BBQ Chicken Pasta

This delicious and creamy BBQ chicken pasta is the ultimate in comfort food! Best of all it’s on the table in just 30 minutes, making it the perfect option for busy weeknights.

The saucy, tangy, cheesy, creamy BBQ sauce complements the tender juicy chicken pieces so well, making it a real taste sensation! This is a recipe not to be missed!

This is hands down my current favourite pasta recipe (along with my rich and creamy boursin pasta!), and I’m confident this tasty BBQ chicken pasta will become one of your favourites too!

Jump to:

• ✔️ Why should you try it?
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Top tips
• 🍴 Serving suggestions
• 📖 Variations
• 🥡 Storage
• 😋Related recipes
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

✔️ Why should you try it?

• Hearty and filling
• Ready in 30 minutes
• Leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day
• Flavourful and delicious

🥘 Ingredients

• Red Onion – 1 finely sliced red onion, or use a white onion if you prefer.
• Garlic – 2 cloves, peeled and chopped.
• Red Pepper – sliced and cut into strips. Use a yellow or orange pepper if you prefer, but not green as they are a too bitter for this dish.
• Olive Oil – for frying the onion and garlic, or use sunflower oil instead.
• Chicken Breasts – 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut into bitesize chunks. You could also use 4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs instead.
• Smoked Paprika – adds a lovely smoky undertone to the dish.
• Cayenne Pepper – adds a subtle kick, without the dish becoming too spicy.
• Flour – plain flour helps thicken the tangy pasta sauce.
• Tomato Puree – gives the pasta sauce a delicious rich flavour. Alternatively you could use red pesto.
• Chicken Stock – use a low sodium chicken stock if possible.
• BBQ Sauce – store-bought or homemade are both fine. I usually opt for store-bought BBQ sauce for ease.
• Double Cream – helps balance the tanginess of the BBQ sauce and makes it luxuriously creamy. You could substitute with crème fraiche if you prefer.
• Grated Cheese – I use a mixture of extra mature cheddar and ready grated mozzarella.
• Pasta – penne or another short pasta such as fusilli or rigatoni. Use wholemeal pasta for added fibre.
• Parsley (optional).

🔪 Instructions

The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post

One: Heat the olive oil in a shallow casserole and fry the sliced onion, red pepper strips and garlic on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Two: Turn the heat up and add the chicken breast pieces. Stir continuously until the chicken has changed colour.

Three: Add in the flour, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and stir for 1 minute.

Four: Add the tomato puree, chicken stock, and BBQ sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside.

Five: Add in the double cream and cooked pasta to the sauce and give everything a good stir.

Six: Mix in half of the grated cheese and allow it to melt.

Seven: Serve with the remaining grated cheese sprinkled on top and the optional chopped parsley for a bit of colour!

💭 Top tips

• Make sure the chicken is at room temperature before starting the recipe. Frying chicken straight from the fridge causes it to seize resulting in chewy chicken!
• The recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd, just make sure you use an appropriately sized pan!

🍴 Serving suggestions

This is a hearty and filling pasta recipe that really doesn’t need any extra’s. If you’re trying to stretch it out to cater for more people (my kids are always bringing home friends unexpectedly!), my homemade pesto focaccia and a crisp green salad would be a great option.

📖 Variations

• Make it vegetarian by using Quorn pieces instead of chicken.
• Up the veggies by adding in tinned sweetcorn or baby spinach for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Spice it up by adding 1 chopped red chili at the same time as the garlic and onion.
• Add smoked bacon to the recipe (at the same time as the chicken) to transform the dish into a hunters chicken pasta.
• Use leftover roast chicken or leftover air fried chicken cut into pieces, instead of the chicken breast fillets. Add the already cooked chicken into the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

🥡 Storage

The BBQ chicken pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours and reheated until piping hot in the microwave. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave.

😋Related recipes

More delicious chicken recipes to try!

• Fruity Mango Chutney Chicken Curry
• Creamy Paprika Chicken Pasta
• Garlic Butter Chicken
• Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff
• One Pan Chicken Penne Arrabbiata
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken

Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

Love pasta? Check out these delicious pasta recipes from the Effortless Foodie kitchen!

Recipe

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