Get Your Comfort Food Fix with Marry Me Chicken & Tortellini – The Perfect Dinner Recipe

Marry Me Chicken & Tortellini” is a delicious and mouth-watering dish made with tender chicken pieces, cheese-filled tortellini, and a savory tomato sauce. It’s a perfect meal for those who are looking for a comfort food that’s both satisfying and easy to prepare.

“Marry Me” Chicken features a rich sun dried tomato cream sauce. This version serves it up over a bed of tortellini, which just may elicit a marriage proposal.

Key Tips

For best results, use fresh Parmesan cheese.

• If you have the time, grating fresh parmesan from a block yields the best results. The next best parmesan to use is grated parmesan from the refrigerated section. I don’t recommend using powdered parmesan that is not refrigerated at the grocery store, this typically doesn’t melt down well into sauces.

Make sure your chicken is pounded thin.

• As specified in the recipe, make sure you get your chicken breasts very thin, to ensure that they will cook through following this method. If you’re not sure about how to fillet a chicken breast,

Wait until the very end to cook the tortellini.

• I recommend that you start boiling the water for the tortellini early on in the prep to give the large pot time to heat up, but most fresh or frozen tortellini need only 3-4 minutes to cook, so wait until everything else is almost done to drop them in.

Bump up the spice.

This recipe calls for some red pepper flakes, which gives the final sauce a very mild spice. If you’re a spice lover, you may want to double or triple the amount of red pepper flakes.

Variations

Make it without pasta.

• If desired, this can be prepared without the tortellini and served with another carb like rice or potatoes. You can double the amount of chicken, and keep the sauce recipe the same, and the quantity should work out nicely.
• Cook the chicken in batches, do not overcrowd the pan. You don’t need to add the chicken back to the sauce, just plate the cooked chicken and pour the completed sauce over top.

Substitute a different kind of pasta.

• If desired, instead of tortellini, prepare 8-10 oz of dry pasta such as spaghetti or penne. You can otherwise follow the recipe as written.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. 1/4 of this batch is one standard serving, but some people may want to have more than one serving per meal.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
16-20 oz fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
2 cups half-and-half or 1 cup cream, 1 cup whole milk
1 ½ tsp chicken better than bouillon or chicken bouillon cubes
⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes drained and chopped fine
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or sub basil or parsley
1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes add more to make it spicy, or omit if very sensitive to spice
½ tsp dried oregano
olive oil
garlic powder
freshly cracked black pepper
salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Fillet the chicken breast(s) and pound to a thin, even thickness. Season all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour flour onto a shallow plate and dredge the chicken in it, shaking off any excess.
Warm 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, sear breasts for about 3 mins per side, until golden, then remove to a cutting board. Slice into the largest piece to ensure it’s cooked through, then tent with foil to keep warm. Do not wipe the pan clean. Turn off the heat to allow the pan to cool slightly.
Marry me chicken tortellini tiktok
Meanwhile, begin boiling a large pot of salted water. Cook the tortellini per package instructions while preparing the rest of the meal. Drain and cover to keep warm until needed. (Most cook times are short, so wait until the sauce is almost done)
In the pan you cooked the chicken, cook the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute), add more oil if needed. Next, add the half-and-half and reduce heat to medium low. Add the bouillon and oregano, mix well and scrape any browned bits into the sauce. Once simmering, add the parmesan (reserving a little for garnish) and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is the consistency of thick cream, about 10 minutes.
After simmering, add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and mix well. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon sauce over it until it’s coated. Warm it in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces.
Toss the tortellini in the sauce, then plate into serving dishes. Top with the chicken, then garnish with the reserved parmesan and fresh thyme.

NOTES

I did not name this dish, “Marry Me Chicken” has been around for many years and there are many different versions available online, all featuring chicken in a sun dried tomato cream sauce.