If you, like me, aren’t as up on the latest social media food trends, you might have missed “Marry Me Chicken.” (I’m an elder millennial dragging my feet on TikTok—perhaps more emphasis on the “elder” these days than I’d like to admit.) Whether you’re just discovering Marry Me Chicken now or have seen it lots of times, the concept is a winner: tender chicken bathed in a creamy, cheesy sauce flavored with fragrant garlic and sweet pops of sun-dried tomatoes. I can see the appeal!
While the original dish simply sautées chicken breasts and finishes them in the cream sauce, the idea is ripe for riffing on. We’ve made it into a fun pasta casserole and even a delicious vegetarian bean dish, but I wondered: could it be a soup?
It turns out that it can! In this recipe, chicken broth is infused with a healthy dose of garlic and both the oil and tomatoes from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Adding pasta and spinach to the dish along with the chicken offers a little extra heft to make it a complete meal, and a combo of softened cream cheese and Parmesan cheese melt into the broth at the end of cooking to turn the soup ultra-rich and creamy.
It has all the delicious flavors of Marry Me Chicken and tastes like it took hours to make, but is secretly super quick. It might just be the best way yet to enjoy this viral recipe!
Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Sally McKay / Christina Daley
Tips for Making Marry Me Chicken Soup
- This speedy soup calls for cooked chicken. You can shred any leftovers you’ve got on hand or grab a rotisserie chicken.
- Softening the cream cheese to room temperature helps it more easily incorporate into the soup. That said, don’t be afraid to get in there when you add it, squishing any cream cheese chunks against the side of the pot as needed to help it melt and mix in evenly.
- If you want to use a different pasta shape instead of the small shells, like orecchiette or campanelle, make sure to check the package for recommended cooking times to get to al dente.
- Serve this creamy soup with crusty bread or pillowy rolls to sop up every last bit of the rich, tomatoey broth.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Sally McKay / Christina Daley
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2 tablespoons oil from a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
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6 cloves garlic, minced
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3/4 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes with herbs
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3 tablespoons tomato paste
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8 cups chicken broth
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2 teaspoons kosher salt
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8 ounces small pasta shells (about 2 cups)
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1 (5–ounce) package baby spinach, coarsely chopped
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2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 8 ounces)
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1 (8–ounce) package cream cheese, cubed and softened
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1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
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1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish, optional
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Make the tomato base:
In a large Dutch oven, heat the sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste turns a slightly deeper red, about 2 minutes.
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Flavor the broth:
Stir in the broth and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 8 minutes.
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Cook the pasta:
Add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just al dente, about 6 minutes.
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Finish and serve:
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the spinach, chicken, cream cheese, Parmesan, and basil, if using. Let sit, stirring often, until the cream cheese and Parmesan are melted and the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
Ladle into bowls, garnish with additional Parmesan and fresh basil, if desired, and serve.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The pasta will continue to soak up the broth the longer it sits, but will still be delicious.
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 410 | Calories |
| 28g | Fat |
| 22g | Carbs |
| 20g | Protein |
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 410 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| 28g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat 11g | 54% |
| 85mg | 28% |
| 1971mg | 86% |
| 22g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 4g | |
| 20g | |
| Vitamin C 24mg | 119% |
| Calcium 183mg | 14% |
| Iron 3mg | 15% |
| Potassium 657mg | 14% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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