Try out my take on the classic marry me chicken recipe but made in the instant pot with some pasta!
How you heard of Marry Me Chicken? Legend has it, if you make this for your boyfriend, he will fall in love with you and ask you to marry you. Marry me chicken is that amazing of a recipe.
But, basically, it is a creamy sauce, flavored with some sun-dried tomatoes and served over chicken. I put my little spin on it and make this marry me chicken in the instant pot with some pasta.
I absolutely love instant pot recipes. They are so easy and clean up in minimal. If you like them too, some of my most popular ones are my penne alla vodka, chicken Alfredo, or Birria tacos.
What You Need for this Marry Me Chicken Recipe
First things first is an instant pot of course. I use the original instant pot brand and I love using the non-stick bowl insert easy clean up; however, you do not have to. Alternatively, there are many brands of pressure cookers you can try; however, I have not.
Now for the ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Chicken cutlets
- Seasonings
- Butter
- Garlic
- Broth
- Pasta
- Milk
- Laughing cow cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Sun-dried tomatoes
I know it seems like a lot of ingredients but I promise it is not overwhelming and very easy to make. But, we can also go over some suggestions and substitutions.
Olive Oil
This will be for searing the chicken in the instant pot on the sauté mode before we begin anything else. You do not have to use olive oil; however, can substitute a different oil or something to make sure the chicken does not stick to the pot.
Chicken Cutlets
Next, after the oil heats up, we will add in the chicken cutlets. You preferably need a thin chicken piece; therefore, I like to use chicken cutlets. If you do choose a chicken breast, you will need to slice it thinner as this chicken needs to cook quickly.
Butter
After the chicken has seared, we will start with a fresh pot. This time, we will use butter to sauté the ingredients. However, I do use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light, which is not butter. This is a margarine but I do prefer using that. You can use any butter or butter substitute that you prefer.
Garlic
I love mincing my own fresh garlic with this mini food processor. However, you can use pre-minced garlic. I also love putting some finely diced onion into this mixture as well. It provides an elevated flavor; however, I know not everyone loves onion.
Broth
Then, we will begin on the sauce while also cooking the pasta. The chicken broth thins out the sauce a little while providing a delicious flavoring.
Typically, I have chicken broth on hand. It just has a very nice neutral, yet slightly meaty, taste to it. I usually make this dish with chicken broth; however, you can use another type of broth.
Additionally, you can do a water and broth concentrate mixture. Any one of these options will work well. Just be mindful that I use low sodium broth and if you are using regular broth, you will have to adjust the salt content.
Pasta
I typically prefer a penne pasta with this; however, you can also do a fettuccine type of Alfredo as well. Really any type of pasta works great.
Milk
This milk and the broth will help cook the pasta in this marry me chicken.
Now, this is where things get a little crazy, HAHA! Almond milk is a staple in my Weight Watchers journey. It is the lowest point milk and I use it in tons of recipes and as a creamer.
I believe it has more of a neutral taste and you cannot taste the almond. However, you can substitute a different type of milk, or a heavy cream / half and half.
Laughing Cow Cheese
My favorite thing to add into this is laughing cow cheese wedges! Which is similar to a Bourison cheese I would say. I plop two garlic and herb laughing cow cheese wedges in here and it makes the dish so creamy and flavorful.
However, you can also substitute some cream cheese or reduced fat cream cheese to thicken up the sauce.
Parmesan Cheese
Yes, I use the fake stuff from the jar that you buy in the grocery aisle. I also use reduced fat! However, pick whatever you like or just skip it.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This is what really makes the dish pop! The sun-dried tomatoes provide so much flavor and really make this chicken a marry me chicken. My preference is the Alessi Julienne Cut as I do not like them chunky or big.
How to Make Marry Me Chicken in the Instant Pot
First things first is to grab an instant pot of course. I use the original instant pot brand and I love using the non-stick bowl insert easy clean up; however, you do not have to. Alternatively, there are many brands of pressure cookers you can try; however, I have not.
An Instant Pot recipe goes very quick so you need to make sure you have everything measured and ready to go.
Chicken
Combine all of the seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over both sides of each chicken cutlet.
Drizzle the olive oil into the bottom of the instant pot. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté method. Add the oil and allow it to heat up.
Once heated, add the chicken cutlets and cook for about a minute or two per side. You may need to do this in batches.
Remove the chicken onto a clean plate once completed and turn off the instant pot. Let it set for a few minutes to slightly cool down. Otherwise, the pasta will burn.
Pasta / Sauce
Add the butter to the bottom on the pot and place the minced garlic cloves inside. Sauté for about 30 seconds then turn the instant pot off.
Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the bottom to deglaze it.
Add in the pasta, milk, cheeses, and sun-dried tomatoes and stir together. Try to press the pasta down to completely cover in the liquids.
Add the chicken on top.
Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 5 minutes and start it.
Once the instant pot is done cooking, let stand for 3 minutes then de-pressurize. Stir everything together to make sure it is all combined.
You can either chop up the chicken and mix everything together or serve on top of the pasta.
Stovetop Cooking Method
If you do not have an instant pot, you can easily make this on the stove.
Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well then set aside.
Then, season the chicken cutlets. Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Drizzle with the oil and allow that to heat up.
Add the chicken cutlets to the heated pan and let them sear until fully cooked, a couple minutes per side. Set them aside on a clean plate.
Reduce the heat on the pan. Add in the butter and garlic and sauté the garlic as the butter melts. Scrape up the browned bits at the bottom while you do this.
Pour in the chicken broth and continue to scrape up the bottom of the pan. Add in the milk, cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes and stir that together while bringing the sauce to a slight simmer.
Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add in the pasta, stirring together. Then, top with the chicken.
Marry Me Chicken in the Instant Pot
Try out my take on the classic marry me chicken recipe but made in the instant pot with some pasta!
Marry Me Chicken Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets 4 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon light margarine
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 6 ounces pasta dry, penne
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 2 laughing cow cheese wedges garlic and herb
- 2 tablespoons reduced fat parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
Instructions
- Combine all of the seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over both sides of each chicken cutlet.
- Drizzle the olive oil into the bottom of the instant pot. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté method. Add the oil and allow it to heat up.
- Once heated, add the chicken cutlets and cook for about a minute per side. You may need to do this in batches.
- Remove the chicken onto a clean plate once completed and turn off the instant pot. Let it cool down for just a little so the pasta does not burn.
- Add the butter to the bottom on the pot and place the minced garlic cloves inside. Sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the bottom to deglaze it.
- Add in the pasta, milk, cheeses, and sun-dried tomatoes and stir together. Try to press the pasta down to completely cover in the liquids.
- Add the chicken on top.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 5 minutes and start it.
- Once the instant pot is done cooking, let stand for 3 minutes then de-pressurize. Stir everything together to make sure it is all combined.
- You can either chop up the chicken and mix everything together or serve on top of the pasta.
Nutrition
Click here to automatically calculate your weight watchers points.
Nes says
I’m going to make this but I’m not going to add the milk. I was told that the milk curdles in the heat