Marry Me Chicken Soup Recipe
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you'll likely be aware of the TikTok sensation that is "marry me chicken." This dish was so popular in 2022 that it was America's top Google recipe search, and its popularity doesn't seem to be wavering, with the original recipe inspiring a wealth of delicious, creamy-brothed, sundried tomato-spiked dishes around the world.
This marry me chicken soup recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, is one of those dishes. Relying on all the key ingredients from the original dish — the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, Parmesan, chicken stock, and spinach — this recipe transforms marry me chicken into a wonderfully rich and comforting soup that will likely have you proposing to anyone who cooks it for you. Ready in just over 30 minutes, this recipe takes a simple warming bowl of soup to the next level, and it can be enjoyed all year round. The hearty pasta shells turn this soup into an all-in-one dish, but it can be supplemented with some fresh, crusty bread, perfect for soaking up the delicious broth. Read on to find out how to make this super satisfying marry me chicken soup recipe.
Gather the ingredients for this marry me chicken soup recipe
To begin this marry me chicken soup recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. To prepare the chicken you will want chicken breasts, salt and pepper, olive oil, and butter. To form the soup you will need an onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, chile flakes, chicken broth, shell pasta, heavy cream, Parmesan, and baby spinach. To serve the soup you will also want bacon and fresh basil.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 2: Prep a baking sheet
Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Step 3: Add the bacon
Add the chopped bacon pieces to the baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake
Bake the bacon for 14 to 16 minutes until crisp and golden.
Step 5: Set the bacon aside
Remove and set aside.
Step 6: Season the chicken
Meanwhile, season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Heat a pan
Heat the oil and butter in a large deep pan to medium-high heat.
Step 8: Add the chicken
Add the chicken to the pan.
Step 9: Fry the chicken
Fry the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Step 10: Set the chicken aside
Remove the chicken from the pan.
Step 11: Shed the chicken
Shred or slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Step 12: Saute the onion and garlic
Add the diced onion and garlic and saute in the pan juices for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
Step 13: Build the soup base
Add the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, and chile flakes to the pan.
Step 14: Cook and stir
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
Step 15: Add the broth and pasta
Add the chicken broth and the shell pasta to the pan.
Step 16: Cook until al dente
Cook for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
Step 17: Add the cooked chicken, cream, and Parmesan
Add the chicken back to the pan along with the cream and Parmesan.
Step 18: Wilt the spinach
Add the spinach to the pan and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
Step 19: Serve
Serve topped with the crispy bacon bits, Parmesan, and a little fresh basil.
What can I serve with marry me chicken soup?
Marry Me Chicken Soup Recipe
With tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and large shell pasta in a flavorful creamy tomato sauce, this marry me soup is a comforting crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon, chopped into pieces
- 20 ounces chicken breast
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Generous pinch chile flakes
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 10 ounces large shell pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, roughly chopped, to serve
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Add the chopped bacon pieces to the baking sheet.
- Bake the bacon for 14 to 16 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Remove and set aside.
- Meanwhile, season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large deep pan to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the pan.
- Fry the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Shred or slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the diced onion and garlic and saute in the pan juices for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, and chile flakes to the pan.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the chicken broth and the shell pasta to the pan.
- Cook for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
- Add the chicken back to the pan along with the cream and Parmesan.
- Add the spinach to the pan and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Serve topped with the crispy bacon bits, Parmesan, and a little fresh basil.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 769 |
| Total Fat | 40.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 156.9 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 56.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 11.6 g |
| Sodium | 1,374.2 mg |
| Protein | 44.7 g |
How can this marry me chicken soup recipe be adapted?
There are plenty of options available to you if you are looking to switch things up with this marry me chicken soup recipe. If you are looking to take out a few steps, you can swap out the chicken for some ready-cooked rotisserie chicken. Alternatively, this soup is a great way to use up any leftovers from a roast chicken. To make things more meaty, you can always add some bacon, pancetta, or Italian sausage meat to the pan before you saute the onions and garlic.
While the large shell pasta adds a fancy finish to this soup recipe, you can always lean into different pasta shapes or swap out the pasta entirely for a different carb, such as butter beans or potatoes. If you are looking to add more veggies into the mix, roasted red peppers go really well with the tomato base of the soup, and spinach can always be swapped out for chard or kale. Mushrooms and zucchini also work really well with the other flavors in this recipe. To finish things off, you can always sprinkle the soup with cheesy garlic croutons if you are after a bit of crunch, or some fresh red chile slices if you like a little more heat.
Why is it called marry me chicken?
While some dishes give you a pretty hefty clue as to their contents from their name, such as chicken pot pie or pasta bake, other recipes have more creative, and thus mysterious, names. Marry me chicken definitely finds itself in the latter category, so how did this dish get its name?
Marry me chicken was originally devised by food editor Lindsay Funston, for Delish publication. It began as an Italian-inspired chicken pasta dish with a rich sauce using many of the same elements that can be found in this soup recipe: tomatoes, spinach, cream, and Parmesan. While the recipe itself was a hit, it was a different iteration of this dish that spawned the name "marry me chicken." Funston adapted her original pasta dish into what she named a "Sicilian chicken skillet." When this dish was prepared on set for a video shoot, so the story goes, the videographer sampled this chicken dish and proclaimed, "I'd marry you for that chicken!" The name quickly stuck and has since spawned hundreds of recipe variations on marry me chicken, such as this delicious marry me chicken soup.