Description
A flavorful and creamy chicken and chorizo pasta dish featuring tender chicken thighs, spicy Spanish chorizo, and a rich tomato cream sauce with Parmesan and spinach. Perfect for a comforting dinner with an Italian-inspired twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Chicken
- 200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
- 1 tablespoon flour (optional)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 120 grams Spanish chorizo sliced into 0.5cm rounds
- ½ small red onion finely diced
- 2 -3 fresh garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 40 grams Parmesan cheese very finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Boil pasta according to package instructions, undercooking by one minute to allow it to finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
- Prepare the chicken: Dry chicken thighs with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Lightly dust with flour if desired.
- Cook the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken thighs smooth side down and cook for 7 minutes, lowering heat if browning too fast. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and keep warm wrapped loosely in aluminum foil.
- Cook the chorizo: In the same pan, cook chorizo slices for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden on each side.
- Sauté onion: Add diced red onion and a pinch of salt, cooking for 3 minutes until softened. Lower heat if onion starts to brown.
- Add garlic: Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and paprika: Stir in tomato paste and paprika, cooking down for 2 minutes to build flavors.
- Add cream: Pour in heavy cream and mix well, bringing to a very gentle simmer without boiling. The sauce may look separated but will come together.
- Add pasta water: Stir in ⅓ cup reserved pasta water and gently simmer.
- Add Parmesan cheese: Push chorizo to one side, add grated Parmesan in 2-3 batches, mixing until fully melted before next addition.
- Add lemon juice: Whisk in lemon juice quickly to prevent curdling.
- Combine pasta and spinach: Add drained pasta and baby spinach to the sauce. Mix and let simmer gently for 1-2 minutes to thicken sauce and wilt spinach. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are ideal for juiciness but chicken breast can be used with adjusted cooking times.
- Flour: Light dusting on chicken is optional but helps create a golden crust when pan-frying.
- Chorizo: Use cured Spanish chorizo (firm, sliceable), not fresh Mexican chorizo, for best flavor and rendered fat.
- Lemon Juice: Add lemon juice at low heat and whisk quickly to avoid curdling; add it last if concerned.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 650 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
