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This Marry Me Chicken Soup Is a Bowlful of Pure Love

This Marry Me Chicken Soup Is a Bowlful of Pure Love

Krysta
Maybe you have heard of Marry Me Chicken before, a delicious dish of sautèed chicken blanketed in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce that "is worthy of a marriage proposal!" It can be enjoyed on its own or served over pasta or rice for an extra hearty meal. But it can also be turned into an irresistible soup for a perfect bowl of comfort all in one pot.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Servings 6
Calories 655 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup drained julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil with herbs from 1 [8.5-ounce] jar
  • 1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomato jar divided
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped 1/4-inch yellow onion (from 1 medium [8 ounce] onion)
  • 4 medium garlic cloves minced (about 4 teaspoons)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 32 ounce packages chicken broth 8 cups
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh basil plus more for garnish (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper plus more for garnish
  • 8 ounces uncooked medium shell pasta about 3 cups
  • 3 cups packed roughly chopped fresh baby spinach
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 8 ounces cream cheese cubed, at room temperature (about 1 cup)
  • 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese finely shredded (about 1/2 cup), plus more for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Gather all ingredients.
  • Heat oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a large Dutch oven over medium until shimmering. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes; cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is slightly deeper red in color, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in broth, cream, basil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil over medium, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
  • Add pasta and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to low, and add spinach, chicken, cream cheese, and Parmesan; cook, stirring often, until cream cheese and Parmesan are melted and chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
  • Garnish with additional Parmesan, basil, and red pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

Test Kitchen Tip

A note from our test kitchen: In this soup, we turn to grocery store-bought rotisserie chicken for ease. Since it's already cooked we add the pulled chicken in at the very end just to reheat it rather than adding it at the beginning of the cooking process. This makes it so the chicken remains tender and does not overcook.