The creamy, one-pot dinner that’s guaranteed to earn you a standing ovation at the table.
Every now and then, a recipe comes along that just works —
the kind that has people asking for the pot to be scraped clean and the recipe sent immediately.
This is that soup. I first made it on a cold Tuesday night with nothing more glamorous than a store-bought rotisserie chicken and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, and honestly?
It tasted like I’d spent the whole afternoon cooking.
The creamy tomato broth, the tender pasta shells, the way the cream cheese melts in and makes everything velvety — it’s the kind of bowl that earns its dramatic name.
Whether you’re feeding family, impressing a date, or just treating yourself, I want you to make this tonight.
Ingredients For Marry Me Chicken Soup
For the Flavor Base
- Sun-dried tomatoes (½ cup, julienned, packed in herb oil) – These are the backbone of the whole soup. The slow-concentrated tomato flavor gives the broth a depth you simply cannot fake with fresh tomatoes.
- Sun-dried tomato oil (1 tablespoon) – Don’t skip this. That oil has been sitting in a jar soaking up herbs and tomato flavor. It’s free seasoning and I use it every single time.
- Yellow onion (1½ cups, chopped) – Builds the sweet, savory base of the broth. Cook it until genuinely soft — don’t rush this step.
- Garlic (4 medium cloves, minced) – Four cloves might seem like a lot. It is not. This soup needs all of them.
- Tomato paste (3 tablespoons) – Cooking this down briefly before adding the liquid is the step that separates a flat broth from a deep, rich one. Give it those 2 minutes on the heat.
For the Broth & Seasoning
- Chicken broth (2 x 32-ounce cartons / 64 oz total) – Yes, the full 64 ounces. This gives the soup its body and makes sure the pasta has enough liquid to cook without absorbing everything.
- Heavy whipping cream (1 cup) – This is what makes the broth silky and luxurious. You can swap for half-and-half if you want to lighten it slightly, though the result will be a little less indulgent.
- Fresh basil (4 teaspoons, chopped) – I always add a little more than called for because fresh basil at the end of cooking is one of life’s genuinely great pleasures.
- Kosher salt (2 teaspoons), Italian seasoning (1½ teaspoons), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), crushed red pepper (¼ teaspoon) – A well-seasoned broth is everything. Taste and adjust before you add the pasta.
For the Body
- Shell pasta (8 oz, uncooked) – Shells are perfect here because they scoop up the creamy broth in every single bite. I love this pasta choice and wouldn’t swap it out.
- Baby spinach (3 cups, roughly chopped) – Adds color, nutrients, and a gentle fresh contrast to all that richness. Stir it in right at the end.
- Rotisserie chicken (2 cups, shredded) – A store-bought rotisserie chicken is the move here. It’s tender, it’s already flavored, and it saves 30 minutes of your evening.
- Cream cheese (8 oz, cubed, room temperature) – This is the secret weapon. It melts into the broth and makes the whole thing impossibly creamy. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it blends in smoothly without lumps.
- Parmesan (1½ oz, finely shredded) – Grate it yourself from a block if you can — the pre-shredded stuff doesn’t melt as well and the flavor difference is noticeable.
- One ingredient I’d add: A small pinch of smoked paprika stirred in with the Italian seasoning. It adds a subtle warmth that makes the whole broth taste like it’s been simmering for hours.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Build your flavor base.
Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Once it shimmers, add your chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent and the garlic smells fragrant.
Step 2: Cook down the tomatoes and paste.
Add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes directly into the pot. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes — you want the tomato paste to darken slightly and stick a little to the bottom of the pot. That caramelization is where the flavor lives.
Step 3: Build the broth.
Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream, then add the basil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil over medium heat, which takes about 12 minutes. Give it a taste here and adjust the salt if needed.
Step 4: Cook the pasta.
Once boiling, add the uncooked pasta shells and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes until the pasta is just al dente — it should have a slight bite. It will continue to soften as the soup sits, so don’t overcook it here.
Step 5: Add the creamy finishing ingredients.
Drop the heat to low. Add the shredded chicken, chopped spinach, cubed cream cheese, and parmesan. Stir gently and often for about 5 minutes until the cream cheese is completely melted and the chicken is heated through. The broth should look noticeably thicker, glossy, and irresistible.
Step 6: Garnish and serve.
Ladle into bowls and finish with a pinch of extra parmesan, a few fresh basil leaves, and a little extra crushed red pepper if you like heat. Serve immediately while the broth is at its creamiest.
Tips, Tricks & Substitutions
Use room temperature cream cheese. Cold cream cheese will clump and take forever to melt. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking and it’ll melt into the soup like a dream.
Don’t skip the tomato paste step. Stirring tomato paste over heat for 2 full minutes before adding liquid makes the finished broth taste slow-cooked. It’s a small step with a big payoff — you can’t take it away once the broth is in!
Swap the protein if you like. No rotisserie chicken on hand? Cooked Italian sausage is absolutely fantastic here and adds a savory, slightly spicy twist. Leftover turkey works beautifully too.
Make it lighter. Swap the heavy cream for half-and-half and reduce the cream cheese to 4 oz for a lighter version. It’ll lose a little of that luxurious thickness, but it still tastes wonderful.
The pasta will keep absorbing liquid. If you plan to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it per serving rather than cooking it directly in the pot. This keeps everything from turning into a thick stew by day two.
Make it ahead. You can make the soup base (through Step 3) up to two days in advance, refrigerate it, and then pick up from Step 4 when you’re ready to serve. The flavors actually deepen overnight.
Storage. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of broth to loosen it back up. Not ideal for freezing — the cream and cream cheese can separate.
What to Serve With Marry Me Chicken Soup
This soup is filling enough to stand on its own, but a few good accompaniments make it feel like a full occasion.
A thick slice of crusty sourdough or a warm garlic bread baguette is non-negotiable in my house — you need something to mop up that creamy broth.
A simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness nicely. If you’re feeding a crowd or want to stretch the meal further, a light Caesar salad on the side does the job.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Store cooled soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth to bring the consistency back.
- Freezing: Not recommended — cream-based soups with pasta tend to separate and turn grainy after freezing. For best results, enjoy fresh or within 3 days.
- Make ahead: Prep the base up to 2 days in advance and finish with pasta and cream elements when serving.
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Shell Pasta Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, packed in herb oil, drained
- 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomato jar
- 1½ cups yellow onion, chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 (32-oz) cartons chicken broth (64 oz total)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tsp fresh basil, chopped (plus more for garnish)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1½ tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (plus more for garnish)
- 8 oz uncooked medium shell pasta
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed, room temperature
- 1½ oz Parmesan, finely shredded (plus more for garnish)
- Optional: Small pinch of smoked paprika added with the Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large Dutch oven over medium until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until soft and fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes until the paste deepens in color and begins to stick slightly to the bottom of the pot.
- Pour in the chicken broth and cream. Add the basil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 12 minutes.
- Add the pasta shells and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes until the pasta is just al dente.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the spinach, shredded chicken, cream cheese, and Parmesan. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the cheeses melt completely and the chicken is heated through.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with extra Parmesan, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Room-temperature cream cheese: Cold cream cheese will clump. Pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking.
- Make it 2 days ahead: Prepare the soup base through Step 3, refrigerate, then finish with pasta and dairy when ready to serve.
- Pasta tip: Cooking pasta directly in the soup means leftovers will thicken overnight. For meal-prep purposes, cook pasta separately and combine per serving.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat with a splash of chicken broth. Not recommended for freezing.
- Can I make this in a slow cooker? Yep, with a small adjustment. Sauté the onion, garlic, tomato paste, and sun-dried tomatoes on the stovetop first — don’t skip this, it matters for flavor — then transfer everything except the pasta, spinach, cream cheese, and parmesan to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4–6 hours or high for 2–3 hours. Add the pasta in the last 30 minutes, then stir in the spinach and cheeses right before serving.
- The recipe calls for 64 oz of broth — is that really right? Yes. Two 32-ounce cartons equals 64 oz, and you need all of it. The pasta absorbs a significant amount as it cooks, and you want the finished soup to actually be soup, not pasta with a cream sauce coating it.
- What if my soup gets too thick? Add more chicken broth, a splash at a time, and stir over low heat until it loosens up. Plain water works in a pinch but broth keeps the flavor intact. Go with broth.
- How do I make a lighter version? Half-and-half instead of heavy cream, reduce the cream cheese to 4 oz, and skip the parmesan garnish. You’ll still get a creamy, flavorful soup — just not quite as rich. Greek yogurt is not a great substitute here; it tends to curdle in hot liquid.
- Can I use a different pasta shape? Absolutely. Any short pasta works — rotini, bowties, ditalini, or penne all do the job well. Just watch your timing since smaller shapes cook faster than shells. Avoid large pasta like rigatoni — it throws off the ratio and the soup becomes awkward to eat.
