Marry Me Chicken Pasta Bake
This Marry Me Chicken Pasta Casserole is loaded with tender chicken, penne pasta, and creamy cheese sauce! Vibrant sundried tomatoes, sweet basil, and spices round out the flavor in this simple comfort food recipe!
Marry Me Chicken Pasta Casserole is the family-style version of the viral TikTok dish that’s filled with chicken, pasta, sundried tomatoes, basil, spices, and creamy cheese sauce!
Bake up another trendy TikTok-inspired dinner, such as this Chicken Cobbler that’s just as delicious as this one!
This Marry Me Chicken Pasta Bake Is Amazing!
Marry Me Chicken has been going viral on TikTok, so we decided to make it into a more “potluck/party” style meal with this pasta bake/casserole version.
Marry Me Chicken Pasta Ingredients
- penne pasta or pasta of choice
- chicken
- olive oil
- alfredo sauce, we prefer Bertolli d’italia or Rao’s Homemade
- julienne-cut sundried tomatoes in oil
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- pasta water
- garlic paste
- fresh basil leaves
- paprika
- Italian seasonings
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- red pepper flakes
- fresh mozzarella ball
Marry Me Cheese Sauce
Though this dish is filled with deliciously tender bites of chicken and comforting pasta, the flavor is found in the sauce! Starting out, this cheese sauce is a jar of plain alfredo sauce as opposed to garlic or other flavors.
We prefer to use Bertolli D’Italia or Rao’s Homemade, but again, as long as it’s plain, it will be fine! From there, the cheese sauce builds with the addition of ingredients such as sundried tomatoes, garlic paste, basil leaves, and paprika.
The final result is the signature marry me taste that’s rumored to have you saying, “I do”! Or just going for a second helping; either way, it’s absolutely mouthwatering!
The full printable recipe and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How To Make Marry Me Chicken Pasta
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining.
2. While the pasta cooks, cut the chicken into pieces and sear in a skillet with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.
3. Once cooked, add the pasta and cooked chicken to a large casserole dish and pour in the alfredo sauce, reserved pasta water, sundried tomatoes and oil, garlic paste, basil, and spices, and stir together until completely coated.
4. Crumble up the mozzarella ball and sprinkle over the top of the casserole before baking.
5. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve hot!
Storage Instructions For Leftover Marry Me Pasta
Transfer cooled leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge to enjoy for an additional 2 to 3 days. To reheat leftovers, pop a serving into the microwave!
More Delicious Pasta Recipes:
- Jamaican Rasta Pasta (30 Minute Dinner) – Loaded with bold jerk seasoning flavor!
- That Viral Ditalini Pasta Recipe – A 15-minute, one-pot comfort food dish!
- Tini’s Mac and Cheese – The TikTok-famous mac and cheese that everyone loves!
- Giada Sheet Pan Layerless Lasagna – Simply dump, dollop, and bake!
- One Pan Pizza Pasta – A family favorite meal that’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
Steps
Pasta
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cook the according to package directions for al dente. Use a heat-proof measuring cup to remove and set aside. Strain the pasta and set aside until ready to use.
Chicken
While the pasta is cooking, cut into cubes and season with , , and . (You can also cook the chicken in thin cutlets and chop up after cooking if preferred).
Heat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir frequently until cooked through and starting to brown.
Sauce
Once the pasta and chicken are done cooking, transfer them to a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
Add in the , the (including oil), , reserved (you can add the water to the sauce jar first and cover and shake to loosen up any remaining sauce), , , , , , , and .
Toss until all of the ingredients are evenly coated. If it's easier, you can mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl or in the pot used to cook the pasta before adding it to the baking dish.
Shred or crumble the and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top of the cheese is melted and bubbly and some spots are starting to brown.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
Notes
- I recommend using a plain alfredo sauce for this recipe as opposed to garlic or other flavored. You can use your favorite brand, we prefer Bertolli d'italia or Rao's Homemade.
- You can use pre-shredded parmesan cheese or shred your own. However, I highly recommend shredding fresh mozzarella for the top for the best texture and meltiness.
- Make sure that the sundried tomatoes are julienne-sliced. Otherwise, you'll need to slice them. You'll also want to chop up the basil. Having smaller pieces of these ingredients allows their flavor to be distributed better in the dish.
- Because this recipe uses jarred alfredo sauce, this makes for great leftovers with minimal breaking to the sauce. Simple reheat in the microwave.
- We have doubled this for large groups and baked it in a 10x14x4-inch aluminum foil pan.
- I recommend using small pasta like penne or rigatoni for this recipe. If you'd like to use fettuccine, I recommend breaking the pasta in half before cooking, making it easier to serve.
- If using sea salt or table salt in this recipe, reduce the salt by half to start.
- Once everything is mixed together before baking, give the sauce a taste and add more salt, pepper, and paprika as desired. The flavor can vary depending on the brand of sauce and tomatoes and it may require more seasoning than stated above.
Nutrition
- Calories423
- Carbs44g
- Protein23g
- Fat16g
- Saturated fat7g
- Fiber2g
- Sugar2g
- Sodium840mg
Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.
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