Delicious Marry Me Chicken is elevated with your favorite pasta. It’s the best creamy, cheesy comfort food! Tender chicken in a luxurious cream sauce with tomatoes and spinach is just bursting with flavor. It’s so good, you’ll fall in love with it at first bite!
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This chicken pasta recipe is one of my favorite one-pot recipes that’s ready in about 30 minutes. Like Tuna Pesto Pasta and Fried Cabbage with Sausage, this recipe is perfect for weeknight meals with super-easy meal prep. You may want to make a double recipe because you’re going to want leftovers!
The rich, creamy, mouthwatering sauce is a combination of cream, parmesan, diced tomatoes and savory seasonings. It’s truly a delicious recipe with bold flavors that is sure to impress! It’s so good, it may even lead to a marriage proposal (hence the name!).
Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients – you can make this recipe with ingredients you may already have on hand
- Quick and easy – create a one-pot pasta recipe in about 30 minutes
- Amazing flavor – the flavors in this recipe create one of the best chicken pasta recipes ever
- Special diet friendly – this is a low-carb keto and low-FODMAP chicken recipe you'll definitely want to add into your meal rotation. It has a creamy gluten-free and low-FODMAP pasta sauce that's so savory and just so, so good.
Ingredients
- Chicken – use boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into bite-sized chunks. I use about 1 pound of chicken breast for this recipe. For a keto Marry Me Chicken pasta, you can use chicken thighs instead of breast.
- Pasta – use your favorite cooked pasta. I use low-carb noodles, such as shirataki fettuccine-style for this recipe. It’s a FODMAP-friendly and keto pasta that absorbs the savory flavor of the sauce. They’re packed in water and don’t need cooking – just drain and use in the recipe. It doesn’t get easier!
- Olive oil – for sautéing the chicken. Use garlic-infused olive oil for low-FODMAP to replace the garlic.
- Diced tomatoes – I use canned diced tomatoes. Most Marry Me Chicken recipes will call for sun-dried tomatoes that are neither low-carb nor FODMAP-friendly.
- Baby spinach – adds an extra pop of color, flavor and nutrition
- Garlic – omit for low-FODMAP and use garlic-infused olive oil instead of regular olive oil or use chopped garlic scapes. These can be sautéed just like garlic and are low-FODMAP in moderate quantities.
- Heavy whipping cream – creates a silky, creamy sauce
- Parmesan cheese (grated or shredded) – creates a cheesy noodle sauce
- Herbs and spices – oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper are all you need
- Xanthan gum (optional) – if you want a thicker sauce, just a pinch will do
- Fresh basil leaves (optional) – for garnish. There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh basil on pasta!
Choosing keto and low-FODMAP pasta
My favorite low-FODMAP and low-carb noodles are shirataki noodles. They’re made from konjac, are carb-free and soak up the flavor of your dish.
Other great plant-based options are hearts of palm pasta or spiralized zucchini. However, if you don’t follow a low-carb diet and are looking for great noodles for low-FODMAP pasta recipes, there are wonderful rice, quinoa and corn options available that are really tasty and FODMAP-friendly.
Instructions
- If cooking dried pasta, prepare according to the package directions and set aside
- Thinly slice the garlic cloves, if using
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet
- Add the sliced garlic cloves, the diced chicken and season with half the salt and pepper
- Sauté until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes, turning the pieces over about half way through cooking
- Remove from the skillet and set aside
- Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet with about ¼ cup of the water they’re packed in
- Add the cream, parmesan, basil, oregano, thyme, xanthan gum (if using) and the remaining salt and pepper
- Simmer on medium heat until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes
Add the baby spinach and stir in
Place the cooked noodles and chicken in the skillet and stir until everything has a coating of cheesy sauce and is heated through
How to serve
- Garnish – with parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves and cracked pepper
- Add some heat – top with some red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper. Aleppo has a mild heat and great flavor - learn more about this pepper in my Aleppo Pepper Ingredient Spotlight.
- For extra texture and crunch – top with crumbled pork rinds or crispy breadcrumbs
Variations
- Use leftover chicken or turkey – if you have leftovers from Baked Chicken or Roast Turkey, replace the chicken breast with shredded meat – it’s an amazing way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
- Dairy-free – use your favorite sugar-free nut milk creamer or cashew cream in place of the heavy whipping cream and use a plant-based cheese in place of parmesan
- Making it vegetarian – replace the chicken with roasted vegetables or baked tofu
- Marry Me Chicken Tortellini – cook tortellini according to package instructions and use in place of noodles
FAQ
Yes, tomatoes are low-FODMAP in moderate serving sizes. However, serving sizes depend on the type of tomato.
Canned tomatoes are FODMAP-friendly in servings up to about ½ cup. One serving of this recipe contains less than ½ cup of tomatoes.
It depends on the pasta you use. Some can stand up to freezing better than others. Heavy pastas like penne or rotini may freeze well, but vegetable pastas like shirataki noodles do not.
Keep in mind that there’s always a chance that any frozen pasta will lose its texture and can become mushy when thawed.
There are many stories about the origin of the name, but the idea is that the dish is so absolutely delicious that the cook was sure to receive a marriage proposal. Or, that the ingredients ‘marry’ together to create an amazing flavor. Either way, the name is cute and silly but the dish is truly outstanding.
Heavy cream is very high in fat and has almost no lactose. One tablespoon has approximately 0.5g of lactose, making small portions FODMAP-friendly.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how you liked it by giving a star rating and leaving a comment!
📖 Recipe
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken (breast or thigh, cut into 1 inch chunks)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (about 14 ounces)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter or garlic-infused olive oil)
- 2 cloves fresh garlic (omit for low-FODMAP and use garlic-infused olive oil in place of regular olive oil.)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (or nut milk creamer for dairy-free)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (or dairy-free cheese)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces cooked noodles (I use shirataki noodles)
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional to thicken sauce)
- fresh basil (optional garnish)
Instructions
- If cooking dried pasta, prepare according to the package directions and set aside.
- Thinly slice the garlic cloves, if using.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
- Add the sliced garlic, the diced chicken and season with half the salt and pepper.
- Sauté until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes, turning the pieces over about half way through cooking. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet with about ¼ cup of the water they’re packed in.
- Add the cream, parmesan, basil, oregano, thyme, xanthan gum (if using) and the remaining salt and pepper.
- Simmer on medium heat until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the baby spinach and stir in.
- Place the cooked noodles and chicken in the skillet and stir until everything is has a coating of cheesy sauce and is heated through.
- To serve, garnish with fresh basil leaves and additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
How to serve
- Garnish – with parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves and cracked pepper
- Add some heat – top with some red pepper flakes or Allepo pepper
- For extra texture and crunch – top with crumbled pork rinds or crispy breadcrumbs
How to store
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Variations
- Use leftover chicken or turkey – if you have leftovers from Baked Chicken or Roast Turkey, replace the chicken breast with shredded meat – it’s an amazing way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
- Dairy-free – use your favorite sugar-free nut milk creamer or cashew cream in place of the heavy whipping cream and use a plant-based cheese in place of parmesan
- Making it vegetarian – replace the chicken with roasted vegetables or baked tofu
- Marry Me Chicken Tortellini – cook tortellini according to package instructions and use in place of noodles
Nutrition
*Net carbs = carbohydrates - fiber
Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools and does not include optional ingredients unless otherwise indicated.
Steph says
It’s over 100 degrees where I’m at and this was just the thing. Being cooped up in the house, I need comfort food!
Tracey Hatch-Rizzi says
Hi Steph,
It's hot here, too! I agree that being cooped up can be a bit stressful when it's scorching outside and comfort food is totally called for. I'm glad you liked it!
Stay cool,
Tracey