Chicken arrabiata is a flavorful and rich pasta dish, combining an umami and spicy tomato sauce with juicy succulent chicken. This pasta dish is not only delicious but also incredibly easy to make, requiring just some simple cooking techniques and 20 minutes of your time!
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✅ Why Make This Recipe
Quick and easy to prepare – Chicken arrabiata doesn't require lengthy hours of simmering; it relies on essential cooking methods and fresh ingredients, allowing you to whip up this flavorful dish in under 30 minutes.
Spicy and flavorful – This dish has a deep umami flavor from the tomato sauce and has a slight kick from the spices, perfect for a flavorful and hearty meal.
Balanced and healthy – This pasta recipe has been modified to reduce calories through portion control and ingredient swaps, offering a healthy and nutritious take on this Italian classic.
💭 What is Chicken Arrabiata?
Chicken Arrabiata is an Italian dish that typically consists of chicken cooked with a spicy tomato-based sauce. The word "Arrabiata" in Italian means "angry" or "fiery," and it refers to the spiciness of the dish. The sauce is usually made with tomatoes, garlic, and red chili peppers, giving it a bold and spicy flavor.
🍎Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy
Chicken arrabiata is a great healthy pasta dish. A serving of this recipe is only 429 calories with 32 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat, and 55 grams of carbs.
Most of the calories in this dish come from the chicken and the pasta. The tomato sauce, which tastes very rich and flavorful, actually has minimal calories. There are additional techniques used in this recipe to enhance the flavor of the sauce without adding any calories.
Here’s what I did to make this healthy:
- Portion the chicken – I used 6 ounces of chicken thigh, which gives a sizeable amount of lean protein
- Portion the pasta – I used 52 grams of dried pasta for a portioned amount of carbs, which is only 180 calories.
- Omitted usage of oil – Utilized cooking spray to sauté the vegetables and aromatics to minimize calories from fats
- Sauce techniques –I meticulously slow-cooked the sauce, coaxing out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes to create a rich, roasted tomato sauce.
For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this chicken arrabiata recipe, you may refer to the table below:
📋 Ingredient Notes
To make the chicken arrabiata, you’ll need the following key ingredients:
- Boneless chicken thigh – I prefer to use boneless chicken thigh as it is juicy but still packed with protein, and easy to work with (no deboning necessary). You can also use breast if desired, but it won't be quite as juicy.
- High-quality Canned Tomato – San Marzano tomatoes reign supreme here and you can surely taste the difference in quality. Given the sauce is the main flavor component of this dish, I would highly recommend investing in a good quality can of tomato.
- Spices – Oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper to flavor the chicken.
- Calabrian Chili – Italian chilies that can be bought in most grocery stores or specialty grocery stores. You can also substitute red pepper flakes for a subtler spice or Thai chilis for a stronger spice.
- Parmesan Cheese – Gives the sauce a touch of creaminess.
- Pasta – Choose your favorite pasta variety to accompany the chicken and tomato sauce. The best shape for this sauce would be something long and wide, such as bucatini, or tagliatelle, or something short with ridges, such as penne or rigatoni. These shapes have ridges and surface areas to carry the sauce well.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
Make without chicken or shrimp – You can also make this recipe without chicken and substitute with some mushrooms and/or some shrimp.
Chili substitutes – Red pepper flakes are a great substitute that is more commonly found in the average household. You can also opt to use Thai chilis if you prefer a stronger, more fiery spice.
Switch up the herbs – You can garnish with chopped parsley or basil to add a touch of freshness.
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
Prep the Ingredients – Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic and onion.
Season the chicken – In a small bowl, combine the chicken with paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix together thoroughly.
Cook the pasta – In a pot of salted boiling water, cook your pasta according to the time on the package directions, subtracting a minute (we will finish the pasta in sauce).
Cook the chicken – Head a stainless steel pan to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces in a single layer on the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes each side.
Add the aromatics – After you turn the chicken pieces to the second side, add the chopped garlic, onion, and chili. Cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant, being sure to stir the ingredients to prevent the ingredients from burning.
Simmer the canned tomatoes – Add the canned tomatoes to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have been cooked down so that they are easily burst with a wooden spoon.
Add the pasta and adjust the sauce – Save the pasta water before straining the pasta. Add the pasta into the sauce and mix thoroughly, adjusting the sauce with pasta water as needed. Add in the cheese and sugar and mix thoroughly.
Garnish and serve – Plate the dish and garnish with chopped parsley, more red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy your delicious chicken arrabiata!
💭 Recipe FAQs
For this sauce, I would recommend using either a long and wide pasta shape, or a short pasta with ridges. If you prefer long pata shapes, feel free to pair this with a longer ribbon shape like papparadelle or tagiatelle. I would avoid long, thin shapes as they will not be able to hold the sauce as well.
To prepare this dish in advance, pre-make the sauce and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is a great sauce to make and use throughout the week.
You can also opt to pre-cook the chicken and mix it in with the sauce and pasta when cooking.
💭 Expert Tips
Save the pasta water – To help adjust the sauce to your desired consistency, save the pasta water and mix in as needed while you’re mixing the pasta and sauce.
Season the chicken liberally – To achieve a flavorful and delicious browning on the chicken, be sure to season the chicken liberally and mix the spices evenly on the chicken pieces.
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🍳 Recipe
Chicken Arrabiata
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 52 g Dried Pasta
- 4 oz Chicken thigh
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano
Sauce
- 1 cup High Quality Canned Tomato (Ideally San Marzano Tomato)
- 1 clove Garlic
- ¼ Shallot
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian Chili
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
- Parsley (For garnish)
Instructions
- Prep the Ingredients – Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic and onion.
- Season the chicken – In a small bowl, combine the chicken with paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix together thoroughly.
- Cook the pasta – In a pot of salted boiling water, cook your pasta according to the time on the package directions, subtracting a minute (we will finish the pasta in sauce).
- Cook the chicken – Head a stainless steel pan to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces in a single layer on the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes each side.
- Add the aromatics – After you turn the chicken pieces to the second side, add the chopped garlic, onion, and chili. Cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant, being sure to stir the ingredients to prevent the ingredients from burning.
- Simmer the canned tomatoes – Add the canned tomatoes to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have been cooked down so that they are easily burst with a wooden spoon.
- Add the pasta and adjust the sauce – Save the pasta water before straining the pasta. Add the pasta into the sauce and mix thoroughly, adjusting the sauce with pasta water as needed. Add in the cheese and sugar and mix thoroughly.
- Garnish and serve – Plate the dish and garnish with chopped parsley, more red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy your delicious chicken arrabiata!
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