A chicken and chorizo pasta is the kind of weeknight dinner that fixes a hungry household fast. It brings together seared chicken, spicy cured chorizo, and a silky tomato cream sauce tossed with short pasta. You get a one-skillet meal that tastes like it simmered for hours but actually comes together in about 30 minutes.
The chorizo does most of the flavor work here. As it browns, it releases paprika-rich oil that the chicken soaks up and the sauce builds on. The result is a smoky, slightly spicy plate with a creamy finish that doesn’t need a long ingredient list. Making this chicken and chorizo pasta at home is surprisingly straightforward once you know the key steps.
This version keeps the steps simple and the cleanup light. If you want a reliable stovetop dinner with real depth, this chicken and chorizo pasta delivers without fussy technique or special equipment.
Why You’ll Love These Chicken And Chorizo Pasta
- One pan from browning to saucing keeps dishes minimal and flavors concentrated.
- Cured chorizo carries smoky paprika and fat so you need little seasoning elsewhere.
- Short pasta cooks in the sauce for a starch-thickened, clingy cream texture.
- Ready in roughly 30 minutes using common fridge and pantry items.
- Easy to scale up for four people or down for two with no method change.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces — thigh meat stays juicy under high heat better than breast.
- 150g cured chorizo, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds — Spanish chorizo, not fresh Mexican, for the right paprika oil.
- 250g rigatoni or penne — short tubes hold the sauce inside and outside.
- 1 tbsp olive oil — used only if the pan looks dry after chorizo renders.
- 1 small yellow onion, diced — builds a sweet base under the spice.
- 3 garlic cloves, minced — added late so it stays sharp, not burnt.
- 400g canned crushed tomatoes — gives body and acidity to balance the cream.
- 120ml double cream — softens the tomato and chorizo into a coating sauce.
- 300ml chicken stock — cooks the pasta and concentrates as it reduces.
- 40g grated parmesan — stirred at the end for salt and umami.
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika — backs up the chorizo if your batch is mild.
- Salt and black pepper — to adjust at the finish only.
Ingredient Substitutions
Cured chorizo: Replace the 150g with 140g smoked andouille slices plus 1/2 tsp extra smoked paprika. Andouille is firmer and less fatty, so the pan needs the olive oil up front and the sauce will read more woodsy than bright. You lose some of the cured tang but keep a smoky protein that browns well. The chicken and chorizo pasta works well for weeknight cooking when time is limited.
Chicken thighs: Use 2 boneless skinless breasts cut small if that is what you have. Breast pieces dry faster, so pull them at just opaque centers and rest while the sauce finishes. Expect a leaner bite and less rendered fat in the pan.
Double cream: Swap for 100ml whole milk plus 20g butter to cut richness. The sauce will be thinner and more prone to splitting if boiled hard, so keep it at medium-low heat after adding. You get a lighter plate with the same tomato-chorizo base.
Rigatoni: Use 250g fusilli if tubes are gone. The sauce clings to the spirals differently and cooks about 1 minute less, so check doneness early. Shapes with less hole space give a saucier bowl overall.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set a 30cm stainless or cast pan on medium-high heat. Lay in the chorizo slices in one layer and cook 3 minutes until the edges curl and the fat turns orange. Move them to a plate, leaving the oil behind.
- Add the chicken pieces to the same pan, spaced out, on medium-high heat. Sear 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn and cook 3 minutes more until golden and crispy at the edges and no pink remains. Remove with the chorizo.
- Lower to medium heat and add onion to the chorizo oil. Stir for 4 minutes until soft and translucent, scraping the browned bits loose. If the pan is dry, add the olive oil now.
- Stir in garlic and smoked paprika for 30 seconds until fragrant but not brown. Pour the crushed tomatoes in and scrape the base clean.
- Add chicken stock and rigatoni, stir once, and bring to medium-low heat simmer. Cook 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is saucy, not soupy.
- Return chorizo and chicken to the pan. Pour in double cream and parmesan, stir 2 minutes on low heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Pro Tips
Brown the chorizo first and keep its oil — that rendered fat is the only real seasoning base you need beyond salt. Skipping this leaves the sauce flat even with paprika added later.
Cut the chicken and chorizo to similar sizes so they finish cooking at the same time. Mixed sizes mean one is overdone while the other stays raw in the center.
Stir the pasta every few minutes while it simmers in stock. The starch releases and thickens the liquid, but it also sticks to the pan bottom if left alone for too long.
Take the pan off heat before the cream goes fully in if the sauce looks tight. A gentle simmer after cream keeps it from breaking into oil spots.
Reserve a splash of stock before the pasta goes in, in case the pan dries before the tubes are tender. Add it a tablespoon at a time rather than rushing water that dilutes flavor.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using fresh chorizo instead of cured is the most common error. Fresh sausage releases water and won’t render the orange paprika oil, so the chicken and sauce miss their backbone — use the firm, sliced Spanish type.
Boiling the cream sauce hard after the dairy goes in makes it split. Keep the heat at low heat for the final stir and pull it off the burner as soon as it coats the pasta.
Adding salt at the start before the stock reduces leads to an oversalted bowl. The stock and parmesan both carry sodium, so season only at the end after the sauce has thickened.
Crowding the chicken in the pan steams it instead of browning. Cook in two batches if your skillet is under 28cm so each piece hits golden and crispy edges.
Serving Suggestions
Plate the pasta in shallow bowls with extra parmesan and a little chopped parsley for color. The cream sauce pools at the base, so a wide bowl keeps the noodles from stacking and cooling.
Add a sharp side like arugula salad to cut the richness with lemon and bite. A green contrast stops the plate from reading too heavy after the cream.
For a bread side, warm a crusty loaf and scrape the pan sauce with it. The chorizo oil soaks into bread faster than any butter you could serve alongside.
If you like shrimp tapas, start the meal with a small chorizo-lemon plate before the pasta lands. It repeats the smoky note without copying the main.
Storage and Reheating
Cool the pasta within 2 hours of cooking and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cream sauce thickens cold, which is normal for dairy-based pasta.
Reheat in a pan on medium-low heat with a splash of stock, stirring until the chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F inside. Microwave reheating works but dries the chorizo, so cover and use 50% power.
This dish does not freeze well because the cream separates when thawed. If you must freeze, do it before the cream step and add dairy fresh on reheating for a smoother result.
Leftovers make a solid lunch box option if kept cold until noon. Pack the container with an ice pack and reheat to steaming before eating, not just warm at the edges.
Recipe Variations
Smoky Paprika Boost
Add 1 tsp extra smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne with the garlic. The sauce turns deeper red and the heat sits on the tongue longer without changing the cook time. This suits people who find standard chorizo too mild.
White Wine Version
Pour 60ml dry white wine into the pan after the onion step and reduce 2 minutes before tomatoes. The alcohol cooks off and leaves a sharp edge that lifts the cream. You get a brighter, less tomato-forward bowl.
Veggie Add-In
Stir 120g sliced bell pepper and 80g zucchini in with the onion. They soften in the stock and add sweetness against the chorizo. The pan needs 2 minutes longer at the simmer to account for the extra water.
Low-Cream Option
Cut the double cream to 40ml and add 40g more parmesan at the end. The sauce stays clingy but less rich, with more tomato showing through. It reheats with less separation risk than the full-cream version.
For a lighter pasta base, see our cherry tomatoes method that uses no dairy at all. It shows how to build sauce from tomato water and starch alone.
If you want a different cured meat route, our pork and pasta roundup covers pancetta and guanciale swaps. Those render similarly to chorizo but with less smoke.
Pair the plate with vodka pasta night as a backup when chorizo runs out. The cream-tomato base is close enough that the method transfers.
Check cooking methods if you want to move this to an oven finish. A 10-minute bake at 180°C / 350°F crisps the top with extra cheese.
Yes, this chicken and chorizo pasta keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days in a sealed container. It is best reheated on the stove with a little stock until the chicken hits 74°C / 165°F.
Chicken And Chorizo Pasta
Description
A chicken and chorizo pasta is a fast weeknight dinner with seared chicken, spicy cured chorizo, and a silky tomato cream sauce tossed with short pasta. It is a one-skillet meal that tastes slow-simmered but comes together in about 30 minutes with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Brown the chorizo
Set a 30cm stainless or cast pan on medium-high heat. Lay in the chorizo slices in one layer and cook 3 minutes until the edges curl and the fat turns orange, then move them to a plate leaving the oil behind.
-
Sear the chicken
Add the chicken pieces to the same pan, spaced out, on medium-high heat. Sear 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn and cook 3 minutes more until golden and crispy at the edges and no pink remains, reaching an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F; remove with the chorizo.
-
Soften the onion
Lower to medium heat and add onion to the chorizo oil. Stir for 4 minutes until soft and translucent, scraping the browned bits loose; if the pan is dry, add the olive oil now.
-
Add garlic and paprika
Stir in garlic and smoked paprika for 30 seconds until fragrant but not brown. This builds the sharp aromatic base without burning the garlic.
-
Simmer pasta in stock
Pour the crushed tomatoes in and scrape the base clean. Add chicken stock and rigatoni, stir once, and bring to medium-low heat simmer; cook 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is saucy, not soupy.
-
Return meat and cream
Return chorizo and chicken to the pan. Pour in double cream and parmesan, stir 2 minutes on low heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.
-
Season and serve
Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and serve immediately. The chicken should be at least 74°C / 165°F internally and the sauce should cling to each piece of pasta.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 620kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 34g53%
- Saturated Fat 14g70%
- Cholesterol 145mg49%
- Sodium 980mg41%
- Total Carbohydrate 48g16%
- Dietary Fiber 4g16%
- Sugars 8g
- Protein 34g68%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Storage: Cool the pasta within 2 hours of cooking and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; the cream sauce thickens cold which is normal.
- Reheating: Reheat in a pan on medium-low heat with a splash of stock, stirring until the chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F inside; do not reheat the same portion more than once.
- Pro tip: Brown the chorizo first and keep its oil, as that rendered fat is the only real seasoning base you need beyond salt; for a lighter dairy-free base see our cherry tomatoes method.
- Pan size: Use a 30cm skillet so the chicken browns instead of steaming; cook in two batches if your pan is under 28cm.
