Chicken and chorizo pasta recipe

This chicken and chorizo pasta is one of our favourite weeknight meals. Quick and simple to put together but it feels like a big treat every time.

When you want to eat quickly this is a great recipe to have in your repertoire. The combination of spicy, piquant chorizo with chicken and the sweet tinned cherry tomatoes is so full of flavour, it makes for a really satisfying meal. Plus the smell of the frying chorizo will make everyone's mouth water. And apart from a couple of store cupboard staples (pasta, herbs and grated Parmesan), that's all you need to put it together. The whole thing doesn't take much longer to make than it takes to boil the pasta to go in it. As with all pasta dishes, you can use any shapes you like, but chunky ones like penne, rigatoni or conchiglie shells, which you can skewer with a fork, all go especially well here.

Ingredients

• 3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 400g pasta
• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• 100g cooking chorizo, sliced
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• Basil, finely chopped
• Parmesan, grated

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chorizo for 5 mins.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the chorizo and fry for another 5 mins.
4. Add the tomatoes and basil to the chicken and chorizo. Simmer for 5 mins.
5. Drain the pasta and toss in the sauce. Serve with grated parmesan.

Watch how to make our chicken and chorizo pasta

Top tip for making chicken and chorizo pasta

Try using pancetta or chopped streaky bacon instead of chorizo – the smoky, salty flavour will work wonders with the chicken and rich tomato sauce.

What is cooking chorizo?

Cooking chorizo is different from regular chorizo. Normally chorizo comes in a long, firm sausage, usually bent in half. It's cured, and it's ready to eat. Cooking chorizo is softer and often comes in smaller, unbent sausages. It must be cooked before eating as it contains raw meat. 

Can I use normal chorizo in this recipe?

Yes - you can cook with normal chorizo. It will not soften as much as cooking chorizo but you will get a lovely chewy texture with a crisp outside and a really intense flavour. You will need to remove the outer skin of cured chorizo before cooking with it. The thinly sliced, pre-packaged chorizo will not work well in this recipe as the slices are too fine and will crisp up too much. 

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