Recipes & Cooking Dinner & Meal Ideas Salads Pasta Salad Marry Me Chicken Pasta Salad Is a Perfect-for-Summer Take on the Beloved Dish 4.9 (7) 5 Reviews It’ll be the star of the show at your next outdoor gathering. By Christianna Silva Christianna Silva Christianna Silva is a writer and editor with work in NPR, MTV News, PHOENIX Magazine, Teen Vogue, VICE News, and more. They have been working in journalism for nearly a decade, and they hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arizona in Journalism. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on April 16, 2024 Recipe tested by Annie Probst Recipe tested by Annie Probst Annie Probst is a food stylist for Better Homes & Gardens. She also develops and tests recipes, and she has more than 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She has been food styling and creating high quality print, digital and video content for brands like Better Homes & Gardens, AllRecipes, Forks Over Knives, Midwest Living, and Food & Wine for more than 3 years. She holds degrees from the Iowa Culinary Institute and Iowa State University. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 6 Yield: 10 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe There’s a reason Marry Me Chicken is so popular: It’s simple, delicious, and pretty easy to make. It earned its name after an editor at Delish, Lindsay Funston, made a recipe video for a Tuscan-style chicken dish in 2016. The video’s producer took a bite and said, “I’d marry you for that chicken!” It went viral on TikTok, and it seemed like everyone looking for an engagement—or just a really good chicken dish—had to try it out. But a warm Tuscan-style chicken isn’t just a great dish for a hot summer day or something you can reasonably bring to a summer potluck or party. Enter: Marry Me Chicken Pasta Salad, the perfect summer dish that will have everyone begging for the recipe. Carson Downing. Food Stylist: Annie Probst Pasta salad recipes get a bad rap for being a bit of an afterthought. Not every picnic or barbecue comes complete with a pasta salad and, oftentimes, the salads can be pretty dull. But pasta salads can be the star of the show (and one of the easiest dishes to throw together, to boot). This is the kind of dish you can make well ahead of a party and bring in a giant bowl—one that’ll be licked clean by the end of the party. For our Marry Me Chicken Pasta Salad, start by marinating a few chicken cutlets in a resealable bag for about an hour. Then, grill the chicken to give it that perfect toasty summer taste. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and combine it with cooked pasta, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and a homemade creamy tomato basil dressing. Pop all of that in the refrigerator and chill it until you’re ready to serve. Right before serving, add a little bit more dressing and some arugula or baby spinach. You can garnish it with basil leaves, crushed red pepper, and grated Parmesan if your heart calls for it. The recipe serves multiple people, but it’s so good you just might want to double it. Because its core ingredients can be found pretty inexpensively, it won’t break the bank when you want to bring a showstopping dish to the cookout. This Marry Me Chicken Pasta Salad also makes a delicious addition to a packed lunch or picnic spread. Eating a bright, filling, and sunny pasta salad is the best way to celebrate the summer—right next to an engagement, of course. The 6 Best Propane Grills Pump Out Serious Heat, According to Testing Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes 2 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, grated 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets 1 (20 oz.) package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (or 2, 10 oz.-packages) 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces Basil leaves Crushed red pepper flakes Grated Parmesan cheese Creamy Tomato Basil Dressing 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup whipping cream, plus additional as needed 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, grated 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp paprika Salt and pepper to taste Directions Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Combine the first 9 ingredients (through salt & pepper) in a pint jar with a lid. Shake until completely mixed. Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Place chicken in a 1-gal resealable bag. Pour marinade over chicken, seal bag, and turn bag over a few times to coat chicken. Place the bag in a shallow baking dish and chill to marinate for up to 1 hour. Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes (or until cooked through to 165°F). Turn halfway through grilling. Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest at room temperature until cool enough to handle (about 15 minutes). Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Chill until ready to make salad. Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add asparagus. Drain and rinse pasta mixture with cold water until pasta is cool to the touch. Transfer to a large bowl. Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Add sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, and Creamy Tomato Basil Dressing dressing to the cooled pasta mixture. Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst Stir in cooked and chilled chicken. Garnish with basil leaves, crushed red pepper, and additional grated Parmesan. Serve immediately at room temperature. To store leftovers: Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Dressing firms up after chilling. To serve, warm in the microwave on 100% power for 15 to 30 seconds. Creamy Tomato Basil Dressing Carson Downing. Food and Prop Styling: Annie Probst In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 10 ingredients (through paprika), until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to assemble salad. (The dressing will thicken as it chills, add additional cream, as needed.) Makes 1 3/4 cups. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 754 Calories 40g Fat 58g Carbs 42g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 754.2 % Daily Value * Total Fat 39.9g 51% Saturated Fat 14.2g 71% Cholesterol 150.8mg 50% Sodium 871.4mg 38% Total Carbohydrate 57.5g 21% Dietary Fiber 4.8g 17% Total Sugars 6.2g Protein 42.5g 85% Vitamin D 0.5mcg 2% Vitamin C 22.4mg 25% Calcium 285.1mg 22% Iron 3.9mg 21% Potassium 836.1mg 18% Fatty acids, total trans 0.5g Vitamin D 18.9IU Alanine 1.5g Arginine 1.7g Ash 5.2g Aspartic acid 2.9g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 29.1mcg Choline, total 109.7mg Copper, Cu 0.4mg Cystine 0.4g Energy 3155.8kJ Fluoride, F 17.8mcg Folate, total 198.5mcg Glutamic acid 4.9g Glycine 1.3g Histidine 0.9g Isoleucine 1.5g Leucine 2.2g Lysine 2.4g Methionine 0.8g Magnesium, Mg 76.7mg Manganese, Mn 0.4mg Niacin 14.6mg Phosphorus, P 518.8mg Pantothenic acid 1.3mg Phenylalanine 1.2g Phytosterols 2.8mg Proline 1.4g Retinol 161.9mcg Selenium, Se 53.2mcg Serine 1.1g Starch 0g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 1.2g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 3.6mg Tryptophan 0.4g Tyrosine 1g Valine 1.5g Vitamin A, IU 2301.7IU Vitamin A, RAE 250.1mcg Vitamin B-12 0.6mcg Vitamin B-6 0.7mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 87.2mcg Water 224.1g Zinc, Zn 2.8mg *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.