Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

I’m sure you’ve heard of an all time favorite/ classic recipe called marry me chicken… well this has similar ingredients, it’s Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole!

It uses leftover smoked chicken, which if you own a smoker or pellet grill, you know you always have a lot of.

So the next time you make Smoked Old Bay Chicken or Lemon Pepper Chicken, you know how to use the leftovers đŸ™‚

It’s tossed with pasta and an easy to make homemade cream sauce.

Then melted to gooey deliciousness on the smoker with a bonus side of wood fired flavor!

How to make Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

Typically marry me chicken is served with a side of pasta.

So I thought why not mix a little pasta right into the casserole

We will only boil 1/2 pound of pasta in salted water, I am using cavatappi.

making the pasta

Right before draining the pasta save a third of a cup of the pasta water to use in the sauce.

Drain the pasta into a colander and rinse very well with cold water so it does not get mushy.

saving some pasta water

Put the same pot that the pasta was boiled in on the stove over medium heat.

Then add some butter and a diced onion.

Cook for a few minutes.

Then add some freshly minced garlic, a heaping pile of chopped fresh spinach, kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

After a few minutes the spinach will wilt down, remove this and set it aside.

cooked spinach and onions in a skillet

To the same pot still on medium heat add some butter and a pint of heavy cream.

If you want a richer, creamier casserole you can add another cup of heavy cream.

Season well with kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.

Carefully bring this to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.

Then stir in some shredded Parmesan cheese.

cream sauce for the casserole

To the pot with the cream sauce add in 3 to 4 cups of leftover smoked chicken, the reserved pasta water, sun dried tomatoes, the cooked pasta, and the spinach mixture.

Stir this together until evenly combined.

Taste for seasoning and add more kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or Italian seasoning if needed.

casserole ingredients before mixing

Pour all of this yumminess into a casserole dish and top with two cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Then preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 225 degrees.

Place the casserole on the grate for about one hour.

Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole before smoking

You’ll know Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole is ready when the cheese is melted to ooey gooey perfection!

Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

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Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

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Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

If you like Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole, you might also like these recipes…

Traeger Smoked Veggie Manicotti

Traeger Smoked Veggie Manicotti

Smoked Lasagna Stuffed Meatballs

Smoked Spinach Ricotta Turkey Meatballs

Smoked Jalapeno Cranberry Shotgun Shells

Smoked Jalapeno Cranberry Shotgun Shells

Leftover Smoked Chicken Recipes

leftover smoked chicken recipes

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Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole

Cheri Renee
Smoked Marry Me Chicken Casserole starts with leftover smoked chicken with pasta, cream sauce, and cooked on the smoker or pellet grill!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 566 kcal

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Traeger/Pellet Grill

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 pound short cut pasta of choice (penne, shells, cavatappi, rigatoni)
  • 1/3 cup pasta water (scoop some out right before draining the pasta)
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion diced
  • 5 to 7 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 ounces freshly chopped spinach
  • kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups heavy cream (you can add 1/2 to 1 more cup of cream for a richer, creamier casserole)
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 4 cups leftover smoked, shredded chicken
  • 4 to 8 ounces sliced sun dried tomatoes (more or less depending on how many you prefer)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Optional: basil or parsley for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Boil the half pound of pasta in salted water according to package directions. Remember to save some pasta water right before draining and set aside.
  • Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse very well with cold water to prevent it from becoming mushy.
  • Set the same large pot that you boiled the pasta in on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the diced onion. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring a few times.
  • Add the minced garlic, fresh spinach, kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook this 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring a few times, and remove from the pot and set aside.
  • Put the same pot, still over medium heat, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the heavy cream, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
  • Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes stirring a few times. Stir in the shredded parmesan cheese during the last minute or so.
    Note: Carefully watch as the cream comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat for a moment if it bubbles up too much. Continue stirring until it reaches a gentle simmer.
  • Add the shredded chicken, sun dried tomatoes, cooked pasta, the reserved pasta water that was set aside earlier, and cooked spinach and stir until combined.
  • Taste for seasoning and add more kosher salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or Italian seasoning if needed. Transfer to a casserole dish, top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
  • Set the smoker or pellet grill to 225. If you have "Super Smoke" as a feature, turn that on. Place the casserole dish on the grate for an hour.
  • Serve garnished with basil or parsley if desired.
Keyword casserole, Chicken, Easy, Leftover, Marry Me Chicken, pasta, Pellet Grill, Recipe, Smoked, Smoker Recipes, Spinach, sun dried tomato, TikTok, Traeger

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