Name: Chorizo and Chicken Pasta Bake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500g Pasta (I used a mix of Fusilli Pugliesi Tris and Tricolore fusilli in these photos); 140g dry-cured spicy Spanish chorizo sausage; 2 chicken breasts; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 large garlic cloves; 50g salted butter; 3 tbsp plain flour; 1000 ml milk; 160g grated strong cheddar cheese; 1 tsp nutmeg; 3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs; Grated parmesan

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Chorizo and Chicken Pasta Bake

This easy recipe shows you how to make a chorizo and chicken pasta bake in a creamy cheese sauce.

chickien chorizo tray bake — Ready to add the sauce

This chicken and chorizo bake is a great meal to make upfront that you can just heat up in the oven when you want to eat. Any leftovers can also be kept in the fridge and heated up in the microwave the next day.

Chorizo is a type of sausage that originated in Spain and is now popular in many parts of the world. It is made from ground pork, seasoned with smoked paprika and other spices. It typically has a deep red colour and a slightly spicy flavour.

Chicken and pasta bake ingredients

This easy recipe uses some spicy chorizo from Aldi, some chicken breasts and a creamy cheese sauce made with some strong cheddar cheese. It is covered with a thin layer of breadcrumbs and some grated parmesan cheese to give it a nice crispy top layer.

You can of course vary your recipe by using different types of cheese, chorizo or pasta.

I have a recipe for just a chorizo pasta bake which uses a mixture of Gruyère and cheddar cheese and some spinach, which is also good, but a bit different.

So you can also use shredded mozzarella or even Gouda if you prefer. Different cheeses will just give a different end result, so use what you like or have available.

In these photos, I used a mix of different kinds of pasta that I had left over (250g Fusilli Pugliesi Tris and 250g Tricolore fusilli). But you can use whatever you have available. Penne, ziti, rigatoni, farfalle – I do not think it matters very much. The tri-colour just adds a bit more colour to the dish.

I used some spicy chorizo in this recipe and I cooked the chicken breast separately. But if you have some leftover chicken from a Sunday roast or a BBQ chicken, feel free to use that instead.

At the end of this post, you will find some links to other pasta recipes and pasta bakes that we like as a family.

chicken and chorizo pasta bake — Chorizo and chicken pasta bake

Chicken chorizo pasta

I think the combination of chicken, chorizo, pasta together with the creamy sauce makes for a perfect combination of tastes, and this recipe is certainly a winner in our family. I shall be making this more often I expect. The girls loved it.

I hope you try and make this recipe for yourself. If you do, please let me know how you get on in the comments section below.

How to make chicken and chorizo pasta bake

Yield: 5

Chorizo and Chicken Pasta Bake

This recipe for a chorizo and chicken pasta bake gives you a creamy cheesy pasta dish with plenty of taste.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

500g Pasta (I used a mix of Fusilli Pugliesi Tris and Tricolore fusilli in these photos)
140g dry-cured spicy Spanish chorizo sausage
2 chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Creamy Sauce

2 large garlic cloves
50g salted butter
3 tbsp plain flour
1000 ml milk
160g grated strong cheddar cheese
1 tsp nutmeg

To garnish

3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
Grated parmesan

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Season the chicken breasts and cook in the oven for 30 minutes, until cooked. (I use a stainless steel baking tray with rack for this). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
When cooled chop the chicken into bite sized pieces.
While chicken is cooking, boil a pan of water for the pasta. Cook the pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes less than the time recommended on the packet. Then drain the in a colander and rinse it with cold water under a tap to stop it cooking further. Leave it to drain.
While boiling the pasta, finely chop the garlic and slice the chorizo into slices. Then put the chorizo with the pasta into your baking dish.
Now make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the diced garlic. Cook for two minutes, then add the flour and cook for a further minute on medium heat. Then slowly add the milk, bit by bit, stirring as you go, until the sauce begins to thicken.
Then add the cheddar cheese and melt it into the sauce. Add the nutmeg to the sauce and then taste and season with black pepper to suit.
Then add the chicken pieces to your pasta and chorizo and mix well. Cover the pasta with the sauce and mix. The top layer of pasta should be just uncovered with sauce.
Then sprinkle the top thinly with the breadcrumbs and some grated parmesan. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.
When ready to eat, pre-heat the oven to 180C and cook in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top has browned nicely with a crispy layer.

Notes

Serve on its own, or accompany with a nice crisp green salad.

Chorizo and Chicken Pasta Bake