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This recipe is a winner of a chicken dinner! Marry Me Chicken Tortellini is so good it’s known to make people fall in love! The people are me…and I’m falling in love with this dish! <3
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Marry Me Chicken first made its way around the web circa 2016 when Lindsay Funston, an editor at Delish, created a video reel of the recipe and a coworker said he’d "marry her for that chicken".
So, she dubbed it “Marry Me Chicken.”
The recipe has since been adapted by many bloggers and quite honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of these recipes.
A Tuscan-inspired chicken dish full of sun dried tomatoes? Um, yes. Sign me up. I’m falling in love. And you will, too. I’m sure of it.
But unfortunately I can’t guarantee that you’ll get a marriage proposal out of it.
I’m already married or I’d test this theory out myself. If you get a marriage proposal after cooking this chicken, let me know!
Ingredients + substitutions
This Marry Me Chicken is a little different from the original, as it contains tortellini, and I’ve tweaked some of the ingredients.
The main difference is the sauce is a little thinner because the pasta will thicken and soak up most of it. Also, the chicken isn’t dredged in flour. I don’t like to make a massive mess in the kitchen and dredging chicken always does that!
There’s a time and a place for dredging, this recipe definitely doesn’t need it.
- Chicken breasts - you can also use thighs or bone-in breasts, just adjust the cooking time.
- Spices - Italian seasoning, black pepper, and kosher salt. These are for seasoning the chicken breasts, you can get creative with the spices and use more or less of whatever you like!
- Olive oil - for searing the chicken. I always use olive oil, but any neutral-tasting oil will work.
- Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil - they’re easy to find at the grocery store, they’re usually with the olives.
- Garlic - fresh minced garlic, you can’t beat it! But you can use jarred minced garlic or even garlic powder in a pinch (½ tsp should do the trick!).
- Chicken broth - chicken bone broth or veggie broth works. Use what you have!
- Butter - for flavor and creaminess.
- Heavy cream - for creaminess. You can lighten things up with half and half or whole milk as well.
- Parmesan cheese - use fresh parmesan if possible! It melts nicely and you can’t beat the flavor.
- Lemon juice - for a touch of acidity and brightness.
- Tortellini - any cheese-filled tortellini you have and like works, just cook it according to the package directions before adding it to the sauce. If you put it in without cooking, it will cook in the sauce, but it’ll soak up all the sauce and you won’t have any extra for spooning over the chicken.
- Red pepper flakes - to finish the dish and to add a touch of heat. You can skip this step if you don’t like any spice or you’re serving this to kids who notoriously dislike anything remotely spicy.
Step-by-step (with photos)
STEP 1: Pound the chicken flat and season, and season the chicken.
STEP 2: Sear the chicken breasts on both sides in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and tent them with foil.
STEP 3: Add the sun dried tomatoes (with the oil from the jar), and the minced garlic. Saute for a minute or two. Then add the chicken broth and scrape up the brown bits from the pan.
STEP 4: Turn the heat down to low-medium. Add the butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Stir until the parmesan cheese melts.
Quick tip!
Use a blender for your parmesan - yes, a blender. I like to chop my parmesan block into chunky squares and then pulse it in a high speed blender. This gives you ground parmesan that melts easily!
STEP 5: Return the chicken to the pan, then add the cooked tortellini. Toss everything together with the sauce and allow it to set for 3-5 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Top with some red pepper flakes and serve!
Variations
- Add spinach or kale - add 2 cups of chopped spinach or kale to the cream sauce after the parmesan melts. Then return the chicken and add the tortellini to the pan.
- Use ravioli, orzo or linguine - swap the tortellini for pretty much any cooked pasta! Cheese ravioli, orzo, or linguine are my personal favorites!
- Spice it up - this dish tastes fantastic with a little spice. Add red pepper flakes to your cream sauce to add a layer of heat.
Storage + leftovers
This dish is best prepared fresh! Because cream sauces do not freeze well. If you decide to freeze the leftovers, place them in a freezer safe container, wrap the top tightly with foil, and freeze for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Then reheat them over the stove or in the microwave.
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat them with a splash of broth or dry white wine.
Best sides to serve with Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
This dish isn’t light, but you could serve it with some garlic bread, a simple baguette, or a caesar salad.
Or make your own salad, it pairs very nicely with an arugula salad such as this Apple and Arugula Salad or this Pear and Arugula Salad. You also can’t go wrong with a simple steamed or grilled veggie!
More cozy one-pan recipes
Huge fan of one-pot cozy dinners on a weeknight or weekend! They’re always a crowd pleaser and (major plus) minimal mess!
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts pounded flat
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil julienned or cut up how you like them
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese finely grated or ground
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cups cheese-filled tortellini cooked to package directions
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional for topping
Instructions
- Pound the chicken flat and season, and season the chicken.
- Sear the chicken breasts on both sides in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and tent them with foil.
- Add the sun dried tomatoes (with the oil they’re in), and the minced garlic. Saute for a minute or two. Then add the chicken broth and scrape up the brown bits from the pan.
- Turn the heat down to low-medium. Add the butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Stir until the parmesan cheese melts.
- Return the chicken to the pan, then add the cooked tortellini.
- Toss the chicken and tortellini in the sauce and allow it to set for 3-5 minutes (the sauce will thicken).
- Top with a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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