Baked Hunters Chicken Pasta
Dive into a deliciously hearty meal with our Baked Hunter’s Chicken Pasta! This protein-packed dish combines tender chicken, zesty marinara, and gooey mozzarella for a comforting twist on a classic favorite. Perfect for satisfying those evening hunger pangs, it’s a crowd-pleaser that’s easy to whip up and sure to leave everyone asking for seconds!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
2
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- 1 tsp chopped garlic (5 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic granules (5 ml)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (15 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 2 lean bacon medallions
- 2 chicken breasts (220g total) (0 lbs)
- ½ chicken stock cube, crumbled
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 35g reduced fat cheddar, grated (1.24 oz)
- 30g light cream cheese (1.06 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 100ml pasta water (3.38 fl oz)
- 130g dry rigatoni (4.59 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 1 tsp bbq seasoning (5 ml)
- Black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (5 ml)
- Salt
📦Other(4)
- 30g BBQ sauce (1.06 oz)
- 40g bbq sauce (1.41 oz)
- 150g passata (5.29 oz)
- 100g courgette finely grated (3.53 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
580
Protein
50g
Carbs
72g
Fat
9g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).
- 2
Season the chicken with the smoked paprika, BBQ seasoning, garlic granules, salt and pepper.
- 3
Place onto a lined baking tray and bake for 15-18 minutes until almost cooked through. Spoon over the BBQ sauce, top with the grated cheddar for a further 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is fully cooked through.
- 4
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve the pasta water before draining.
- 5
Fry the onion and grated courgette until softened.
- 6
Cook the bacon medallions until crispy, then chop into small pieces.
- 7
Stir through the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the tomato purée and BBQ sauce.
- 8
Pour in the passata, crumbled stock cube and black pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened.
- 9
Stir through the light cream cheese until melted into the sauce.
- 10
Add the reserved pasta water at a time until the sauce becomes smooth. Add the pasta and stir until evenly coated.
- 11
Serve the pasta and place the hunters chicken over the pasta and scatter over the bacon and parsley.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Bake chicken to 65°C internal temperature (not the 15-18 minute guideline alone) because carryover cooking will raise it to 70°C during the 4-5 minute cheese-melting phase, preventing dryness from overcooking.timing65°C internal temp, +5°C carryover
- ✓Reserve 120ml of starchy pasta water and add it to the sauce in 30ml increments to achieve a 1:3 sauce-to-pasta ratio that coats rigatoni tubes; the starch (2-3% by weight) emulsifies with fat and thickens without flour.technique120ml pasta water, 2-3% starch content, 1:3 ratio
- ✓Season the diced onion with a pinch of salt before frying to draw out moisture via osmosis (5-7 minutes), reducing cook time from 8-10 to 5-6 minutes and concentrating sweetness as sugars caramelize.ingredient5-7 minute salt-rest, 2-4 minute cooking reduction
- ✓Add tomato purée after sautéing garlic for 30 seconds to allow Maillard reaction (140-160°C in the pan) to reduce its acidic bite by 15-20%, making the final sauce taste less sharp than if added raw.technique140-160°C pan temp, 15-20% acidity reduction
- ✓Grate the cheddar fresh rather than using pre-shredded, as anti-caking agents (cellulose) prevent proper melting; fresh-grated melts at 32°C and binds with sauce, while anti-caked versions separate into oily pools.ingredient32°C melting point for pure cheese
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
2
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Baked Hunters Chicken Pasta
Dive into a deliciously hearty meal with our Baked Hunter’s Chicken Pasta! This protein-packed dish combines tender chicken, zesty marinara, and gooey mozzarella for a comforting twist on a classic favorite. Perfect for satisfying those evening hunger pangs, it’s a crowd-pleaser that’s easy to whip up and sure to leave everyone asking for seconds!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- 1 tsp chopped garlic (5 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic granules (5 ml)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (15 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 2 lean bacon medallions
- 2 chicken breasts (220g total) (0 lbs)
- ½ chicken stock cube, crumbled
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 35g reduced fat cheddar, grated (1.24 oz)
- 30g light cream cheese (1.06 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 100ml pasta water (3.38 fl oz)
- 130g dry rigatoni (4.59 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 1 tsp bbq seasoning (5 ml)
- Black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (5 ml)
- Salt
📦Other(4)
- 30g BBQ sauce (1.06 oz)
- 40g bbq sauce (1.41 oz)
- 150g passata (5.29 oz)
- 100g courgette finely grated (3.53 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
580
Protein
50g
Carbs
72g
Fat
9g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).
- 2
Season the chicken with the smoked paprika, BBQ seasoning, garlic granules, salt and pepper.
- 3
Place onto a lined baking tray and bake for 15-18 minutes until almost cooked through. Spoon over the BBQ sauce, top with the grated cheddar for a further 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is fully cooked through.
- 4
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve the pasta water before draining.
- 5
Fry the onion and grated courgette until softened.
- 6
Cook the bacon medallions until crispy, then chop into small pieces.
- 7
Stir through the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the tomato purée and BBQ sauce.
- 8
Pour in the passata, crumbled stock cube and black pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened.
- 9
Stir through the light cream cheese until melted into the sauce.
- 10
Add the reserved pasta water at a time until the sauce becomes smooth. Add the pasta and stir until evenly coated.
- 11
Serve the pasta and place the hunters chicken over the pasta and scatter over the bacon and parsley.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Bake chicken to 65°C internal temperature (not the 15-18 minute guideline alone) because carryover cooking will raise it to 70°C during the 4-5 minute cheese-melting phase, preventing dryness from overcooking.timing65°C internal temp, +5°C carryover
- ✓Reserve 120ml of starchy pasta water and add it to the sauce in 30ml increments to achieve a 1:3 sauce-to-pasta ratio that coats rigatoni tubes; the starch (2-3% by weight) emulsifies with fat and thickens without flour.technique120ml pasta water, 2-3% starch content, 1:3 ratio
- ✓Season the diced onion with a pinch of salt before frying to draw out moisture via osmosis (5-7 minutes), reducing cook time from 8-10 to 5-6 minutes and concentrating sweetness as sugars caramelize.ingredient5-7 minute salt-rest, 2-4 minute cooking reduction
- ✓Add tomato purée after sautéing garlic for 30 seconds to allow Maillard reaction (140-160°C in the pan) to reduce its acidic bite by 15-20%, making the final sauce taste less sharp than if added raw.technique140-160°C pan temp, 15-20% acidity reduction
- ✓Grate the cheddar fresh rather than using pre-shredded, as anti-caking agents (cellulose) prevent proper melting; fresh-grated melts at 32°C and binds with sauce, while anti-caked versions separate into oily pools.ingredient32°C melting point for pure cheese