Spicy Chicken Pasta With Creamy Tomato Sauce and Smoky Paprika
By Emma Collins
Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min
Servings
2
Level
Easy
This spicy chicken linguine recipe yields 2 servings and can be prepared in advance: Season and cook the chicken. Save for later. Prepare the sauce and pasta. Serve the full dish for medium spicy chicken with a smoky paprika taste and pasta topped with tomato sauce and sliced chicken cooked against the grain.
Olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper are used as a rub on butterflied chicken breasts. Sauteed butter, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes are used as a sauce ingredient for the chicken, and dry white-wine reduction, tomato puree, chicken stock, and heavy cream are added for sweet and sour flavors. Linguine with Parmesan cheese and parsley is served with the chicken. The linguine sauce is made with chicken stock and heavy cream.
Search for cooked and colored onions, fully reduced wine, and sautéed tomato paste for two minutes. Add stock and cream. Let the sauce simmer and thicken as pasta cooking liquid is added with tongs. One common error people make when cooking this dish is overcooking the sauce with pasta; add pasta cooking liquid to the sauce to help thin it.
Serve with extra Parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. Offer garlic bread on the side. Set aside pasta cooking water to use as needed to serve the planned number of pasta dishes. This is the preferred way to make pasta sauce that thickens when pasta is tossed with the sauce or allowed to sit for a brief period before serving.
Why this recipe works
- The two-serving recipe is an easier option because it involves less food preparation than the other recipe and offers a complete meal without the need to prepare and store large quantities of food.
- Scaling for home use is simple because the recipe says you can double the recipe for home use, although the recipe recommends using less spice at home as a suggestion.
- Cooking the chicken separately from the sauce allows you to let the chicken rest and slice it to serve with pasta at the same time.
- The sauce is cooked in the same pan as the chicken. Doing so adds a roasted flavor to the sauce and makes it convenient to serve the dish at a particular time with all the components in one place.
- Leftover cooking water from starchy pasta can be used creatively in other dishes to moisten dry pasta sauces.
- Long-strand linguine is tossed into the sauce with tongs. This method saves time and helps the pasta take up enough of its cooking water to give it a glossy finish.
Ingredients
- •2 tsp olive oil
- •½ tsp smoked paprika
- •½ tsp cayenne pepper
- •¼ tsp salt
- •¼ tsp black pepper
- •1 chicken breast (9oz/250g, brought close to room temperature)
- •1 tbsp butter
- •1 small onion (finely diced)
- •1 tsp garlic (finely diced, approximately 1 large clove)
- •½ tsp chilli flakes
- •6 sun-dried tomatoes (finely diced, approximately 2oz/60g)
- •¼ cup dry white wine (60ml)
- •7 oz linguine (200g, or other long-cut pasta)
- •2 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste in the US)
- •⅓ cup chicken stock (80ml)
- •⅔ cup heavy or double cream (160ml)
- •1 oz Parmesan (30g, finely grated)
- •1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely diced)
- •salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl or ramekin, combine the olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
- 2
Butterfly the chicken breast all the way through to make 2 even-sized breasts, then coat it in the spicy marinade.
- 3
Add the chicken to a large pan over medium-high heat and fry for a few minutes on each side, until lightly charred and just cooked through the centre. Set aside, then slice into thin strips against the natural grain and at a slight angle when needed.
- 4
Turn the heat down to medium and melt in the butter, scraping up the flavour from the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and fry until it begins to soften and pick up colour.
- 5
Add the garlic, chilli flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes and fry for about 1 minute. Pour in the dry white wine and allow it to completely reduce, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- 6
Meanwhile, add the linguine to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
- 7
Add the tomato puree to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, then deglaze with the chicken stock. Pour in the heavy or double cream, season with salt and pepper to taste, bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat.
- 8
Use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan and toss to combine. Add the Parmesan, parsley, chicken strips, and any resting juices, then continue tossing and add leftover starchy pasta water as needed to thin the sauce.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
766
Protein
39.47g
Fat
46.73g
Carbs
43.47g
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