Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Creamy, flavorful and packed with tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach, this lightened up Marry Me Chicken Pasta is a quick weeknight dinner with restaurant flavor
Servings: 5
Ingredients
- 8 oz ziti or bowtie pasta about 2-2.5 cups of dry pasta
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil from sun-dried tomato jar or regular olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup milk 2% or whole recommended
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped small
- 2 cups spinach roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper more to taste
- 1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper more to taste
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add chicken in an even layer. Season evenly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, flip and cook for additional 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Reduce heat to low and melt butter in the pan. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Sprinkle flour over the butter and stir, cooking 1-2 minutes until flour starts to brown. Next, slowly stir in milk and heavy cream, whisking to combine.
- Add sundried tomatoes, spinach, seasonings, and chicken to the sauce.
- Continue cooking about 4-5 minutes until spinach is wilted and sauce is thickened.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and lemon juice.
- Add pasta and toss with sauce until combined well.
Notes
Use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken to save yourself time!
Make it gluten-free: Use chickpea or lentil pasta and replace the flour with all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, so add a splash of milk before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 910mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1618IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 260mg | Iron: 2mg
