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until the Parmesan cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened—about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the Chicken Pasta Bake
- Combine the cooked pasta, cooked chicken, and pasta sauce. Add 1½ cups of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until it's all coated evenly.
- Spray a 9" by 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add the pasta mixture and cover with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the pasta and serve warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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More of the Best Pasta Recipes
- Cheese Stuffed Shells
- Homemade Lasagna
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- Easy Crockpot Lasagna with Ravioli
- Slow Cooker Tortellini Pasta Bake
- Meatball Pasta Bake
- The Best Marinara Sauce
- Chicken and Sun-dried tomato stuffed jumbo shells
- More Chicken Recipes
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This is the best chicken pasta bake recipe, filled with juicy chicken, sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce, and tender pasta all baked with mozzarella cheese on top. Marry Me Chicken is a quick and easy dinner perfect for weeknights or even entertaining.
This is my new favorite pasta recipe. It’s so easy to make and tastes incredible!
This is one of our family’s favorite meals! Love your recipe. Thanks!
My family loved this pasta! The sauce was amazing, and I’ll be keeping it on our dinner menu rotation.
Made this for dinner last night and was a total hit – even with my pick eaters!