Chicken and Chorizo Pasta

This Chicken and Chorizo Pasta is made with juicy pan fried chicken and a creamy tomato sauce. It’s quick, easy and absolutely bursting with flavour! Perfect for a hearty family dinner.

Chicken and chorizo is one heck of a combo, and today we’re celebrating it in all its glory. Follow me…

Chorizo Pasta with Chicken

We’ll get to the chorizo pasta part in just a sec, but firstly let’s talk chicken.

For best results, you’ll want to get 2 small breasts and pan fry them. We’re also going to season them with Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Fry the breasts on both sides until beautifully golden, then lay to rest. Laying to rest is important as it helps retain some of the juices after frying. Because who the heck enjoys dry chicken!?

After, it’s time to slice up the chicken. I like to lay it on top of the pasta (like the photo above) just because it’s pretty 🥰 Then I mix it in and eat it like an absolute maniac. The contrast is beautiful.

Process shots: add seasoning to chicken (photo 1), coat chicken (photo 2), add to pan (photo 3), fry both sides until golden with the chicken cooked right through the centre (photo 4).

Creamy Tomato Chorizo Pasta Sauce

The base of this sauce is tomato, but I like to add a steady helping of cream too. Apart from the fact I love cream in just about everything, I find that in this recipe it mellows out the spice of the chorizo and sweetens the tang of the tomatoes.

What kind of chorizo to use?

I use cured Spanish chorizo and slice it into thin rounds. You can use raw chorizo if that suits you better, including ground chorizo. You’ll just have to fry it off for longer to ensure it cooks through.

Sauce seasoning

The chorizo does add heaps of flavour, but I also love adding parsley, basil and smoked paprika. The smoked paprika compliments the smoky tones of the chorizo, whilst the herbs add a gorgeous burst of flavour. I typically use fresh herbs, but if you’ve only got dried on hand the difference will be minimal.

Process shots: add onion to pan (photo 1), fry until golden (photo 2), add chorizo, sun dried tomatoes and garlic (photo 3), fry for a few mins (photo 4), pour in tomato passata and cream (photo 5), add parsley, basil, smoked paprika and salt & pepper (photo 6).

Chicken and Chorizo Pasta

Once everything is incorporated, you’ll want to simmer the sauce for 15mins or so. This is important to thicken the sauce and marry all the flavours together.

What kind of pasta to use?

When it comes to what pasta to use, I usually opt for linguine. I love the way it allows the creamy tomato sauce to ooze in and out of the noodles, and makes the perfect bed of pasta for the chicken to sit on. However, you can totally use whatever pasta you like.

Once you’ve tossed the pasta in, I like to lay the sliced chicken on top. This way it’s perfect to bring to the dinner table and serve up from there. Doesn’t look quite as striking when the chicken is mixed in straight away!

Process shots: simmer sauce (photo 7), add cooked pasta (photo 8), toss to combine (photo 9), add chicken (photo 10).

Serving Chicken Chorizo Pasta

Once the chicken is on top, I usually bring the whole pan to the table and give people the tongs to serve themselves. Grab a bit of everything and mix it up as you go. Serve individual portions with leftover fresh parsley and parmesan if you fancy it!

For more chicken and chorizo recipes check out my Spanish Chicken and Orzo, Slow Cooker Chicken and Chorizo and Spanish Chicken Tray Bake.

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken chorizo pasta shall we?!

How to make Chicken and Chorizo Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)

Chicken and Chorizo Pasta

This Chicken and Chorizo Pasta is made with juicy pan fried chicken and a creamy tomato sauce. It's quick, easy and absolutely bursting with flavour! Makes 4 big portions.

5 from 6 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 607kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £4 / $5

Equipment:

• 12" Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Large Pot (for boiling pasta)
• Pasta Tongs
• Aluminium Foil (to keep chicken warm)

Ingredients (check list):

Chicken

• ▢ 2x 5oz/150g Chicken Breasts, take out the fridge 15mins or so before needed (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
• ▢ 1/4 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Salt, Black Pepper

Chorizo Pasta

• ▢ 12oz / 350g Linguine, or long-cut pasta of choice
• ▢ 1x 24oz/700g jar of Tomato Passata (pureed/strained tomatoes in US)
• ▢ 5oz / 150g Chorizo, sliced into thin rounds (see notes)
• ▢ 3/4 cup / 75g Sun Dried Tomatoes, finely diced
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 125ml Heavy/Double Cream, at room temp
• ▢ 1 medium Onion, finely diced
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic, finely diced (approx 1 large clove)
• ▢ 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Basil, (can sub 1 tsp dried basil)
• ▢ 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, (can sub 1 tsp dried parsley)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• ▢ Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
• ▢ Olive Oil, as needed
• ▢ Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Instructions:

• Coat the chicken in 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, salt, black pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil. Fry both sides over medium heat for 4-5mins, or until golden on the outside and white through the centre (with the juices running clear). Timings will depend on the thickness of the chicken. Place to one side to rest in a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. When ready, slice into thin strips, ensuring you slice at an angle and against the grain.
• Add a dash of oil to the pan if needed, then add onion and fry until soft and golden. Add in sun dried tomatoes, chorizo & garlic and fry for a few more mins until the chorizo starts to release oil and crisps slightly.
• Pour in passata and swill the jar out with a splash of water. Stir in cream, then add basil, parsley, smoked paprika and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a stir then reduce to a gentle simmer for 15mins. This is important to marry the flavours and thicken the sauce.
• Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
• Once the sauce has thickened and the pasta is cooked, use pasta tongs to transfer the pasta straight from the pot into the sauce. Toss to combine, adding a splash of the leftover starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce if needed.
• Add sliced chicken on top, then serve up with any leftover fresh parsley and parmesan if you're using it. Enjoy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Chicken Breast - If your chicken breasts are particularly thick, consider slicing them both through the centre to create 4 thinner breasts (just so they cook evenly). You could also cover in cling film and bash with a rolling pin to flatten slightly. In all instances, cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the breast, so just be vigilant as you cook.

b) Oil - The 1 tbsp is enough to fry the chicken, after that I usually add around 1 tsp extra to fry the onions. When you fry the chorizo it will release more oil. Depending on the variety of chorizo, it may release a lot of oil. A couple of tsp's worth is fine, but anything over I would drain away some before pouring in the tomato passata.

c) Chorizo - I use regular cured Spanish chorizo, but you could use raw chorizo (including ground chorizo). Just fry it off after the onions until piping hot and a little crisp, then add in the sun dried tomatoes/garlic, fry them off for a couple of mins then continue with the recipe.

d) Calories - based on sharing between 4 people, using 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, all the chorizo fat and no parmesan.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Chicken and Chorizo Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 607 Calories from Fat 296

% Daily Value*

Fat 32.86g51%

Saturated Fat 13.271g66%

Trans Fat 0.007g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.157g

Monounsaturated Fat 13.735g

Cholesterol 155mg52%

Sodium 1132mg47%

Potassium 1367mg39%

Carbohydrates 45.53g15%

Fiber 6.5g26%

Sugar 13.59g15%

Protein 35.4g71%

Vitamin A 2600IU52%

Vitamin C 26.4mg32%

Calcium 130mg13%

Iron 5.6mg31%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

For another chicken and chorizo recipe check out my Chicken and Chorizo Bake, Cheesy Chorizo Hasselback Chicken and Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo!

Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?

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