This Creamy Chorizo Pasta is a 30 minute one pot meal! It's hearty and full of flavor with a nice amount of heat from the chorizo. It's so easy and makes a great weeknight meal.
This easy dinner combines chorizo and chicken with pasta in a creamy sauce made with chicken stock and heavy cream. It's topped with roasted red peppers and parmesan cheese for a seriously flavor filled weeknight meal!
This one pot pasta has become one of my favorites and I'm a huge fan of the chicken and chorizo combo. If you're loving this combo as well, make sure to add my Chicken and Chorizo Paella to your meal plan this week. Both of these recipes are just packed with the most incredible flavors!
If you're making it for the kids and are worried about too much spice, you can easily substitute out the chorizo with a mild Italian sausage and still get incredible flavor!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and Easy. This recipe is ready in just 30 minutes, which is great for busy schedules.
- One Pot Meal. If you get stuck with dishes all the time, like I sadly do, you will appreciate this. This cooks all in one pot with easy clean up.
- Big on Flavor. It's a really simple recipe just comes with big flavor. The chorizo and chicken combined with creamy pasta will get your taste buds dancing.
- Hearty Meal. This is a great Fall and Winter meal that is nice and hearty and doesn't require any extra side dishes to fill you up.
Short on time & love 30 minute meals? Try my Creamy Penne Pasta Primavera, Chili Lime Salmon, and Asian Turkey Meatballs too.
Ingredients:
Chorizo- I used a ground chorizo in this recipe and highly recommend it for it's texture. If you buy links, make sure they are fresh and not cured. You can remove the casings and will get the same texture as ground chorizo. However, if they are cured, the meat inside will be hard and not right for this recipe. I try and look for a mild ground chorizo, so the heat is a bit more manageable. If you buy spicy, it will be really hot.
Chicken Breast- Cut into small cubes for a quicker cook time and to make them bite size! You can also use chicken tenderloins. If you do, you should strip out the white tendon on the inside because it cooks into a tougher texture.
Pasta-Lots of pasta varieties will work for this recipe. I used Casarecce, which were delicious. Another favorite of mine is mezze penne, which is a smaller version of penne noodles. They taste absolutely incredible in this Chicken Pasta.
Chicken Stock & Heavy Cream- Combine to form a creamy liquid that cooks into the meat and pasta. This is what gives the pasta so much flavor versus just boiling it and adding it to the dish.
Roasted Red Peppers-One of my absolute favorite ingredients to add into pasta dishes. The flavor is rich & sweet with smoky hints. Just Yum! I buy mine in a giant jar at Costco and they are already cut into strips. Most of the time when they come in the jar they are a half of a whole bell pepper. You can easily cut them into strips and then dice into small pieces.
Parmesan Cheese- My favorite cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, comes in right at the end to finish this dish off right. It is shredded fine and melts right into the remaining cream and stock in the pot to create the creamiest sauce.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Variations and Substitutions:
Not into spicy? Substitute the chorizo with mild italian sausage.
Don't have heavy cream or want a lighter version? You can use half and half in this recipe as a substitute for the heavy cream, but do NOT use milk. It won't thicken up correctly.
For pasta varieties, I suggest a medium sized pasta, like the casarecce used in this recipe, or you can use shells, penne, or mezze penne. I would stay away from longer noodles like spaghetti or fettuccini, and I don't recommend smaller pasta like orzo or ditalini.
Looking for extra veggies? In addition to the roasted red peppers, chopped spinach or baby spinach is fantastic in this recipe. Also, jarred sun-dried tomatoes would be yummy. I suggest adding about ¼ cup.
Want some fresh herbs? Top the pasta with fresh parsley or fresh basil.
How to Make Creamy Chorizo Pasta:
Step 1: Pat dry the chicken breast and slice it in small cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Heat a dutch oven to medium heat and add in the butter and olive oil. Allow the olive oil to warm up for a minute and then add in the chicken breast. Cook for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Using tongs or a spatula, flip each piece of chicken over to the other side and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Note: The chicken may not be internally cooked all the way. It will finish cooking in the pot in the later steps.
Step 4: Into the empty pot on medium heat, with only browned bits, pour in the shallot. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add in the garlic and stir and cook for about 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
Step 5: Add in the Chorizo to the dutch oven and with a wooden spoon, start to break apart the meat. You want to continue to break up the chorizo for about 4 minutes as it cooks.
Step 6: Reduce the heat to medium low. Add in the chicken, pasta, chicken stock, and heavy cream. Stir well and try to get the pasta down into the broth as much as possible. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, stir again. Place cover back on and cook for another 5 minutes.
Step 7: The pasta should be cooked al dente, firm when bitten into, at this point. Stir in the roasted red peppers. Then, turn the heat off completely and stir in the parmesan cheese.
Step 8: Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired, sprinkle on parsley, fresh basil or more parmesan cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from a block is highly recommended for this recipe. If you need to use a cheaper version, just make sure it's from a block and not pre-shredded in a bag. Pre-shredded cheese use contains an anti-caking agent and doesn't melt as well.
- Butter and olive oil are used in combination in this recipe for a buttery taste with a higher burning point. You may notice when you cook with butter, it browns fast and starts to burn. Adding olive oil to the butter helps to raise its burning point, while still getting that savory flavor.
- If the pasta isn't cooked enough for you at the end of the 15 minutes, cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. If it looks like more chicken stock is needed, add in ¼ cup before cooking for the additional time.
Love Dinner Recipes with Sausage? Try my Baked Italian Sausages, Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta, and Sausage Gnocchi.
Recipe FAQs:
Al dente means firm when bitten into. When boiling pasta, you can simply read the package instructions and it will give you a good time line to stick with. When you taste the pasta, it should be a bit firm still, but tender at the same time. If there's crunch, let it cook more.
Chorizo is red because it's highly seasoned and spiced. The redder is gets, the more spicy it will too. This indicates it has a lot of heat from spicy red pepper. If you want a less spicy version, be sure to look for a "mild" ground chorizo.
What to Serve with Chorizo Pasta:
It honestly doesn't need much. Grab a loaf of french bread and you've got a complete meal. If you want to kick it up a notch, try my garlic bread in the air fryer. It is beyond amazing.
Looking for an appetizer? This Caprese Burrata has fresh ingredients that won't fill everyone up completely before this filling pasta dish.
For a salad, try this Arugula Spinach Salad, Rocket and Pear Salad or Peach and Burrata Salad.
Storage:
This pasta takes best fresh, but you can store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To heat up, simply reheat on the stovetop with a splash of chicken stock until warm or microwave. It won't be as creamy in microwave, but it's still yummy.
More Weeknight Pasta Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Creamy Chorizo Pasta Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Creamy Chorizo Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Creamy Chorizo Pasta is a 30 minute meal, made all in one pot! It's hearty and full of flavor with a touch of heat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast (about 2 breasts) trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces mild ground chorizo
- 3 cups dry caserecce pasta (or penne, mezze penne, or small shells), measured dry
- 2 and ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, drained, cut into strips, then diced
- 1 and ½ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or fresh basil for topping (Optional)
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken breast and slice it in small cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a dutch oven to medium heat and add in the butter and olive oil. Allow the olive oil to warm up for a minute and then add in the chicken breast. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Using tongs or a spatula, flip each piece of chicken over to the other side and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Note: The chicken may not be internally cooked all the way. It will finish cooking in the pot in the later steps.
- Into the empty pot, with only browned bits, pour in the shallot. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add in the garlic and stir and cook for about 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in the Chorizo to the dutch oven and with a wooden spoon, start to break apart the meat. You want to continue to break up the chorizo for about 4 minutes as it cooks.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Add in the chicken, pasta, chicken stock, and heavy cream. Stir really well and try to get the pasta down into the broth as much as possible. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cover, stir again well. Place cover back on and cook for another 5 minutes.
- The pasta should be cooked al dente, firm when bitten into, at this point. Stir in the roasted red peppers. Then, turn the heat off completely and stir in the parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- This easy, one pot pasta is ready to serve! If desired, top with fresh basil or parsley and/or more parmesan cheese.
Notes
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from a block is highly recommended for this recipe. If you need to use a cheaper version, just make sure it's from a block and not pre-shredded in a bag. Pre-shredded use contains an anti-caking agent and doesn't melt as well.
Butter and olive oil are used in combination in this recipe for a buttery taste with a higher burning point. Make sure to use both to avoid burning the butter when cooking the chicken.
If the pasta isn't cooked enough for you at the end of the 15 minutes, cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. If it looks like more chicken stock is needed, add in ¼ cup before cooking for the additional time.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: italian
Payton
Absolutely love this recipe! Thank you!
Tara Smithson
Thanks so much Payton!