Looking for a delicious and easy dinner? Try our Spicy Chicken Pasta Bake recipe, packed with bold flavours and ready in no time. Perfect for busy weeknights!
I sometimes think of pasta bake as comfort food, but while a great big bowl of pasta is always going to be comforting, actually with lots of veggies, a tomato-based sauce, a little spice and absolutely loads of colour, it’s quite a summery meal too.
I love this spicy chicken pasta bake.
It’s basically a variation of my chicken and chorizo pasta, which is also delicious.
But because there’s no stock you don’t have to thicken the sauce, and it’s a super quick family dinner!
*This post may contain affiliate links to products I find useful when making this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Why I Love Pasta Bakes
Pasta bakes, for me, are the perfect family dinner because:
- They are quick, easy, and cheap!
- You can easily change up the ingredients.
- Pasta bake sandwiches – yes, please!!
- Pasta bakes are delicious!
Ingredients for Spicy Chicken Pasta Bake
This recipe for spicy chicken pasta bake is super simple, and you don’t need tons of ingredients. I use:
Cooking Spray – Or olive oil/another cooking oil
Chicken Breasts
Salt and Pepper
Red Onion
Garlic
Bell Peppers
Tinned Tomatoes
Soft Cheese – Something like Philadelphia (you might know it as cream cheese), I use a cheap supermarket’s own brand, but I do recommend full fat which is less likely to split when heated. A splash of cream is another option. You could skip it entirely, this isn’t a creamy pasta bake, but I find a touch of dairy brings the flavours together well.
Chilli Flakes – A tablespoon of ground chilli, a teaspoon of red chilli puree or easy chilli, a diced fresh red chilli, or a combination of these things is fine too. Use what you’ve got.
Paprika
Rigatoni
Cheddar
Mozzarella
Can You Add Other Veg?
Yes. I keep it simple with peppers and onions. But you could add diced courgette, cherry tomatoes, fresh chilli and spinach to this spicy pasta bake.
Can You Add Chorizo?
Yes. I love pasta bake with chorizo.
I wanted this recipe to be super quick, easy and cheap, so I haven’t, but the flavour would work really well.
Just slice your chorizo and fry it for a few minutes before adding the onions.
Can You Make a Chicken Thigh Pasta Bake?
Yep, I love boneless skinless chicken thighs and often use them in place of chicken breasts.
Can You Change the Cheese?
Yes. The combination of cheddar and mozzarella works well. It looks and tastes great, and they both grate really easily.
You could just use one or add parmesan. Any cheese that grates and melts easily would be fine on top of this spicy pasta bake with chicken.
Can You Use Different Pasta for Pasta Bake?
I really like rigatoni for pasta bake. It’s nice and chunky, and the ridges mean that the sauce sticks really well, instead of just sinking to the bottom of the pan.
But really, you can make pasta bake with any pasta. Even basic penne pasta bake is great.
I also particularly like shells, so all the sauce fills them up. Delicious!
Whatever pasta you choose, cook it to around half of the time it says on the pack before draining and adding it to your sauce to bake.
How to Make Spicy Chicken Pasta Bake – Step-by-Step
You can get full quantities and easy-to-follow instructions at the bottom of this post. But here are some step-by-step instructions with more details and photos.
Step One
Dice the chicken, onions and peppers, and prepare the garlic.
Grate the cheese if you need to.
Step Two
Cook the pasta to the packet instructions, but for half of the time.
Drain, and rinse in cold water, to stop it from cooking further, and sticking together. Leave to one side until you are ready for it.
Step Three
Heat a little cooking spray or oil in a large non-stick flameproof pan, over medium heat.
I use my cast-iron Dutch oven because you can use it on the hob at the start, and then bake your pasta bake in the oven in it later.
If you don’t have a casserole dish like this, use something else that’s both flameproof and heatproof, or start the recipe on the hob in a large pan, before transferring it to an ovenproof dish when you are ready to bake.
Step Three
Add the diced chicken to the pan, season with salt and pepper and fry for a few minutes until browned.
Remove from the pan and set to the side.
Step Four
In the same pan, fry the onions until soft. You can add a little more oil or spray if you need to.
Step Five
Add the garlic and fry until you can smell it. Keep stirring regularly throughout.
Step Six
Add the peppers and stir for a few minutes, until it looks a little juicy.
Step Seven
Return the chicken to the pan and stir.
Step Eight
Add the tinned tomatoes, soft cheese, chilli flakes and paprika. Stir well until the colour is even.
Step Nine
Bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step Ten
Remove from the heat and stir in the partially cooked pasta.
Step Eleven
Add the grated cheese. I’ve said 100g of each, but it depends on how thick a cheesy layer you want. You need a good covering, but you can use more or less to suit your tastes.
Step Twelve
Bake for around 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown, and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.
Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Top Tips for the Perfect Pasta Bake
Pasta bake isn’t a hard dish to make. But there are a few things that you can do to make sure it’s perfect every time.
- Cook the pasta for half of the time. Any less and it might be too firm, any more and it’ll be mushy.
- Use a pasta with ridges, or some shape, so that the sauce sticks.
- For this particular recipe, taste the sauce before adding the pasta. If you want it spicier, add more chilli!
- Make sure your cheese covers the top well (or at least that it will once it melts) this effectively forms a lid and helps your pasta to bake.
- Don’t serve straight away. If you lift part out while it’s bubbling, all the sauce will rush to the bottom. Give it 5 minutes or so to settle before digging in.
Other Pasta Recipes You Might Enjoy
If you like this easy pasta bake you might also want to try:
- Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
- Fajita Pasta
- Chicken and Halloumi Pasta
- Pasta Bake with Chicken and Broccoli
- Prawn and Chorizo Pasta
- Spicy Sausage Pasta
- Halloumi Pasta Bake
- Sausage and Baked Bean Pasta Bake
- Pizza Pasta Bake
- Chilli Pasta Bake
Spicy Chicken Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 250 g Rigatoni Pasta
- Cooking Spray (or oil)
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 1 Red Onion (Finely Diced)
- 4 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
- 2 Peppers (Diced. I use red and orange, but any will do)
- 2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons Soft Cheese
- Pinch Chilli Flakes
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 100 g Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
- 100 g Mozzarella Cheese (Grated)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to the packet instructions, but for half of the time.
- Drain, rinse in cold water and leave to one side.
- Heat a little cooking spray or oil in a large flameproof and heatproof dish (I use my cast iron Dutch oven)
- Add the diced chicken to the pan, season with salt and pepper and fry for a few minutes until browned.
- Remove from the pan and set to the side.
- In the same pan, fry the onions for 5 mins until soft, stirring often. (you can add more oil if needed)
- Add the garlic and fry for 2 more minutes, stirring often.
- Add the peppers and stir for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Return the chicken to the pan and stir.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, soft cheese, chilli flakes and paprika. Stir well until the colour is even.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the pasta.
- Add the grated cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden, and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.
- Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- See the post above for more tips and advice.
- If you don’t have a pan that’s suitable for use on the hob and in the oven, start this recipe in a large frying pan, before transferring it to a casserole dish and stirring through the pasta and baking.
- Taste the sauce carefully before adding the pasta and add more soft cheese or chilli to taste.
- You can add a splash of cream instead of soft cheese if you prefer.
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.
It’s very different from a “traditional” pasta dish. I cooked this dish at about 375 F for approximately 25-30 minutes; I probably should have baked it in 20-25 minutes, reduced the recipe to 2 chicken breasts, or added more tomatoes and cream cheese. Overall, this is a much healthier version of a pasta dish, and we like it!