Description
A comforting and creamy Cheesy Chicken Pasta recipe that combines tender chicken pieces with a rich, flavorful cheese sauce coated over perfectly cooked pasta. This dish is seasoned with a blend of spices, tomato paste, and a touch of sriracha for a mild kick, making it a perfect weeknight dinner that’s ready in just 35 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 250g pasta, uncooked (around 8oz)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Salt, for pasta water
Chicken and Seasonings
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 275g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (around 9.6 oz)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce or sriracha
- 130ml milk (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 110ml double cream (1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons)
- 100g mozzarella cheese + extra for topping (1 cup + extra)
- 100-120ml pasta water (around 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Cook the pasta in salted, oiled boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside, keeping some pasta water reserved for later use.
- Cook Garlic: Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the minced garlic. Sauté until the garlic turns golden and aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Cook Chicken: Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until the chicken turns white and is mostly cooked through.
- Season Chicken: Sprinkle salt, black pepper, red chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and oregano over the chicken. Stir well to evenly coat the chicken with the spices.
- Add Tomato Paste and Sriracha: Stir in the tomato paste and chili sauce (or sriracha), cooking for about 1 minute over medium-high heat to blend the flavors.
- Make Sauce: Gradually pour in the milk and double cream while stirring constantly. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken slightly.
- Add Cheese: Add the mozzarella cheese into the sauce, stirring continuously until the cheese melts completely and the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.
- Add Pasta Water: Slowly incorporate the reserved pasta water into the sauce while stirring, adjusting the consistency until the sauce is thick and creamy but coats the back of a spoon.
- Combine with Pasta: Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce. Stir well to evenly coat the pasta with the cheesy sauce.
- Final Melt: Sprinkle extra mozzarella cheese over the pasta, cover the pan, and let it cook on low heat until the topping cheese melts and becomes gooey.
- Serve: Serve the cheesy chicken pasta warm for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Notes
- Reserve some pasta water before draining to help loosen and enhance the sauce.
- Adjust the amount of chili sauce to your preferred spice level.
- Use fresh mozzarella for a creamier texture or shredded mozzarella for convenience.
- This dish can be refrigerated and reheated; add a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce upon reheating.
- For a lighter version, substitute double cream with half-and-half or reduce the amount of cheese.
