Hot Honey Chicken Pasta
Transform your weeknight meals with this irresistible Hot Honey Chicken Pasta! Picture velvety pasta enveloped in a rich, cheesy sauce, paired with succulent chicken drizzled in a sweet and spicy honey glaze. Quick to whip up and bursting with flavor, this dish is sure to become a family favorite!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
2
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- 2 tsp chopped garlic (10 ml)
- 2 sprigs of fresh parsley chopped
- ½ tsp garlic granules (2.5 ml)
- 1 small white onion finely chopped
- ½ tsp onion granules (2.5 ml)
- 2½ tbsp tomato purée (37.5 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 250g chicken breast, diced (0.55 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 80ml single cream (2.7 fl oz)
- 20g parmesan, finely grated (0.71 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 150g dried rigatoni (5.29 oz)
- 20g honey (0.71 oz)
- 100ml pasta water (3.38 fl oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- Black pepper
- Salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (2.5 ml)
- Pinch of mild chili flakes
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Reserve a mug of pasta water.
- 2
Mix together the honey, hot sauce and chilli flakes in a small bowl.
- 3
Season the chicken with smoked paprika, garlic granules, onion granules, salt and black pepper.
- 4
Add the chicken to a frying pan and leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop some colour before frying until cooked through.
- 5
Pour over most of the hot honey mixture, reserving around ½ tsp for the sauce.
- 6
Toss until the chicken is sticky. Remove & keep warm.
- 7
Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and cook until soft.
- 8
Add the tomato purée and cook for 1-2 minutes until deepened in colour. Add in the reserved hot honey and stir then add the cream.
- 9
Pour the pasta water into the empty cream jug, swirl to pick up any remaining cream & add to the pan.
- 10
Stir through the parmesan, chilli flakes, salt and black pepper.
- 11
Simmer for a couple of mins until the sauce has thickened.
- 12
Add the cooked pasta and toss.
- 13
Serve the pasta topped with the chicken. Garnish with fresh parsley.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Sear the seasoned chicken undisturbed for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat (around 375°F pan surface) before flipping, allowing the Maillard reaction to build a fond that will later dissolve into the sauce for deeper flavor.technique375°F
- ✓Reserve at least 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining because the surface starches act as an emulsifier, binding the cream and tomato purée sauce to the noodles instead of letting it separate.ingredient1 cup
- ✓Cook the tomato purée for a full 1-2 minutes before adding cream to caramelize its natural sugars and break down raw acidity, which otherwise leaves a sharp, tinny taste in the finished sauce.timing1-2 minutes
- ✓Add the cream off direct high heat or reduce to low, since cream's milk proteins can break and curdle above 180°F when combined with the acidic tomato purée.technique180°F
- ✓Toss the cooked chicken in the hot honey mixture immediately off heat rather than in the pan over flame, since prolonged heat above 300°F will crystallize the honey's sugars and turn the glaze grainy instead of glossy.timing300°F
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
2
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Hot Honey Chicken Pasta
Transform your weeknight meals with this irresistible Hot Honey Chicken Pasta! Picture velvety pasta enveloped in a rich, cheesy sauce, paired with succulent chicken drizzled in a sweet and spicy honey glaze. Quick to whip up and bursting with flavor, this dish is sure to become a family favorite!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- 2 tsp chopped garlic (10 ml)
- 2 sprigs of fresh parsley chopped
- ½ tsp garlic granules (2.5 ml)
- 1 small white onion finely chopped
- ½ tsp onion granules (2.5 ml)
- 2½ tbsp tomato purée (37.5 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 250g chicken breast, diced (0.55 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 80ml single cream (2.7 fl oz)
- 20g parmesan, finely grated (0.71 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 150g dried rigatoni (5.29 oz)
- 20g honey (0.71 oz)
- 100ml pasta water (3.38 fl oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- Black pepper
- Salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (2.5 ml)
- Pinch of mild chili flakes
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Reserve a mug of pasta water.
- 2
Mix together the honey, hot sauce and chilli flakes in a small bowl.
- 3
Season the chicken with smoked paprika, garlic granules, onion granules, salt and black pepper.
- 4
Add the chicken to a frying pan and leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop some colour before frying until cooked through.
- 5
Pour over most of the hot honey mixture, reserving around ½ tsp for the sauce.
- 6
Toss until the chicken is sticky. Remove & keep warm.
- 7
Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and cook until soft.
- 8
Add the tomato purée and cook for 1-2 minutes until deepened in colour. Add in the reserved hot honey and stir then add the cream.
- 9
Pour the pasta water into the empty cream jug, swirl to pick up any remaining cream & add to the pan.
- 10
Stir through the parmesan, chilli flakes, salt and black pepper.
- 11
Simmer for a couple of mins until the sauce has thickened.
- 12
Add the cooked pasta and toss.
- 13
Serve the pasta topped with the chicken. Garnish with fresh parsley.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Sear the seasoned chicken undisturbed for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat (around 375°F pan surface) before flipping, allowing the Maillard reaction to build a fond that will later dissolve into the sauce for deeper flavor.technique375°F
- ✓Reserve at least 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining because the surface starches act as an emulsifier, binding the cream and tomato purée sauce to the noodles instead of letting it separate.ingredient1 cup
- ✓Cook the tomato purée for a full 1-2 minutes before adding cream to caramelize its natural sugars and break down raw acidity, which otherwise leaves a sharp, tinny taste in the finished sauce.timing1-2 minutes
- ✓Add the cream off direct high heat or reduce to low, since cream's milk proteins can break and curdle above 180°F when combined with the acidic tomato purée.technique180°F
- ✓Toss the cooked chicken in the hot honey mixture immediately off heat rather than in the pan over flame, since prolonged heat above 300°F will crystallize the honey's sugars and turn the glaze grainy instead of glossy.timing300°F