Spanish chorizo's smoked paprika oils bleed into the cream as it simmers, turning this Italian-style pasta sauce a rusty, smoky orange.
One-Pan Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta
Savor the flavors of our One-Pan Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta, a hearty dish loaded with 45 grams of protein per serving! With juicy chicken, spicy chorizo, and a velvety sauce that clings to every bite, this meal is not only easy to prepare but also perfect for your weekly meal prep. Dive into this comfort food classic that’s sure to satisfy your hunger and taste buds!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
5
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This one-pan bodge job is Spain shaking hands with Italy somewhere in a 1990s British kitchen too lazy to dirty two pots—chorizo, that smoky Iberian sausage Spanish monasteries perfected centuries ago, muscles into a traditionally Northern Italian cream sauce, proving that culinary borders mean nothing when paprika-laced pork fat meets pasta and everyone's simply too hungry to argue about authenticity.
Regional Twist
In Andalusia's Seville region, cooks would swap the single cream for a splash of sherry vinegar and extra smoked paprika, letting the chorizo's own fat do the heavy lifting instead of dairy, creating a punchier, more rustic version that laughs at Northern Italy's creamy pretensions.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 5🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 medium brown onion (diced)
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 650g chicken breast (diced) (1.43 lbs)
- 800ml chicken stock (27 fl oz)
- 150g diced chorizo sausage (skin removed) (5.29 oz)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 100ml single cream (3.38 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (tenderises) (2.5 ml)
- cooking spray oil
- 250g dry pasta of choice (8.82 oz)
- 30g tomato paste (1.06 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 1 tsp black pepper (5 ml)
- 1 tsp oregano (5 ml)
- 2 tsp paprika (10 ml)
- 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- Chive (garnish)optional
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
581
Protein
56g
Carbs
42g
Fat
20g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Dice your chicken breast into cubes, add cooking spray, the seasonings listed, mix well to coat.
- 2
Add diced chorizo to a pan with no oil and once browned, add onion, cook till soft.
- 3
Add your diced chicken breast followed by tomato paste and cook till halfway done.
- 4
Then add your dry pasta with chicken stock, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 5
Once the pasta is cooked, add a few more seasonings with some single cream and mix everything together to make it rich and creamy.
- 6
Divide into five equal servings and enjoy.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Coat the diced chicken with baking soda (1/2 tsp per 650g) for 15 minutes before cooking to raise pH and denature surface proteins, increasing water retention by up to 30% and creating a more tender final texture.timing15 minutes; 1/2 tsp per 650g chicken
- ✓Render the chorizo over medium heat (3-4 minutes) before adding onions to extract 8-12ml of fat, which emulsifies the cream later and carries the paprika-based flavor compounds throughout the dish.technique3-4 minutes; medium heat
- ✓Add pasta to the simmering stock at a 1:3.2 ratio (250g pasta to 800ml stock) uncovered for the first 6-7 minutes to allow starches to gelatinize and thicken the sauce naturally, reducing cream needed by 25-40%.timing1:3.2 ratio; 6-7 minutes uncovered
- ✓Stir the cream in at 165°F (74°C) off-heat after covering for 10 minutes, since single cream (35-40% fat) breaks above 170°F and separates, destabilizing your emulsion.technique165°F (74°C); off-heat
- ✓Reserve 60ml of starchy pasta water before draining and add it to the final dish instead of excess cream—the 3-5% starch concentration creates a silkier, more cohesive sauce with better mouthfeel than cream alone.ingredient60ml; 3-5% starch concentration
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
5
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Spanish chorizo's smoked paprika oils bleed into the cream as it simmers, turning this Italian-style pasta sauce a rusty, smoky orange.
One-Pan Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta
Savor the flavors of our One-Pan Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta, a hearty dish loaded with 45 grams of protein per serving! With juicy chicken, spicy chorizo, and a velvety sauce that clings to every bite, this meal is not only easy to prepare but also perfect for your weekly meal prep. Dive into this comfort food classic that’s sure to satisfy your hunger and taste buds!
The Story
This one-pan bodge job is Spain shaking hands with Italy somewhere in a 1990s British kitchen too lazy to dirty two pots—chorizo, that smoky Iberian sausage Spanish monasteries perfected centuries ago, muscles into a traditionally Northern Italian cream sauce, proving that culinary borders mean nothing when paprika-laced pork fat meets pasta and everyone's simply too hungry to argue about authenticity.
Regional Twist
In Andalusia's Seville region, cooks would swap the single cream for a splash of sherry vinegar and extra smoked paprika, letting the chorizo's own fat do the heavy lifting instead of dairy, creating a punchier, more rustic version that laughs at Northern Italy's creamy pretensions.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 5🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 medium brown onion (diced)
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 650g chicken breast (diced) (1.43 lbs)
- 800ml chicken stock (27 fl oz)
- 150g diced chorizo sausage (skin removed) (5.29 oz)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 100ml single cream (3.38 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (tenderises) (2.5 ml)
- cooking spray oil
- 250g dry pasta of choice (8.82 oz)
- 30g tomato paste (1.06 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 1 tsp black pepper (5 ml)
- 1 tsp oregano (5 ml)
- 2 tsp paprika (10 ml)
- 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- Chive (garnish)optional
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
581
Protein
56g
Carbs
42g
Fat
20g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Dice your chicken breast into cubes, add cooking spray, the seasonings listed, mix well to coat.
- 2
Add diced chorizo to a pan with no oil and once browned, add onion, cook till soft.
- 3
Add your diced chicken breast followed by tomato paste and cook till halfway done.
- 4
Then add your dry pasta with chicken stock, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 5
Once the pasta is cooked, add a few more seasonings with some single cream and mix everything together to make it rich and creamy.
- 6
Divide into five equal servings and enjoy.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Coat the diced chicken with baking soda (1/2 tsp per 650g) for 15 minutes before cooking to raise pH and denature surface proteins, increasing water retention by up to 30% and creating a more tender final texture.timing15 minutes; 1/2 tsp per 650g chicken
- ✓Render the chorizo over medium heat (3-4 minutes) before adding onions to extract 8-12ml of fat, which emulsifies the cream later and carries the paprika-based flavor compounds throughout the dish.technique3-4 minutes; medium heat
- ✓Add pasta to the simmering stock at a 1:3.2 ratio (250g pasta to 800ml stock) uncovered for the first 6-7 minutes to allow starches to gelatinize and thicken the sauce naturally, reducing cream needed by 25-40%.timing1:3.2 ratio; 6-7 minutes uncovered
- ✓Stir the cream in at 165°F (74°C) off-heat after covering for 10 minutes, since single cream (35-40% fat) breaks above 170°F and separates, destabilizing your emulsion.technique165°F (74°C); off-heat
- ✓Reserve 60ml of starchy pasta water before draining and add it to the final dish instead of excess cream—the 3-5% starch concentration creates a silkier, more cohesive sauce with better mouthfeel than cream alone.ingredient60ml; 3-5% starch concentration