Marry Me Chicken Soup

This creamy Marry Me Chicken Soup brings all the beloved flavors of the classic dish together in one comforting pot. Shredded chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and parmesan melt into a velvety broth, finished with a touch of cream for richness. With tender pasta and fresh spinach, it’s hearty yet balanced—perfect for a weeknight meal that feels a little extra special in just 30 minutes.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Italian Penicillin Soup or this Easy Potsticker Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This soup is loaded with bold, crave-worthy flavors thanks to sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and Parmesan, giving it that rich, slow-simmered taste in a fraction of the time. Everything cooks together in one pot, so the flavors deepen with every stir while cleanup stays simple. It’s the perfect balance of cozy comfort and easy weeknight practicality, with a touch of elegance that makes it feel extra special.

Print

Ingredient List

For the Soup Base:

• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (the kind in oil with herbs), drained but save that oil
• 1 tablespoon of that precious sun-dried tomato oil
• 1½ cups yellow onion, chopped however you like
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (or use the jarred stuff, no judgment)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 big containers chicken broth (64 oz total)
• 1 cup heavy cream

For the Seasonings:

• 4 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped (grab extra for sprinkling on top)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like heat)

For the Good Stuff:

• 8 ounces shell pasta (the medium ones work best)
• 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed (take this out early!)
• 1½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (plus more for topping)

Substitution Notes: Skip the sun-dried tomatoes and you’ll have regular soup. Been there, done that, was disappointed. Coconut cream works instead of heavy cream if dairy bothers you – my sister does this and it’s actually pretty good.

Why These Ingredients Work

Okay, real talk – I discovered this combo completely by accident. I was making regular chicken soup and knocked over my jar of sun-dried tomatoes right into the pot. Best kitchen accident of my life! That oil they’re packed in is basically flavor concentrate, and the cream cheese? It’s what makes this soup ridiculously creamy without being heavy like some soups that just sit in your stomach like rocks.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big pot (I use my Dutch oven but any large pot works)
• Sharp knife
• Wooden spoon
• Regular measuring stuff
• Cutting board

How To Make Marry Me Chicken Soup

Step 1.Build the Flavor Base

Start by heating that sun-dried tomato oil in your biggest pot over medium heat. Toss in the onion and garlic and let them get all soft and smell incredible – takes about 3-4 minutes. My neighbor always knows when I’m making this because the smell travels through our shared wall.

Step 2. Deepen the Flavors

Add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes and stir everything around for about 2 minutes. The paste will get darker and smell more intense – that’s exactly what we want. First time I made this, I got nervous about the paste browning, but my aunt told me that’s how you build real flavor.

Step 3. Add the Liquid Stuff

Pour in both containers of chicken broth, then the heavy cream, basil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Bring it all to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn it down and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Step 4. Cook the Pasta

Dump in the shell pasta. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook it, stirring every now and then, until it’s al dente – about 10-12 minutes. Don’t overcook it because it keeps cooking even after you turn off the heat.

Step 5. The Best Part

Turn off the heat and add the chopped spinach, chicken, cream cheese chunks, and Parmesan. Now you wait about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, while the cream cheese melts and makes everything creamy. This is where the magic happens.

Step 6. Taste and Fix

Try it and add more salt, pepper, whatever it needs. Sprinkle extra basil, Parmesan, or red pepper flakes on top if you want.

You Must Know

This Marry Me Chicken Soup is rich, creamy, and infused with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and Italian herbs for irresistible flavor. It’s a cozy twist on the classic dish that will win over anyone at the table.

Personal Secret: Room temperature cream cheese is everything here. I learned this the hard way after serving my book club lumpy soup that looked like cottage cheese gone wrong. Now I take the cream cheese out when I start chopping onions.

Critical Timing: Don’t add spinach too early or it gets all dark and gross-looking. Fresh spinach wilts super fast anyway.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Save some pasta water before you dump it – if your soup gets too thick later, pasta water fixes it right up
• Buy the pre-shredded rotisserie chicken to save time (I do this constantly)
• Use decent chicken broth, not the cheapest stuff
• That sun-dried tomato oil is gold – don’t waste it

Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To:

• Adding cream cheese while soup was still boiling (looked like chunky milk)
• Cooking pasta too long (mushy pasta is the worst)
• Not draining the tomatoes well enough (greasy soup, yuck)

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Mix It Up: Add some olives and white wine for a Mediterranean thing Different Protein: Leftover turkey works great, or try Italian sausage More Veggies: Bell peppers or mushrooms are good additions Spicier: Double the red pepper or throw in some jalapeños

Make-Ahead Options

This soup tastes even better the next day – the flavors get all mixed up and happy together. Make the whole thing up to 3 days ahead, but I’d cook fresh pasta when you reheat it so it doesn’t get mushy.

Freezer Stuff: Freezes for up to 3 months, though pasta gets a little weird. I sometimes freeze it without pasta and add fresh pasta when I reheat.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The secret to how rich this soup tastes is using three different dairy things – heavy cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan. Each one does something different. Also, don’t freak out if the soup looks thin at first – it gets thicker as it cools down and the cream cheese melts completely.

Serving Suggestions

Eat this with:

• Crusty bread for dunking (you need this!)
• Simple salad with lemon dressing
• Garlic bread or focaccia
• White wine if you’re feeling fancy

Great for dinner parties, Sunday dinners, or when you need to wow somebody.

I hope this soup becomes your family’s new Tuesday night tradition like it has for us – sending love from my chaotic kitchen to yours!

How to Store Your Marry Me Chicken Soup

Fridge: Keeps for 4 days in containers with lids Freezer: Good for 3 months (pasta might get funky) Reheating: Warm it up slowly on low heat, stir a lot. Add broth or cream if it’s too thick

Allergy Information

Has: Dairy (cream, cream cheese, Parmesan), Gluten (pasta) No Dairy: Use coconut cream instead of heavy cream and nutritional yeast instead of cheese No Gluten: Any gluten-free pasta works – rice pasta is really good in this

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use regular tomatoes instead of sun-dried?

You can try it, but it won’t taste the same. The sun-dried ones have this concentrated flavor that regular tomatoes just don’t have.

My soup came out too thick/thin – what now?

Too thick? Add more chicken broth bit by bit. Too thin? Let it bubble away uncovered for a few minutes.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Sure! Put everything except pasta, cream cheese, and Parmesan in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, add pasta the last 30 minutes, add dairy stuff the last 10 minutes.

What if I can’t find shell pasta?

Penne works fine, or rotini – just pick something with little nooks for the sauce to stick to.

💬 Made this soup? Tell me how it went! I love hearing about everyone’s soup adventures and what you did differently.