The perfect mid-week family dinner, this Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake has it all. Easy, filling, and packed with gorgeous flavours. A big win in our house!
I love pasta. Honestly, I could eat it all the time. I also love chicken and chorizo. Such a great combo.
So, this easy chicken and chorizo pasta bake recipe is, of course, a huge favourite,
Why I Love Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake
This recipe is actually one of the first I published. It’s been through a few updates. New photos and details have been added. But the recipe remains the same, and it remains super popular because:
- Chicken and chorizo pasta bake is awesome comfort food.
- It’s a cheesy chicken and chorizo pasta bake, and cheese is never bad.
- It’s quick, easy, and budget-friendly – perfect midweek meal boxes ticked!
- Nothing beats a leftover pasta bake sandwich for lunch the next day.
- There are plenty of veggies, and you can add a salad for extra nutrition.
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Ingredients For Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake
This chorizo and chicken pasta bake is super simple, and you don’t need anything fancy to make it. I use:
Pasta – I use white rigatoni usually. If you use brown pasta for a healthy chicken and chorizo pasta bake, you’ll need to cook in lightly salted water for a little longer.
Chorizo Sausage – Mild or spicy. Frying the chorizo first means that you don’t need any olive oil or other cooking oil because it releases lots of oils to cook everything else in.
Chicken Breasts
Garlic
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Chicken Stock
Chopped Tomatoes – for a simple pasta sauce.
Soft Cheese – I use a supermarket’s own full fat. Low fat tends to split a little when mixed into hot sauce. You can skip this entirely if you prefer. If you want a creamy taste without the cheese, you could make Chicken and chorizo pasta bake with double cream, just adding a splash to the tomato sauce mix before baking.
Tomato Puree
Oregano
Basil
Cherry Tomatoes – Either fresh or tinned are fine.
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
You’ll Also Need
I use a large cast-iron Dutch Oven, which is both flame and heatproof, so it is suitable for frying and baking.
If you have nothing suitable for use on the hob and in the oven, start by frying your ingredients in a large non-stick frying pan and transfer to an ovenproof dish to bake.
You’ll also need a chopping board and sharp knife to prepare your ingredients, a spatula, a cheese grater, and a large saucepan to prepare your pasta.
How Do You Make Chicken Pasta Bake – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but half the time, drain, rinse in cold water to stop it sticking and leave to one side.
Step Two
Fry the chorizo for 3 minutes in a flameproof dish or pan over medium heat so it releases oil to coat the pan.
Step Three
Add the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
Step Four
Add the chicken fry for 5 minutes until brown, stirring often.
Step Five
Tip in the garlic and pepper and stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
Step Six
Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, tomato puree and soft cheese and stir in.
Step Seven
Stir in basil and oregano and bring to a simmer.
Step Eight
Reduce the temperature and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little, stirring occasionally.
It doesn’t need to be super thick, just not watery. It should be able to stick to the pasta and not all run to the bottom of the pan but don’t simmer for that long that you haven’t got enough sauce left.
Step Nine
Add the pasta and cherry tomatoes and mix until evenly spread.
Step Ten
Top with grated parmesan cheese and mozzarella (transferring to an ovenproof dish first if necessary).
Step Eleven
Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) until the top is bubbling and golden.
Top Tips
- Precook the pasta for around half the time it says on the pack, so it finishes in the oven without going soggy.
- I bake my pasta in a large cast-iron dish, but any large ovenproof dish is fine. If you can’t use your dish on the hob, cook everything together in a large pan, then tip into an ovenproof dish and top with cheese to bake.
- Use a tube pasta with ridges so the creamy tomato sauce sticks and doesn’t slide off.
- Let your chicken chorizo pasta bake rest before serving. Yes, like it’s meat. This gives the sauce a chance to settle onto the pasta. If you lift it from the pan with a spoon while still piping hot, all the sauce will run down to the bottom of the pan.
- Use full-fat soft cheese. Low-fat dairy curdles and separates when you add it to a warm sauce. If you want a lower-fat pasta bake, skip the soft cheese and just top with parmesan.
Serving Suggestions
You can absolutely serve this pasta bake on its own. But it’s great with a side salad, extra boiled veggies like peas and corn, bread and butter or garlic bread.
Variations
You can add extra veggies, such as spinach and courgettes.
You can also change the pasta. Ridges work best, but anything will do.
Another variation is skipping the soft cheese if you prefer.
I typically use garlic puree because I’m a cheat. But you can use fresh cloves if you prefer. Just crush them. I also use dried oregano and basil for ease but feel free to use fresh or frozen.
There’s no cream in my baked chorizo pasta, but if you want a creamy chicken and chorizo pasta bake, you can add a splash either instead of or as well as the soft cheese.
Leftovers
If you’ve got any leftovers, you can reheat them the next day by placing them in an ovenproof dish or bowl, stirring so that the sauce isn’t all at the bottom and baking in the oven for about 30 minutes.
If your top is already a little crispy, you might want to cover it for 15 minutes to avoid burning or getting too hard.
So, bake covered for 15 minutes, remove and stir, add more cheese if you’d like, and return to the oven uncovered to bake for a further 15 minutes.
Storage
In a sealed tub, this Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake will last 2-3 days in the fridge.
Can You Freeze Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake?
Yes!
You could freeze either whole or in portions, or even freeze your leftovers for another time.
Leave to cool, place in an airtight tub, and freeze for up to two months.
Thaw gradually in the fridge, preferably overnight, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or microwave until the chicken is piping hot.
FAQ
Rigatoni is perfect for pasta bake. Spiral shapes like fusilli can be good, too. Something with shape or ridges is ideal because the sauce fills the gaps. Anything too smooth, and the sauce will just run off.
Yes, you part cook the pasta before making pasta bake.
This isn’t true of all recipes. If there’s plenty of liquid, the pasta will cook while the dish bakes. But in my recipes, I boil the pasta first.
I always cook my pasta following the packet instructions for half the time.
For white pasta, this is typically around 5-6 minutes. It finishes cooking as it bakes. Adjust this time based on how firm you like your pasta.
I add a cheap supermarket’s own soft cheese in the sauce to give my pasta bake a creamy flavour. Then, I add mozzarella and parmesan to the top because they melt together well and taste great.
You can change this up, though. Ricotta tastes really good in pasta bake sauce, and cheddar melts really well on the top.
I peel chorizo, yes.
Unlike a natural sausage cover, the “skin” is paper and can be quite tough. It is edible, so it’s fine if you don’t peel it.
Chicken Pasta Bake will last around 2-3 days in the fridge.
Other Recipes
Family Dinner Recipes are some of my favourite meals.
I love big, comforting family dinners like pasta bake.
If you like this Chorizo Chicken Pasta, you might also enjoy:
- Halloumi Pasta Bake
- Sausage Pasta Bake
- Leftover Roast Pork Pasta Bake
- Chicken and Leek Pasta Bake
- Salmon and Leek Pasta Bake
- Pizza Pasta Bake
- Chilli Pasta Bake
- Sausage and Bean Pasta Bake
- Spicy Chicken Pasta Bake
- Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
- Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake
Recipe Card
Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 250 g Rigatoni Pasta
- 200 g Chorizo (Peeled and sliced)
- 4 Chicken Breasts (Chopped)
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Puree (or two crushed cloves)
- 1 Red Onion (Diced)
- 1 Red Pepper (Deseeded and diced)
- 500 ml Chicken Stock
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes
- 100 g Soft Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Basil
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 25 g Parmesan cheese (Grated)
- 50 g Mozzarella (Grated)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but half the time, drain, rinse in cold water to stop it sticking and leave to one side.
- Fry the chorizo for 3 minutes in a flameproof dish or pan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chicken fry for 5 minutes until browned, stirring often.
- Tip in the garlic and pepper and stir.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, tomato puree and soft cheese and stir in.
- Stir in basil and oregano and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the temperature and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pasta and cherry tomatoes and mix until evenly spread.
- Top with grated parmesan and mozzarella (transferring to an ovenproof dish first if necessary).
- Bake at 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) for 30 minutes, until the top is bubbling and golden.
Video
Notes
- Rigatoni is great, but shells, penne, bows, and pretty much any other pasta would work well too.
- I use my cast iron Dutch Oven, which is suitable for use on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have anything like this, start in a large non-stick frying pan before transferring to an ovenproof dish to bake.
- I don’t preheat my oven. You can if you prefer.
- Read the post above for more tips and advice
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
I could just eat that. I absolutely love chorizo and the cheese on this looks so inviting! x
Chorizo is the best but I think!
Oooh yes please – I love chorizo with pasta and covered in cheese – it’s a winner for me!! Eb x
It’s all of the best things thrown together and baked!
This does sound good Donna – proper comfort food I can imagine!
That’s exactly what it is! Thanks
This sounds so good. It’s got so many things in that I love – chicken, cheese, chorizo and tomatoes! It really is perfect as a midweek meal.
Thank you, they’re some of my favourites!
This is great. Why is baked pasta so good?!!! Love the chorizo in it.
Thank you!
Looks wonderful!
Would skinless chicken thighs work with this dish?
I haven’t tried them personally, but I would say so. I love chicken thighs, and as long as there’s no skin or bones, and you chop them up I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know how it goes?