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!
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✔️ 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
- Chicken Fajita Pasta Bake
- 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
Creamy BBQ Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 200 g Penne Pasta
- 1 Red onion peeled and sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Red Pepper cut into strips
- 2 Chicken Breasts (skinless and boneless) cut into bitesize pieces
- 1 tablespoon Plain Flour
- 2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 250 ml Chicken Stock use low sodium stock
- 100 ml BBQ Sauce store-bought or homemade
- 100 ml Double Cream
- 75 g Extra Mature Cheddar grated
- 75 g Grated Mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon Parsley chopped (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a shallow casserole or frying pan heat the olive oil and cook the onion, red pepper and garlic on a medium heat for a few minutes.
- Turn up the heat and add the chicken pieces, stirring continuously until the chicken changes colour.
- Add in the flour, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the tomato puree, chicken stock and bbq sauce, mix everything together and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir through the double cream and add the drained pasta. Make sure the pasta is coated in the thick creamy BBQ sauce.
- Add half of the grated cheeses and mix in until melted.
- Season to taste and serve with the extra grated cheese and parsley if using.
Video
Notes
- 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!
- 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 smoky 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 leftover cooked chicken into the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
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Biana
BBQ chicken and pasta are my favorite foods, and I love that you put them together in a dish! Will be making it soon.
Toni
Oh my word this is so delicious! So many favorite flavors in this creamy dish. Had it for lunch and my family finished it all!
Ashley
Oh yum! What a comforting dish, filled with homey flavors!
Emily Liao
Loved how easy this pasta was to make! The sauce was great too.
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it does not disappoint! So easy, creamy and delicious and even better for busy weeknights!
Dannii
This is always our go-to when we have leftover BBQ sauce and chicken. So comforting!
Jovita
This chicken pasta looks super creamy. And all these flavors, YUM! A perfect weeknight dinner!
Jack
This bbq chicken pasta looks so good, can't wait to make it for the family.
Danielle Wolter
Made this last night and the boyfriend just loved it. Came out perfect and was easy to make!
Natalie
Oh yum! What a lovely family dinner idea. Looks delicious and easy to make. My boys will love this, I'm sure. Can't wait to make them this.