Chicken Arrabbiata Pasta - the perfect pasta dish for those who like a little bit of heat. Homemade delicious rich tomato sauce with tender seasoned chicken breast pieces all stirred into pasta.
Arrabbiata Sauce
Arrabbiata Sauce is a delicious sauce made with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and red chilli perfect for those who like a little bit of heat in their meals.
Perfect served plain over pasta or with some added protein like chicken as in this recipe.
It's a great sauce for making in advance too and freezing for busy days.
Fresh or Canned Tomatoes
I like to use a combination of fresh tomatoes and passata in my arrabbiata sauce. The fresh tomatoes have just such a nice flavour, canned tomatoes can be a little acidic.
Fresh tomatoes are really easy and quick to peel if you invest in a serrated peeler which is perfect for peeling soft fruits and vegetables. You can also score and blanch in water or if you are rushed for time, just leave the skin on, that little bit of fibre is good for you and won't ruin the sauce.
However if that's all you have on hand, feel free to swap for canned tomatoes of your choice. Good quality is best, as some cheaper brands can be a little watery and will not yield a very nice result. Canned San Marzano Plum Tomatoes are my favourites to use.
Can I use spray oil?
You will notice I use a little bit of olive oil in this recipe. Pasta sauces are just not the same without a little bit of olive oil added to the sauce.
By all means use just spray oil if you prefer, but 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a recipe that serves 4 people is not a huge amount of calories. It's add flavour and gives a lovely velvety appearance to the sauce.
Best Pasta for Arrabbiata
Most like to use Penne pasta, the tubular pasta is great for sauces, but any pasta will work fine.
I like to use penne, fusilli or Casarecce (which is what I have used in this recipe)
Protein for Arrabbiata
Although I have used chicken breast in this recipe, prawns (shrimp) are another great option.
For those who are vegetarian, a meat substitute will work fine or you can use some white beans or chickpeas. Another alternative is to use a pasta made from legumes like chickpea pasta which is becoming very popular now.
Freezing Arrabbiata Sauce
If you wish to make a larger batch of the sauce to freeze, I recommend doubling or tripling up the recipe to make a larger amount.
For best results - freeze just the sauce instead of freezing with the chicken and pasta, as pasta can become a bit stodgy when reheating.
However if you prefer to freeze complete meals, then you can freeze so long as you are okay with the texture of reheated pasta.
Sides for Chicken Arrabbiata Pasta
I always serve this with a mixed salad, you can opt for any salad items you like. My families favourites are:
- Crisp Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Red Onion
- Red Pepper
I like to season the salad with some salt and pepper and serve with our favourite low calorie dressing.
Green vegetables are another great option to pair with this to bulk out your plate. Items like:
- Tenderstem Broccoli
- Green Beans
- Asparagus
More Pasta Sauce Recipes
Looking for some other sauces for pasta? Check out these:
- Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Delicious Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce
- Tomato and Basil Sauce
- Roasted Tomato and Basil Sauce
- Homemade Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
- Creamy Garlic Pasta Sauce
or if you would like more recipe ideas - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes and can search by ingredients, course, diet and more.
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Recipe Card
Chicken Arrabbiata Pasta
Chicken Arrabbiata Pasta - the perfect pasta dish for those who like a little bit of heat. Homemade delicious rich tomato sauce with tender seasoned chicken breast pieces all stirred into pasta.
Ingredients
- low calorie cooking spray
- 400g (14oz) of skinless chicken breast, diced
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 400g (14oz) of fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 400g (14oz) of passata
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (puree)
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you don't like too spicy)* can also use a pinch of red chilli flakes
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
- freshly ground salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 300g (10.5oz) uncooked pasta (I used Casarecce)
Instructions
- Spray a frying pan over a medium high heat with low calorie spray
- Add the diced chicken breast, season with salt and black pepper and fry until golden, remove and set aside.
- Add the olive oil and garlic and fry for a few minutes until softened.
- Add in the fresh tomatoes and cook until they start to break down into a sauce, then add the passata, paste (puree), chilli, basil, parsley and sugar and season well with freshly ground salt and black pepper
- Add back in the chicken and any juices, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and is almost silky in appearance.
- In the meantime cook pasta until al dente (reserve 100ml of the cooked pasta water)
- Add the pasta into the sauce with the reserved pasta water and stir until all coated in the sauce.
- Serve and enjoy just as it is or add a little freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 455Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 110mgSodium 732mgCarbohydrates 63gFiber 4gSugar 10gProtein 46g
Nutritional information, syn values, points etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
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