Chicken Chorizo Pasta

Dinner for two couldn’t be easier with this delicious Iberian style chicken chorizo pasta. Smoky, intense chorizo and tender chicken in a robust tomato and vegetable sauce make this one pot meal as delicious as it is satisfying.

Chicken chorizo pasta

This robust and flavour-packed pasta dish for two is my twist on the classic Spanish macarrones con chorizo. A deeply satisfying comfort-food meal, I have added chicken for extra protein, making it a meatlover’s feast.

See also

• Spanish chicken and rice – another one pot packed with flavour
• No need for Nandos with homemade peri peri chicken
• Hunter’s chicken is a British pub classic which is easy to make at home

The Italians can be decidedly sniffy about chicken with pasta, but then Italian pasta sauces are often fairly minimalist. Simple chicken on pasta would be too bland, but this Iberian style one-pot dish has plenty of rich, tasty sauce and the chicken absorbs those flavours.

Easy pasta

It’s sad but true that we don’t always have a lot of time for cooking these days. The typical two-person household (and there are more of these than any other type now) often has two people at work full time. Unfortunately, we all know that full time often really means ‘more than full time hours’.

This one pot chicken chorizo pasta is easy to throw together and cook in one pot, with minimal mess to clear up. Although I have made it for two, you can easily scale this forgiving recipe up.

Cooking pasta by this absorption method involves a bit less liquid (twice the weight of the pasta in stock) and a little more time, but it is hands-off in a way that cooking pasta on a rolling boil is not

This means you can get on with other things while it cooks. The pasta takes on more flavour from the sauce that cooks around it, so I love this approach.

You can make this sort of pasta dish in the oven as a pasta bake, but using the stove top and a pan with a lid is more economical and I find it less bother.

In fact, my chicken chorizo pasta is affordable, tasty, nourishing, unfussy and so convenient that you can eat it with a fork, one-handed from a bowl in front of the TV if that’s what a tiring day requires. So why not be lazy tonight and enjoy this easiest of dinners?

Why make chicken chorizo pasta

• fabulous, comforting flavours

• effortless, hands-off cooking

• economical recipe

• adaptable dish

Chicken chorizo pasta ingredients

• Chicken – one breast or two boneless thighs, chopped

• Chorizo – spicy or mild as you prefer. Buy a whole ring and cut off what you need. The rest will keep well in the fridge, sealed in a polythene bag. It’s a great ingredient to liven up pasta and rice dishes, stews and salads, so keep some to hand.

• Pepper – any colour, trimmed and sliced, or you can buy them ready prepared if you feel lazy!

• Onion and garlic – peeled and chopped

• Chicken stock

• Canned tomatoes – good ones that don’t taste metallic. I used canned cherry tomatoes, as I like the pieces in the dish, but it’s not strictly necessary. With canned tomatoes you generally do not want to buy the cheapest, but also do not need to buy the most expensive.

• Tomato paste – for intensity of flavour. If you buy it in a jar or carton rather than a tube, you can freeze leftovers in an ice cube tray. Keep the cubes in a bag and use from frozen.

• Grana padano – or similar hard cheese, freshly grated for best flavour or else grated and kept in the freezer. You don’t want the dried parmesan that comes in pots!

• Cream cheese – or a glug of cream to enrich the sauce

• Pasta – tubes are ideal, and I picked rigatoni as the ridges help to pick up the sauce

• Fresh herbs – parsley and basil to serve

How to make chicken chorizo pasta – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Fry the chorizo in a glug of olive oil. You only need a little oil to start it off, as once hot, the chorizo will start to release fat.

Cook until the chorizo starts to colour and the amount of oil in the pan has doubled. While it cooks, peel and chop the onion and garlic, and cut the chicken into 2 cm chunks.

Remove the chorizo from the pan and set to one side.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
A good pan makes all the difference for this recipe.

I use a 24 cm / 9 inch pan and find it just right for cooking for two. Make sure the lid fits and choose one that will go in the dishwasher.

Step Two – Add the onion and chicken to the fat in the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent, the surface of the chicken is no longer pink and everything is fragrant.

Step Three – Add the pepper and garlic and continue to fry until the pepper starts to soften.

Step Four – Return the chorizo to the pan. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato puree, and stock. Stir well. Add the pasta and stir again to space the pasta out in the pan, trying to arrange it so that some is covered with liquid.

You will not be able to cover all the pasta with the stock, but do not worry. With the lid on, there will be enough moisture for it to cook.

Put the lid in place and bring to a simmer. Then turn the heat right down and allow the dish to simmer very gently for 15 minutes. I use a diffuser to keep the heat low and even. These are inexpensive and an excellent investment.

Step Five – Now add the two cheeses and gently stir in. At this stage, the pasta should have started to soften but it will not be fully cooked. There should be plenty of sauce, but if it is looking dry, add a splash more water.

Then replace the lid and leave it to gently cook for further 10 minutes.

Step Six – Check to see that the pasta is cooked. If it needs a bit longer, you can add an extra splash of water or stock and put the lid back for a few minutes more.

When you are happy that the pasta is soft enough, taste and season with pepper and salt as needed. The sauce will still be quite loose, but it will rapidly thicken and coat the pasta as soon as it starts to cool.

Garnish the chicken and chorizo pasta with chopped fresh herbs just before serving.

Serving suggestion

Serve chicken chorizo pasta simply with a salad and some rustic bread, or just as it comes.

Variations

• You can use bacon instead of chorizo. This will need a little longer to cook, so don’t take it out of the pan before adding the chicken and onion.

• Chorizo can be very spice or very mild. If it lacks punch and you want to add more flavour (or if you used bacon instead of chorizo), you can add paprika and more garlic, and even some black olives. If you like heat, add some chilli.

• You can use leftover cooked chicken instead of fresh. To do this, add the chicken with the pepper and garlic, once the onion is cooked.

• For extra veg, stir a bag of spinach through at the end of cooking. You could also add leftover cooked veg or bulk up the dish with a can of white beans (cannellini or haricot would work well). Drain and rinse them before adding with the pasta.

• If you like, you can top the dish with a little mozzarella or other melting cheese and melt under the grill before serving.

Storage

This recipe is written for two – so there shouldn’t be any leftovers. But if you do have some, or if you make a double batch!

Fridge – Cover, cool and get any leftovers into the fridge as quickly as possible. You can store for a couple of days.

Freezer – Pack leftovers into freezer containers and freeze as soon as it is cool. Can be stored for three months.

Hints and tips

• A good pan makes all the difference. I use a 24 cm / 9 inch pan and find it just right for cooking for two. Make sure the lid fits and choose one that will go in the dishwasher.

• Use decent canned tomatoes. Cheap, metallic tasting ones can spoil a dish. If you find your tomatoes are a bit watery or acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Use passata if you prefer.

• Although it can be pricey, a little parmesan goes a long way, and a small teacup full, grated with a microplane grater, is plenty for two. If you don’t have parmesan, a drying vintage cheddar makes a good substitute.

FAQs

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