What Is Marry Me Soup And What Does It Taste Like?
Inspired by "marry me chicken", an Italian-derived dish that sky-rocketed to online fame via TikTok in the Spring of 2023, "marry me soup" is now having a moment. The original recipe (which is credited to Delish as far back as 2016) features chicken breasts cooked in a creamy sauce decadently infused with rich and sweet sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Marry me soup is a development on this, taking the core ingredients and adding chicken broth and pasta. Unsurprisingly, it's titled with the same name, indicating that a single bite is so divine it might prompt a marriage proposal.
Marry me soup is fabulously creamy, meaty, and vibrantly dotted with earthy greens like spinach or kale. The chicken broth itself is beautifully layered with tangy garlic and onion, then milk or cream is added to mirror the rich dimension of the original dish. There is plenty of salty, sharp parmesan cheese, which is balanced by the concentrated sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes. Shredded chicken and pasta are then incorporated alongside the greens, which add bite and color to the soup.
With all of the beautiful sunshine flavors of Tuscany, marrying this soup is a no-brainer. If you're unsure whether you're ready to commit, read on, and we may just change your mind.
Marry me again, and again
At its core, marry me soup is a comfort dish with warm ingredients that uplift and satisfy. Sun-dried tomatoes have an intensely tart-sweet flavor when tasted alone. Yet, when mixed with the creamy broth and savory chicken, their essence adds bright pockets of sweet umami flavor. If this already has you saying "yes" you'll be pleased to know you can easily make sun-dried tomatoes without an oven if you're looking to take it up a notch and prepare your own.
The Tuscan herbs, such as floral thyme, piney rosemary, earthy oregano, and sweet basil, enhance this dish's comforting abilities while keeping in line with the Italian inspiration. The pasta shape can vary depending on your noodle mood, from chewy gnocchi or meaty tortellini to short macaroni or ear-shaped orecchiette.
A fatty component is blended with the broth in the form of heavy cream or milk. It depends on how rich you want the soup to be, and how much parmesan you'll incorporate. Devilishly hearty, this wonderfully seasoned soup checks the list of sweet, creamy, salty, and meaty. Do you feel like dropping to one knee yet?
A vegan interpretation
While marry me soup has been celebrated for its tender pieces of chicken, there have been vegan adaptations that are met with similar praise. Plant-based cookbook author Carleigh Bodrug made a buzz on her Instagram account five weeks ago with a vegan version of the soup.
Bodrug subs in coconut milk to mirror the creamy dimension of the dairy, while adding sweet potato, leeks, and carrots to build a hearty soup body. Chickpeas are incorporated as a protein replacement, and vegetable broth is also substituted for the role of the chicken stock. The use of sun-dried tomatoes and spices like thyme also keeps this version of the soup in line with its Tuscan inspiration.
The reactions on Instagram to this marvelous adaptation have been relatively supportive, with the feedback generally agreeing with why they could see the soup eliciting a marriage proposal. Yet one user humorously added, "This looks great but I have no interest in marriage. Will I be safe?!" Consider it more like falling in love with the dish than tying the knot.
Marry me soup adaptations have endless possibilities. Whether you're fascinated by its rumored love potion qualities, its bright Tuscan flavors, or the vegan preparation — there's bound to be a version of this soup that will make you fall head over heels.