Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini gives the TikTok favorite an upgrade by serving it with cheese-filled tortellini! This satisfying dinner is easy enough for a weeknight, fancy enough for a party, and kid-friendly enough that everyone in the family will clean their plates.
Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini – The EASY Way!
Not everything that goes viral on the internet is worth your time. (Remember the cinnamon challenge?) But marry me chicken is an exception—and this easy marry me chicken and tortellini takes the viral hit to the next level by adding cheesy tortellini, making it a complete one pan meal.
It all starts with tender chicken seasoned to perfection and seared in the skillet. You’ll make a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and combine it with tortellini, Parmesan cheese, and that pan-fried chicken for a hearty meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
Sound like a lot of work? Nope! This marry me chicken recipe comes together in just 30 minutes in one skillet. It’s almost too good to be true!
Find our recipes for traditional Marry Me Chicken and Crockpot Marry Me Chicken here!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- The creamy, dreamy sauce – It’s hard to resist chicken in a cream sauce, but add white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, and plenty of garlic and it’s downright impossible.
- A cinch to make – Despite the restaurant-style results, this dish comes together in just 30 minutes, with minimal effort.
- Completely customizable – Spice it up with red pepper flakes or add more veggies—there are plenty of ways to adapt this recipe to your family’s tastes.
- All-in-one meal – Chicken, carbs and cheese. Need I say more? (Oh yeah, and then there’s that tomato cream sauce too!)
What to Serve with Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini
Since this dish has the classic flavors of Italian foods, it will pair well with many of your favorite Italian-inspired side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Italian Side Salad– This restaurant style salad paired with this meal may have your family thinking you got take out from an Italian restaurant!
- BEST Ever Garlic Bread – Sop up the extra cream sauce with a piece of toasty garlic bread!
- Sauteed Spinach – A light side dish for pairing with this filling dinner.
- Mashed Potatoes – Try Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes or Boursin Mashed Potatoes for something different.
- Oven Roasted Green Beans – Roast the beans in the oven while you cook the creamy chicken and tortellini on the stovetop.
- Rice – Rice is a classic pairing with marry me chicken.
- Salad – Round out your meal with a simple salad like Easy Caprese Salad.
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner.
Recipe Notes
This Marry Me Chicken Tortellini recipe is as simple as promised! Just 30 minutes for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Cheese tortellini – You can use frozen or refrigerated.
For the Chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- All purpose flour – This allows you to get a crispy coating on your marry me chicken.
- Garlic powder – For lots of savory flavor.
- Salt and black pepper – To enhance the overall flavor of this dish.
- Italian seasoning – You’ll need some for the chicken and some for the sauce.
- Cooking oil – Olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
For the Sauce
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is much more pungent than garlic powder, so that’s what we use to flavor our cream sauce.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Oil-packed or the dried kind that comes in a pouch.
- Heavy cream – This is what gives marry me chicken its signature creamy sauce. A lighter substitute like half-and-half will result in a thinner, less rich dish and a sauce that may separate since it doesn’t have the fat content needed to hold it together.
- Chicken broth or dry white wine – Dry white wine is fabulous, but chicken broth works if you’re cooking for kids.
- Grated Parmesan – If you have time, use freshly grated cheese, which melts smoothly into the sauce. If not—no worries!
Garnish
- Chopped fresh basil leaves or parsley – The finishing touch that adds some visual interest and brightens up the flavor of the finished dish.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken with Tortellini – Step by Step
- Step 1 – Sear the chicken in the skillet.
- Step 2 – Make the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
- Step 3 – Add the tortellini to the pan.
- Step 4 – Return the chicken to the skillet and garnish with chopped parsley or basil.
Recipe Tips
- Prep your mise en place – That’s a chef’s way of saying, “Have everything ready before you start cooking.” This is a recipe that moves fast, so having everything ready to go before you start will make the process much smoother.
- Pound your chicken thin – This helps ensure that your chicken cooks quickly and evenly. Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, then use a meat mallet (or rolling pin) to pound it into an even thickness.
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes – Any variety of sun-dried tomatoes can be used here, but if you use sun-dried tomatoes that have been packed in liquid make sure to drain all the liquid before adding to the chicken.
- Don’t crowd the chicken in the pan – If needed, sear the chicken in two batches. This will ensure that each piece is properly browned; if you crowd the pan, the chicken will steam instead.
- Make sure the pan is super hot – This is how you get a nice sear! Otherwise, the coating on the chicken will simply absorb the oil.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Buy jarred garlic – Okay, garlic purists may be cringing right now, but honestly, if you’re in a time-crunch, there’s nothing wrong with using jarred minced garlic.
- Use a store-bought sauce – If you don’t have time to make the creamy sun dried tomato sauce from scratch, you can use a store-bought Alfredo sauce instead. The sun-dried tomatoes will jazz it up!
- Get a head start – You can pound the chicken, julienne the tomatoes, and cook the tortellini up to a day ahead of time to save yourself a little bit of prep when you plan to cook.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Marry me chicken pasta – Instead of using tortellini, you can also use your favorite pasta shape such as penne, spaghetti, fusilli, or linguine.
- Marry me chicken sandwiches – Take the leftover marry me chicken and turn it into a delicious sandwich filling! Serve on toasted ciabatta rolls.
- Marry me chicken with artichokes – Add a can of drained artichokes to the sauce for extra flavor and texture.
- Marry me chicken with spinach – Stir a few handfuls of baby spinach into the sauce until it wilts for a little extra nutrition.
Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making marry me chicken and tortellini, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
Is cheese tortellini the same as ravioli?
No, tortellini and ravioli are different shapes, but that said, the ingredients are pretty much the same. If you’d like, you can substitute ravioli for tortellini in this recipe.
More Chicken Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy chicken recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders
- Crockpot Chicken Nachos
- Crock Pot BBQ Chicken – 3 Ingredients!
- Baked Bruschetta Chicken
Marry Me Chicken with Tortellini
Ingredients
- 19 ounces cheese tortellini, frozen or refrigerated
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut or pounded thin, about 6 pieces
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
- 1/4 cup cooking oil, like olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil
For the sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, julianned (see note)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1½ cup chicken broth, or dry white wine
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- chopped basil or parsley
Instructions
- Combine the flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and half of the Italian seasoning and mix to combine.
- Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture to coat on all sides.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with half the oil. Once hot add the chicken in a single layer, and cook 3-4 minutes, flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until the chicken breast is cooked through (165˚F internal temperature.) Add remaining oil as needed if pan starts to get dry. Remove from pan and set aside.Note: There will likely be too much chicken to cook all of it at once in a single layer. I usually do two batches of chicken to cook it all.
- Add the pressed garlic to the pan and cook for 30-60 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth or white wine to the pan to deglaze and stir scrapping any browned bits from the bottom. Reduce heat to low.Slowly stir in the cream and remaining Italian seasoning and bring the mixture to a simmer to thicken.
- Stir in the sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese and then add the tortellini and bring back to a simmer. Add the chicken back in, and simmer about 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has started to thicken.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste, I usually use around ¼ teaspoon of each. Remove from heat and garnish with more parmesan and freshly chopped herbs. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply