Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
A comforting chicken and chorizo pasta made with pan-fried chicken thighs, smoky chorizo, and a glossy creamy tomato sauce. Finished with lemon, parmesan, and a handful of spinach, this is an easy, satisfying pasta that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
- 1 tablespoon flour (optional)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce
- 120 grams Spanish chorizo sliced into 0.5cm rounds
- ½ small red onion finely diced
- 2 -3 fresh garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 40 grams Parmesan cheese very finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil your pasta according to package instructions, I tend to undercook by a minute so it can bubble in the sauce at the end. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels, season well with salt and pepper on both sides and lightly dust with flour.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat and place the chicken thighs, smooth side down. Cook for 7 minutes (turn heat down if browning too fast) then flip and cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside, loosely wrapped in aluminium foil.
- Feel free to cook the chicken however you prefer, as whole thighs or in bite size pieces.
- In the same pan cook chorizo for 3 - 4 minutes or until lightly golden on each side.
- Add the red onion and a big pinch of salt and continue cooking for 3 minutes until onion softens. Turn heat down if onion is browning.
- Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and paprika and cook down for 2 minutes. All these individual additions are necessary for flavor layering, I promise!
- Add the cream and mix well, bring to a very gentle simmer. It will look dodgy to begin with but will come together. You might need to turn the heat down, it should never be boiling.
- Add ⅓ cup pasta water and mix in well, bringing back to a gentle simmer.
- Push the chorizo to one side of the pan and add the grated parmesan in 2-3 separate lots, mixing and letting each addition melt in before adding the next.
- Add the lemon juice and whisk in quickly.
- Add your cooked pasta and spinach in, mix and let it gently bubble away for 1 - 2 minutes so the sauce thickens and clings to the pasta and the spinach wilts. Season to taste.
Video
Notes
Chicken - Boneless, skinless chicken thighs stay juicier and are more forgiving, but chicken breast works too. If using breast I have a guide on pan-frying chicken breast in my Creamy Chicken Pasta. Feel free to mix the cooked chicken through the sauce if you prefer.
Flour - I like to lightly dust chicken with flour before pan frying as it helps to create a lovely golden crust. Totally optional.
Chorizo - This recipe uses cured Spanish chorizo, not fresh Mexican chorizo. Look for a firm sausage that can be sliced, it will render fat and add much more flavor to the sauce.
Lemon - If you ever have trouble with lemon juice curdling a creamy sauce, make sure the heat is low and mix it in quickly. If you are nervous add it in last with the pasta.