Legend has it that she made this one pan marry me chicken + pasta bake and he hasn’t been able to keep his hands off her since. A love story that all started over dinner. And I understand because it’s so delicious and creamy and makes the house smell like a brick-oven pizza while it’s cooking.
How to make this marry me chicken + pasta bake
After we’ve pounded the chicken to 1/2 inch thick, we can season it, dredge it in flour and pan fry with some olive oil. Remove the chicken from the pan and deglaze with dry white wine. Scrape up all the stuck-on bits from the pan. This is a product of the Maillard reaction, where meat browns and almost caramelizes, producing an incredibly deep and almost sweet flavor that will contribute to the sauce. Stir in the tomato paste until smooth. Then we’ll pour in the rest of our sauce ingredients – chicken broth, heavy cream, shredded parmesan, sundried tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring that to a boil and add in a simple flour slurry to thicken the sauce. Mix in the pasta. Finally, we’ll top with our prepared chicken. At the end of the bake, we’ll top with more shredded parmesan cheese and, lastly, basil.
Cooking tips
- Be sure that the pasta is completely submerged in the sauce. Pasta that isn’t coated in sauce may not cook properly.
- Don’t forget that the pan is hot as you take it in and out of the oven. I made this mistake!
- It’s best to take the pan out of the oven when the pasta is still slightly al dente. The pasta will continue to cook out of the oven.
- Use FRESH parmesan cheese that you have shredded yourself. I have found that pre-shredded parmesan cheese doesn’t melt well.
Can you make this meal ahead of time?
I don’t recommend making any meal that includes pasta ahead of time. Reheating pasta is tricky to not overcook and make dry. However, there are a few things you can prep to make a weekday dinner easier:
- Pound the chicken into 1/2 inch thick pieces. I like to cut breasts into portion sizes if they are too large. Season with salt and pepper. Package the breasts up and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Salting the chicken ahead of time will actually produce a more tender cut of meat.
- Shred the parmesan, package and store in the fridge for up to a week.
- Chiffonade the basil, package and store in the fridge for up to 10 days.
- Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Kitchen essentials
- A cutting board and a chef’s knife
- A meat tenderizer
- A plate
- An oven-safe pan, 12″ diameter or larger. I used my 12″ Made In pan that I love.
- Measuring cups/measuring spoons
- Tongs
- A small cup or bowl
- A large serving spoon
Substitutions
- White wine: can be replaced with equal parts chicken broth.
One Pan Marry Me Chicken + Pasta Bake
Course: Main Dishes3
20
minutes40
1
hourIngredients
1.5 lbs 1.5 chicken breast
5 tbsp 5 flour, divided
Cooking oil – extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
0.5 cups 0.5 dry white wine
1 tbsp 1 tomato paste
2 cups 2 chicken broth
1.5 cups 1.5 heavy cream
1.5 cups 1.5 freshly shredded parmesan, divided
0.33 cups 0.33 sundried tomatoes, chopped
0.5 tsp 0.5 of the following: red pepper flakes, chili powder, salt, dried oregano and dried thyme
8 oz. 8 dry fusili
0.5 cups 0.5 fresh basil, chiffonade
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Prepare the chicken. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the meat into 1/2 inch pieces. I like to cut the breasts to portion-sized pieces. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 3 tbsp of flour on a plate. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Bring a 12″ oven-safe pan to medium high heat on the stovetop. Add enough oil to the pan to create a thin layer on the bottom. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan and cook until nicely browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and place back on your plate.
- Deglaze the pan with wine. Use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomato paste and use your spatula to smoosh the tomato paste down until it is incorporated with the wine. Then add the broth, heavy cream, 1/2 cup parmesan, sundried tomatoes and seasonings to the pan. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Make a flour slurry by combining 2 tbsp of flour with 1/4 cup HOT water in a small cup or bowl. Whisk until there are no lumps. You should have something that looks like cloudy water. Add more water if necessary. Once the sauce is simmering, add in the slurry. Stir until the sauce has thickened.
- Add in the pasta. Arrange the pasta so that it is completely submerged in the sauce. Any pasta not submerged may not cook fully. Layer the seared chicken over the pasta.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F. Then remove from the oven and top with the remaining cup of parmesan cheese. Throw it all back in the oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Garnish with fresh basil and serve!
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Nutrition Facts
3 servings per container
Serving Size1 servings
Calories1491
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
83.9g
128%
- Saturated Fat 41.8g 205%
- Trans Fat 2.2g
- Cholesterol 376.3mg 126%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
65.6g
22%
- Dietary Fiber 3.6g 12%
- Sugars 10.7g
- Protein 106.8g 212%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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