This BBQ Chicken Pasta is an easy and simple meal, ready in 30 minutes! It is rich, flavourful and cheesy, and I promise everyone in your family will love it.
BBQ Chicken Pasta
This BBQ Chicken Pasta is cheesy, savory, and smoky, with tender, juicy chicken breast and well-seasoned thick sauce that boasts all the good tastes— a perfect convenient, quick meal idea for a busy weeknight.
It is my new way to enjoy a barbecue-themed dish.
This pasta dish can be served anytime you would want to have a taste of its bursting flavor. You can have it for lunch after a busy morning or at dinner surrounded by your family.
Why We Love This Recipe
- This dish is a great recipe for a quick and easy dinner on a hectic night.
- It is simple to prepare and even simpler to clean up.
- The dish is made with ingredients that can easily be found in your pantry.
- This dish can quickly be paired up with other side dishes, which will allow you to conveniently plan out your dinner.
- The whole recipe can be adjusted to your preference.
Ingredients
Penne Pasta. You will have no trouble finding penne pasta in your nearest supermarket. You may use rigatoni, fusilli, or mostaccioli pasta for this dish as well.
Garlic. I like to add garlic as a flavoring agent.
Red Onion. With its sharp and spicy taste, the red onion will surely help make your BBQ Chicken Pasta more appealing to taste.
Olive Oil. I used olive oil cook the sauce. However, you may use vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
Red Bell Pepper. Adding red bell pepper adds color and a bit of a sweet flavor to this dish.
Chicken Breasts. I highly recommend using chicken breast in making this dish. Among the parts of the chicken, the breast is the most tender and meaty, which makes it the ideal chicken part to add to this dish.
Plain Flour. I added it to the sauce to make it thicker.
Tomato Puree. Tomato puree will add a burst of flavor to your pasta sauce, not to mention that it will also assist in making the texture thicker.
Chicken Stock. Chicken stock adds more chicken flavor to the dish, and it also helps improve the mouthfeel of each bite.
BBQ Sauce. To give this dish its barbecue taste, use barbecue sauce for the pasta sauce!
Heavy Cream. A creamy sauce for the pasta will be better with heavy cream in it.
Cheddar. Pasta and cheese go well together. Add grated cheddar cheese to add a delicious cheesy flavor to the dish.
Mozzarella. Melty cheese in the form of mozzarella is never a bad thing to add to a pasta dish either.
Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Salt, and Pepper. Seasoning the sauce for the pasta is important so that the taste won't appear bland. With the addition of cayenne pepper, paprika, and pepper, the pasta will have that spicy and smoky flavor akin to barbecue.
Parsley. Garnishing this dish with parsley is optional, you can opt it out if you wish.
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”
Variations & Substitutions
- If you have a leftover cooked chicken in your fridge, this recipe is the best way to use it in place of the chicken breast!
- You may use cornstarch instead of plain flour to thicken the pasta sauce.
- Add some vegetables to the recipe! Such as spinach, celery or carrot; it also adds that appealing crunch to the dish.
- You can skip cheddar and mozzarella in this recipe if you want your pasta free from any cheesy.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pasta?
One: Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.
Two: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, and add onion, garlic and red pepper for 1-2 minutes.
Three: Now, turn up the heat and add the chicken. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken changes colour.
Four: Stir in flour, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
Five: Stir in bbq sauce, tomato puree and chicken stock, mix everything together and simmer for 10 minutes.
Six: Add the heavy cream, half of the cheese and the pasta, and mix well until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.
Seven: Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the parsley on top. Serve!
Top Tips!
- Before adding the pasta, the water should be brought to a boil first. Cause if the pasta is added too soon, it will get mushy and will not be cooked properly.
- If the sauce is thick, you can thin it out with 1-2 tablespoons of the cooking pasta water.
- Use the chicken at room temperature; otherwise, when cooking, it will release a lot of water, which is unwanted.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this dish with Malfouf Salad or Elote Corn Salad! Both go well with this dish.
Roasted Green Beans and Carrots or Buttery Peas will also be good side dishes for this recipe if you plan to serve it for family or friends.
Storage
Store this dish in an airtight container before keeping it in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave!
Freeze: I don't recommend freezing this dish. Freezing it will change the taste and texture of the dish significantly.
Chicken Pasta Recipes
Here are some of my reader's favorite chicken pasta recipes.
I hope you like my recipe as much as I do! Don't forget to follow Healthy Life Trainer on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Recipe Card
Creamy BBQ Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 350 g Penne Pasta
- 2 Cloves Garlic , peeled and chopped
- 1 Red onion , peeled and sliced
- 1 Bell Pepper , sliced
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Chicken Breasts (skinless and boneless) , cut into small chunks
- 1 tablespoon Plain Flour
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 250 ml Chicken Stock
- 100 ml BBQ Sauce
- 100 ml Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Cheddar grated
- ½ cup Mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon Parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.350 g Penne Pasta
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, and add onion, garlic and red pepper for 1-2 minutes.2 Cloves Garlic, 1 Red onion, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 Bell Pepper
- Now, turn up the heat and add the chicken. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken changes colour.3 Chicken Breasts (skinless and boneless)
- Stir in flour, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.1 tablespoon Plain Flour, 2 teaspoon Paprika, ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- Stir in bbq sauce, tomato puree and chicken stock, mix everything together and simmer for 10 minutes.2 tablespoon Tomato Puree, 100 ml BBQ Sauce, 250 ml Chicken Stock
- Add the heavy cream, half of the cheese and the pasta, and mix well until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.100 ml Heavy Cream, ½ cup Cheddar grated, ½ cup Mozzarella
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the parsley on top. Serve!1 tablespoon Parsley
Notes
- Before adding the pasta, the water should be brought to a boil first. Cause if the pasta is added too soon, it will get mushy and will not be cooked properly.
- If the sauce is thick, you can thin it out with 1-2 tablespoons of the cooking pasta water.
- Use the chicken at room temperature; otherwise, when cooking, it will release a lot of water, which is unwanted.
Catrina
This recipe is easy and so delicious, I am happy that i gave it a try.