This Chicken and Chorizo Pasta recipe is a winner! It’s ready to eat in under 40 minutes, making it a great choice for a comforting midweek meal.
I can’t get enough simple pasta recipes. Always have, always will. Pasta is so versatile, and it’s good to have a few different options for quick and easy meals.
I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a long time, so I felt it was about time I shared it with you! I know I’m not the only one who is constantly on the lookout for new easy pasta recipes.
More family favourite pasta recipes I’ve shared in the past include…
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
- Pea and Pancetta Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Sweet Chilli Pasta with Salmon and Peas
- Piri Piri Chicken Pasta
- and this very easy Slow Cooker Macaroni Cheese recipe which is perfect for chilly Autumn days.
chicken and chorizo – a perfect combination
This pasta recipe is packed full of flavour. The star ingredient is chorizo sausage. Chorizo adds such bold, vibrant flavour to any dish. It’s one of my favourite ingredients – I honestly don’t know what I would do without it!
Some of my most popular recipes with chorizo are this gorgeous slow cooker beef and chorizo casserole, meatball mozzarella pasta bake, mozzarella stuffed chorizo and beef meatballs and this easy store cupboard one pot chorizo and pepper rice.
INGREDIENT LIST for chicken and chorizo pasta
Please keep scrolling to the end of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Dried Pasta. I mostly use Fusilli and Penne for this recipe. Use whatever pasta you like!
- Onion provides the base of the sauce. I like red onions for their slight sweetness, but a good old regular onion will do the job just fine.
- Fresh Garlic adds flavour and depth to the sauce. If you have no fresh garlic, garlic puree works well. I must admit I always keep jars of garlic and ginger puree in my fridge – they are so handy when you’re short on time.
- Diced chicken breast. You could also use chopped skinless and boneless chicken thighs instead, but bear in mind they take slightly longer to cook through.
- Sliced chorizo sausage. I use the cured variety here. I like to peel the skin off a chorizo before cooking – it can be quite chewy and tough. Cooking chorizo sausage would also work.
- Smoked paprika enhances the flavour of the chorizo and gives a lovely smoky flavour to the sauce.
- Tomato passata will produce a lovely smooth-textured sauce. If chunks of tomato don’t concern you, use a can of chopped tomatoes.
- A little white sugar helps to balance the acidity of the tomato passata.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season your sauce.
- Double (heavy) cream for a beautifully rich sauce. You could also use cream cheese or mascarpone.
- Grated Parmesan cheese – both in the sauce and for sprinkling on top of the pasta.
- Grated mozzarella cheese for a lovely gooey topping. You could use cheddar cheese instead if you like.
- Freshly chopped basil leaves. Fresh basil and tomatoes are the perfect pairing!
what type of PASTA works best?
I like to use Fusilli or Penne for this recipe, but Rigatoni or any variety of pasta shells to soak up the sauce would be ideal. Finding a pasta shell filled with chorizo and sauce is always a joy to eat!
Whatever pasta you use, it’s a good idea to cook it for about one minute less than the packet states. You’ll be adding the drained pasta to the sauce later, so this will prevent the pasta from becoming overcooked.
It’s always a good idea to save a small cup of the starchy cooking water when you’re draining the pasta. If the sauce is too thick or claggy, just stir in a little water and you will get a beautifully smooth sauce. You might not need it, but at least it’s on hand if you do.
THE tomato SAUCE
The creamy tomato sauce is SO good! The oils from the chorizo give the sauce such an amazing depth of flavour.
Like any good sauce recipe, you start by slowly cooking sliced onions on a low heat until they are soft and translucent, followed by garlic.
Next, we add the smoked paprika (always fry spices – it releases the flavours in a way that simply adding them to a sauce could never do), followed by the sliced chorizo.
Next we fry the sliced chicken in that wonderful chorizo oil until golden and cooked through.
Then the tomato passata is added along with a little sugar to balance the acidity and a grinding of salt (not too much since you’ll be adding parmesan) and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir in the double cream and parmesan cheese for a rich, creamy, sumptuous sauce. Add the chopped basil leaves, if you’re using them. Taste to check the seasoning.
- For many years, I plated up the pasta, then poured the sauce over. I don’t recommend doing that! I don’t even bother draining the pasta in a colander anymore. It’s much better to lift the cooked pasta out of the pan (with a slotted spoon) and add it to the sauce.
- Stir the pasta into the sauce, stirring well so the pasta soaks up all that flavourful sauce. It’s a basic little trick, but it makes such a difference. This also applies when you make spaghetti bolognese.
- If necessary, thin the sauce with a little of the reserved pasta water. You don’t always need to do this with tomato-based sauces, but I always keep a little cup aside just in case.
GRILL UNTIL BUBBLY
Place the pasta in an ovenproof dish. Top with the grated mozzarella cheese and place under a hot grill for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
SERVE!
Serve the pasta with extra grated parmesan cheese, garlic bread and a green salad if you like. Sometimes I have it with tenderstem broccoli.
VARIATIONS
- Add extra vegetables if you like – chopped peppers, mushrooms or diced courgette work well in this recipe.
- Sometimes I throw in a good handful of fresh chopped spinach just before I add the pasta to the sauce – any excuse to sneak in some greens!
using up leftovers
Store any leftover chicken and chorizo pasta in an airtight container. When it’s completely cold, refrigerate for up to 3 days.
reheating leftovers
To reheat, place the pasta in an ovenproof dish, top with grated cheese and cook for about 12-15 minutes at 180C / 160Fan / Gas Mark 4 / 350F) or until piping hot.
Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
This Chicken and Chorizo Pasta is both comforting and delicious - tender chicken breast and the kick of spicy chorizo sausage in a creamy tomato sauce,
Ingredients
- 350g pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion,finely sliced or chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 225g cured (or cooking) chorizo sausage, sliced (I like to peel the skin off the cured variety)
- 600g diced chicken breast
- 500g tomato passata
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100ml double cream
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 75g grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large pan of water on the boil for your pasta. Heat the olive oil in a large, fairly deep frying pan. Add the sliced onion. Turn the heat to low-medium and cook the onions for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in the smoked paprika and cook for one minute. Add the sliced chorizo sausage and gently fry for a few minutes until golden and starting to crisp around the edges.
- Once the water is boiling, add a decent amount of salt and add the pasta. Cook about one minute less than what the packet states.
- Remove the onion-garlic-chorizo mixture from the pan but leave the chorizo oil in the pan. Add the diced chicken and fry on a medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes or until golden and just cooked through (it will finish cooking properly in the sauce). Meanwhile, drain the pasta and set aside, keeping a small cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Return the onion and chorizo mixture to the pan with the chicken. Add the tomato passata, sugar and season with a little salt (do bear in mind you'll be adding parmesan which is salty) and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream, 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese and the chopped basil leaves if using. Taste to chieck if you want to add more salt and pepper.
- Stir the hot drained pasta into the sauce,adding a little of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems a bit dry. Spoon the pasta into a gratin or casserole dish, top with the mozzarella cheese and place under a hot grill for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted.
- TIP! If you're in a hurry, you can skip this part and simply serve the pasta straight from the pan. Serve the pasta sprinkled with the remaining parmesan cheese. Serve with a green salad and garlic bread for a perfect family meal.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 774Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 208mgSodium: 833mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 65g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
I’ve made this severel times and it’s delicious. Was wondering in order to make lower in calories would it work without the cream ?
Hi Teresa, I’m so glad you like the recipe! Yes, you certainly make it without the cream if you wish.