One-Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta Soup
This Marry Me Chicken Soup is creamy, cozy, and bursting with sun-dried tomato flavor—the viral favorite turned one-pot soup that’s easy to make any night of the week! A simple technique creates an extra-creamy broth, while key flavor boosters, tender bow ties, and my expert tips make this rich, Parmesan-laced soup downright proposal-worthy.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
CHICKEN
- *Shortcut: skip the chicken thighs and stir in 2½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken in step 7.
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry (or chicken breasts)*
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt, pepper
SOUP
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 8-oz.jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (oil reserved), rinsed, and roughly chopped
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon (base or powder)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp EACH dried oregano, salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 bay leaves
TO FINISH
- 8 ounces dried mini farfalle (may sub small pasta shells and cook longer)
- 2 cups half-and-half or 1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk + 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2½ ounces baby spinach (about 2½ packed cups)
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp dried, add with spices)
- 1-2 cups milk to thin, as needed
Instructions
- Sear the chicken: Stir together the salt and pepper and season both sides of the chicken. Heat a large Dutch oven/soup pot (6+ quarts) over medium-high heat, add the oil, and heat until shimmering. Sear the chicken until golden brown, 3–4 minutes per side. It doesn’t need to cook through. Transfer to a plate and leave the drippings in the pot. (Searing is recommended but optional for breasts. Skip this step for rotisserie chicken.)
- Make the roux: Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook for 1½ minutes. It will look very thick and pasty.
- Add the liquids: Slowly stir in 1 cup of the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot, until smooth and lump-free. Then stir in the remaining broth. Add the chicken and any juices, the diced tomatoes, bouillon, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
- Simmer and shred: Cover and simmer gently until the chicken shreds easily, 12–15 minutes. Shred it on a cutting board (when cool enough to handle), set it aside, and discard the bay leaves.
- Cook the pasta: Bring the soup back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook uncovered at a lively simmer, stirring often so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom. Start tasting 2 minutes before the package time and cook until the center of the bow tie is al dente, usually 6–8 minutes.
- Finish over low heat: Melt in the Parmesan a handful at a time, then stir in the half-and-half, shredded chicken, spinach, and basil. Heat just until the spinach wilts.
- Season and adjust: Taste for salt and pepper, and thin with milk if you’d like a brothier soup.