This Spicy Chicken Pasta is the perfect level of spice, whilst absolutely bursting with flavour. It’s easy, creamy, hearty and delicious!
The BEST Spicy Chicken Pasta Recipe!
Yep, you heard it here first 😂 Chicken, spice and pasta is one of the most delicious combos of all time. It’s also mainly responsible for 90% of my food comas. Delicious food comas none the less.
This recipe is actually a recent obsession of mine and quite frankly I can’t get enough of it. Here’s why I think you’ll love it as much as I do:
- Flavoursome – This pasta is more than just spicy, it’s got a gorgeous complex flavour.
- Creamy/Tomatoey – You should never have to choose between a tomato pasta or a creamy pasta, this is the best of both worlds and it works SO well!
- Date Night Dinner – This recipe is based on 2 servings, perfect for a cosy night in. It’s easily doubled for a family!
It’s also easy and relatively quick to make! Follow me…
Spicy Chicken Breast
The spicy chicken is the heart and soul of this dish, so it’s important to make it shine. Nothing worse than bland chewy chicken in any context, let alone in your pasta 😩
Flavour
To ensure it’s bursting with flavour, we’ll first coat it in a mix of olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and s&p. This give the chicken itself a nice kick of spice and a gentle wiff of smokiness too.
Tenderness
Equally as important. Here some tips to avoid chewy chicken:
- Bring the chicken to room temp before you fry it (cold chicken seizes up).
- Butterfly to make two thinner breasts (cooks quicker and more evenly).
- Allow to rest after cooking (retains more juices)
- Slice at an angle and against the natural grain of the chicken (soft chicken strips instead of large and chewy)
How to make Spicy Chicken Breast (quick summary)
- Take one chicken breast.
- Butterfly.
- Add spicy marinade.
- Rub into meat.
- Fry until nicely charred.
- Flip, fry then remove.
Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta
Cream and spice is such an underrated combo, especially in this context. The cream not only adds richness, but also helps the spice not get too all up in your face.
How to make Spicy Creamy Chicken Pasta (quick summary)
- Fry off onion, garlic and chilli flakes in butter.
- Add sun dried tomatoes, then reduce down white wine.
- Fry tomato puree.
- Deglaze with chicken stock, then pour in cream.
- Add pasta.
- Toss through parmesan, parsley and chicken.
How Spicy is ‘Spicy’?
It’s a really tricky one to judge as everyone’s spice thresholds are different. It’s definitely spicy, the kind that makes your lips tingle, but not so overpowering you can’t taste the other flavours. For those of you who like spice I’d say it’s a medium spice. If you’re at all wary just reduce the amount of chilli flakes and adjust at the end.
What to serve with Spicy Chicken Pasta?
Garlic Bread is always a winner with pasta. If you want to take it one step further then check out my Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread and Caprese Pull Apart Bread!
This dish is the perfect dinner for two, so do check out my other Date Night Dinners if you fancy! Also, whilst you’re here I’ve got a sneaky suspicion you might like these too:
Spicy Chicken Pasta Recipes
Chicken Pasta Recipes
- Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
- Chicken Bacon and Ranch Pasta Salad
- Chicken Avocado Pasta
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Spicy Pasta Recipes
- Penne Arrabiatta with Smoked Sausage
- Spicy Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Spicy Rigatoni
- Sausage Harissa Pasta
Alrighty, let’s tuck into this Spicy Chicken Pasta recipe shall we?!
How to make Spicy Chicken Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
Spicy Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Large Pot & Pasta Tongs
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Fine Cheese Grater
- Small Pot/Bowl (for chicken marinade)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1x 9oz/250g Chicken Breast, brought close to room temp
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Pasta
- 7oz / 200g Linguine (or other long cut pasta)
- 2/3 cup / 160ml Heavy/Double Cream
- 1/3 cup / 80ml Chicken Stock
- 1/4 cup / 60ml Dry White Wine (see notes)
- 1oz / 30g Parmesan, finely grated
- 6x Sun Dried Tomatoes, finely diced (~2oz/60g)
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree (tomato paste in US)
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley
- 1 small Onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp finely diced Garlic (approx 1 large clove)
- 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika & cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp salt & black pepper.
- Butterfly the chicken breast right the way through to make 2 even-sized breasts. Coat in the spicy marinade.
- Place in a large pan over medium-high heat and fry for a few minutes on each side, or until lightly charred and just cooked through the centre (depending on thickness may take more or less time). Place to one side and when ready, slice into thin strips, ensuring you slice against the natural grain of the chicken and at a slight angle.
- Turn the heat down to medium and melt in 1 tbsp butter, scraping off any flavour in the pan with your wooden spoon. Add the onion and fry until it begins to soften and pick up colour. Add 1 tsp garlic and fry for another minute longer, then add 1/2 tsp chilli flakes. Fry for 1 minute, then add sun-dried tomatoes. Fry for another minute just to soften them, then pour in 1/4cup/60ml dry white wine. Allow the wine to completely reduce (important to burn off the alcohol, should take 3-4 minutes or so).
- Meanwhile, add 7oz/200g pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
- Add 2 tbsp tomato puree to the pan. Fry for 2 minutes (important to sweeten the taste) then deglaze the pan with 1/3cup/80ml chicken stock. Pour in 2/3cup/160ml heavy/double cream and season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer then lower the heat.
- Use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan and toss to combine. Add 1oz/30g freshly grated parmesan, 1 tbsp fresh parsley and the chicken strips (alongside any resting juices). Continue tossing, adding leftover starchy pasta water from the pot to thin out the sauce as needed.
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
If you loved this Spicy Chicken Pasta Recipe then be sure to pin it for later! Already made them or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
I haven’t made yet, however it says two servings. I want to make for at least 6 people. Would you recommend doubling up on ingredients except the spices? 🙂 cant wait to try it!!!
Hey Jade! If you use the servings slider at the top of the recipe card it’ll automatically change all the measurements for you 🙂 C.
10/10 would make next time! This was absolutely incredible and the way that the sun dried tomatoes just gave a boost in sweetness in every bite was just amazing. Although, I added 1lb (16oz) of chicken instead of the 9oz because I usually prefer extra meat in my pastas. Also for anyone wondering, a great substitute for the dry white wine is 1/2 white wine vinager + 1/2 water.
Thanks so much for the review, Charlie! 🙂 C.
Made this for a quick family dinner for 4 last night .
I doubled all the ingredients apart from the spices . Delicious , so easy to make . The kids loved it too!
Great recipe . Thanks
Guy
Thanks so much for the review, Guy! 🙂 C.
Tried this one tonight and the only down side I can comment on was that my noodles had a massive Fail (my fault of course) As a last-ditch effort I stirred the chicken into the sauce to keep it moist and warm and used my mandolin to make wide zoodles and boiled them up. Served the sauce/chicken over the drained zoodles. Unintentionally carb-free and the core of the deliciousness (the sauce and chicken) worked perfectly with it! Made the zucchini buttery and only thinned the sauce a tiny bit. But I think I could just eat the chicken/sauce straight it is so rich and flavorful and… I’m going to go get seconds now I just made myself hungry again lol!
Great to hear this still turned out okay after the noodle fail! Thanks so much for popping back for a review 🙂 C.
Love this dish. Quick question the sundried tomatoes do you use the ones in jars in oil.
Thanks so much for the review, Lisa! 🙂 C.
Just made this for 6 people, delish.
Thanks so much for the review, Michael! 🙂 C.
I haven’t made the full dish yet, but absolutely love the chicken recipe, taught me a quick and easy way to make a juicy chicken breast out of so many different spices!
That aside, PLEASE link the music in the video? I have it on loop, I love it so much and would love to follow the artist.
Thanks for the review, Sam! The track is ‘Influx’ by Oboy. If you search it on YouTube you’ll find it 🙂 C.
I’ve made this recipe fresh and it was a hit! Do you think it can be prepped and frozen in a casserole for reheating later?
Great to hear this went down well! I’ve never frozen this but I imagine you could. I’d then defrost it in the fridge and reheat it on low in a pan with a splash of stock or water to loosen it up. C.
Loved this recipe. Hubby loves spicy food and this recipe ticks all the boxes. Going to try it as a veggie pasta dish.
So great to hear! Thanks so much for the review and hope the veggie version turns out well! C.
I just made this recipe for my wife. She loves Italian food and loooves spicy vodka sauce, so this looked perfect. It came out amazing, and everything tastes fantastic! I highly recommend this to anyone who loves some pep in their food.
Thanks so much for the review, Matt! 🙂 C.