Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta
Dinner starts smelling good the second the chorizo hits the pan, which honestly makes it hard to wait for this Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta to finish cooking.
Smoky, creamy, a little spicy, loads of flavour without needing a million ingredients.
The sauce gets this rich orange colour from the chorizo oil and somehow makes the whole thing taste like you ordered it somewhere instead of throwing it together at home half tired on a weeknight.
The chicken stays juicy, the pasta catches all the sauce properly, and those crispy little bits of chorizo are probably the best part.
It’s not delicate food. It’s filling, messy, comforting, and very easy to go back for another bowl even when you’re already full.
A bit of garlic bread on the side doesn’t hurt either.
And the best thing is, it doesn’t take loads of effort to get there.
Mostly just letting everything cook together and trusting it’ll work out, which it usually does.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy, smoky, garlicky, and packed with flavour
- Made with simple ingredients but tastes seriously impressive
- The sauce coats the pasta perfectly instead of pooling at the bottom
- Chorizo adds so much flavour without needing loads of extra seasoning
- Feels cosy and indulgent while still being easy enough for a weeknight dinner
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 300g rigatoni
- Salt, for the pasta water
For the chicken and chorizo
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 150g chorizo, sliced into thick rounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
For the sauce
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 200ml double cream
- 80ml chicken stock
- 50g freshly grated parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
To finish
- Fresh parsley
- Extra parmesan
- Black pepper
Method
1. Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until just al dente.
Before draining, save about half a cup of pasta water. You probably won’t need all of it, but it helps loosen the sauce later if needed.
2. Crisp up the chorizo
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and let it cook slowly for about 4 to 5 minutes.
You want the edges slightly crisp and the oils released into the pan. That oil is where a lot of the flavour comes from, so don’t wipe it out.
Once done, scoop the chorizo onto a plate but leave the oil behind.
3. Cook the chicken
Add the olive oil to the same pan if needed.
Season the chicken with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then add it straight into the pan.
Cook for around 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden on the outside and cooked through.
The chicken should pick up all that flavour left behind from the chorizo.
4. Start the sauce
Lower the heat slightly and add the onion and red pepper.
Cook for about 5 minutes until softened and slightly caramelised around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste and let it cook for about a minute. This step makes a huge difference because it deepens the flavour and gives the sauce that rich colour.
5. Make it creamy
Pour in the chicken stock and stir well to lift everything from the bottom of the pan.
Add the cream, chilli flakes, Italian seasoning, and parmesan. Stir slowly until the cheese melts into the sauce.
Let it bubble gently for a few minutes until thickened. It should look smooth, glossy, and creamy enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6. Bring it all together
Add the cooked pasta, chicken, and chorizo back into the pan.
Toss everything together until every piece of rigatoni is coated in sauce.
If it feels too thick, add a small splash of pasta water until it loosens slightly.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, or parmesan if needed.
7. Serve
Spoon into bowls while it’s still hot and finish with fresh parsley, extra parmesan, and a little black pepper on top.
A Few Helpful Tips
- Use good quality chorizo because it flavours the entire sauce
- Freshly grated parmesan melts much better than pre-packaged cheese
- Don’t boil the cream aggressively or the sauce can split
- Rigatoni works really well because the sauce gets inside the pasta tubes
Storage
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat gently with a splash of cream, milk, or water to loosen the sauce back up.
This pasta has that proper comfort food feeling where every bite is creamy, smoky, and full of flavour.
The chorizo gives the sauce richness, the chicken keeps it hearty, and the pasta holds onto all that creamy goodness perfectly.
Definitely one of those recipes that tastes like a lot more effort than it actually is.
