Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it generously, and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Reserve a bit of pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan, then add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the chicken breast and cook it for 5-6 minutes until slightly golden.

Add the shallot and garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Next, add the smoked paprika, onion granules, dried oregano, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper and stir to combine.

Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and stir in the cream cheese. Break it down with your spoon until it dissolves completely in the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add a splash of pasta water if it looks too thick.

Next, stir in the grated parmesan and fresh parsley. Divide the pasta into bowls and serve with extra parmesan on top if you like.

Notes:

You can use one or two tablespoons of Cajun seasoning instead or your own spice mix for an even speedier dinner.

We used rigatoni for this spicy chicken recipe, but you can use any other type of short pasta.

We used full-fat cream cheese, but you can use a low-fat version if you want to cut down on some calories. You can also substitute it with double (heavy) cream instead.

If you have time, you can mix the chicken cubes with the spices and marinate for at least 30 minutes before starting dinner. This way, the chicken will be more flavourful.

Make this creamy pasta a bit more decadent by adding some pancetta or bacon lardons with the chicken, but beware, it will not be as healthy anymore.

If you want to make this recipe dairy-free, use another tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter and skip the cream cheese or replace it with a plant-based version