Description
This creamy chicken and chorizo pasta combines tender chicken thighs, spicy Spanish chorizo, and a rich, flavorful cream sauce for a comforting and delicious Italian-inspired dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Chicken
- 200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
- 1 tablespoon flour (optional)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 120 grams Spanish chorizo sliced into 0.5cm rounds
- ½ small red onion finely diced
- 2 – 3 fresh garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 40 grams Parmesan cheese very finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Boil your pasta according to package instructions, undercooking by one minute so it can finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining.
- Prepare and Cook Chicken: Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels, season well with salt and pepper on both sides, and lightly dust with flour. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and place the chicken thighs smooth side down. Cook for 7 minutes, lowering heat if browning too quickly, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes until cooked through. Set aside, loosely wrapped in aluminum foil.
- Cook Chorizo: In the same pan, cook the sliced chorizo for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly golden on each side.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: Add diced red onion and a pinch of salt to the chorizo and cook for 3 minutes until soft, turning heat down if onion browns. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add Tomato Paste and Paprika: Stir in tomato paste and paprika and cook down for 2 minutes to develop flavor.
- Add Cream and Simmer: Pour in the heavy cream and mix well. Bring to a gentle simmer without boiling, adjusting heat as needed.
- Incorporate Pasta Water: Add one-third cup of reserved pasta water and mix well, bringing back to a gentle simmer.
- Add Parmesan Cheese: Push chorizo to one side of the pan and add grated Parmesan in 2 to 3 additions, stirring and letting each melt before adding the next.
- Finish with Lemon Juice: Quickly whisk in lemon juice to the sauce over low heat.
- Combine Pasta and Spinach: Add cooked pasta and baby spinach leaves to the sauce, mixing gently and letting it bubble for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are recommended for juiciness and tenderness, but chicken breast works well too. You can also mix cooked chicken pieces into the sauce if preferred.
- Flour: Lightly dusting chicken with flour before pan frying helps create a golden crust but is optional.
- Chorizo: Use firm, cured Spanish chorizo, not fresh Mexican chorizo, for the best flavor and fat rendering.
- Lemon: To prevent cream sauce from curdling, add lemon juice quickly over low heat and add it last with the pasta if nervous.
