Spicy Tomato Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Penne pasta in chili-infused tomato sauce topped with seared chicken strips. Hearty, flavorful, and ready in 40 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne pasta
02 - Salt for boiling water

→ Chicken

03 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 oz)
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
07 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

→ Chili Tomato Sauce

08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
09 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
10 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
11 - 1 red chili pepper, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
12 - 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
13 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon sugar
16 - Salt and pepper to taste
17 - 1/4 cup reserved pasta water

→ Garnish

18 - 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
19 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add penne and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before draining.
02 - Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 4-5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Rest for 2 minutes, then slice into strips.
03 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic and chili, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors.
05 - Stir in the reserved pasta water to achieve desired sauce consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Add the cooked penne to the sauce and toss until well coated. Fold in chicken strips or arrange on top of each portion.
07 - Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did, which is perfect for impressing yourself on a weeknight.
  • The chili heat builds slowly and warms you from the inside out without making you reach for milk.
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to settle in together.
02 -
  • If you slice the chicken before it rests, all the juices run out and you end up with dry, sad strips instead of tender, juicy ones.
  • Adding cold pasta to hot sauce without any pasta water makes the sauce separate and turn oily instead of creamy and cohesive.
  • Burning the garlic in step three ruins the whole sauce, so watch it carefully and don't walk away even for a second.
03 -
  • Always taste your sauce before adding the pasta, because once it's mixed in, fixing the seasoning becomes ten times harder.
  • If your sauce looks too thick, add pasta water a tablespoon at a time instead of regular water, the starch helps everything come together.
  • Let the chicken rest on a cutting board instead of a plate, so the juices don't pool and make a mess when you slice it.
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