This creamy, spicy chicken pasta is absolutely bursting with flavor and decadence. With delicious seasonings like sun dried tomatoes, hot sauce, and herbs and spices, and rich ingredients like heavy cream and parmesan cheese, this chicken pasta dish is one you'll devouring!
We like spicy in our house. I counted, and there are currently 13 hot sauces open and in the rotation.
We don't shy away from heat and are always looking to add a little "kick" to our meals with a dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes. Or both. Creamy Gochujang Pasta is an example of this.
This spicy creamy pasta recipe has chicken marinated in hot sauce and other spices and then red pepper flakes added to the pasta sauce itself. It's definitely not overly spicy, I made sure to keep ingredient measurements on the mild to medium end. But behind each bite there is a bit of heat that really adds to the dish.
If you are a spicy food lover like we are, feel free to add more hot sauce to the marinade, more red pepper flakes to the sauce, or even use extra as a condiment at the end!
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Looking for a fancy pasta with steak? Try a reader favorite, Olive Garden Copycat Steak Gorgonzola. Want a spicy pasta dish without meat? Try Gigi Hadid Pasta or Spicy Fusilli Arrabiata. For a spicy pasta dish with shrimp, check out Jerk Shrimp Pasta.
Ingredient Notes
Spicy Chicken Marinade
- boneless skinless chicken breasts (chicken thighs would great too)
- olive oil
- hot sauce (your choice! I used Gindo's Truffle Parmesan)
- paprika
- italian seasoning
- garlic powder
- salt
- black pepper
creamy, spicy sauce
- butter
- linguine pasta (or shape of choice)
- sliced sundried tomatoes
- heavy cream
- chicken stock
- red chilli flakes
- yellow onion or shallot
- fresh garlic
- tomato paste
- fresh basil
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
For full ingredient notes, see recipe card below.
Variations and Substitutions
- You can substitute in cream cheese for the heavy cream if you would like. Cream cheese is obviously thicker so you may want to add additional stock or reserved pasta water.
- Substitute some or all of the chicken stock for a quality white wine.
- Instead of chicken, try shrimp!
- Add a tsp. of cajun seasoning (like Old Bay) to the pasta sauce to make this Cajun Chicken Pasta.
How to make spicy chicken pasta
Step 1. Measure out ingredients. While preparing the sauce, cook pasta according to packaging instructions, remembering to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the noodles.
Step 2. In a small bowl, combine oil, hot sauce, paprika, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Step 3. Stir well.
Step 4. Cut chicken breasts into 1-2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Pour spicy marinade over top and stir to coat. Place in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
Step 5. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp. of butter. Add chicken pieces and pan fry until cooked through. Place cooked chicken on a plate to the side.
Step 6. To the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, add remaining 1 tbsp. of butter. Add diced onions, minced garlic, and sundried tomatoes. Cook until fragrant, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Step 7. Add tomato paste to the pan.
Step 8. Stir to caramelize, around 1-2 minutes.
Step 9. Deglaze pan with chicken stock and simmer for 2 minutes.
Step 10. Add heavy cream, along with parmesan, chopped basil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 1 minute until the sauce comes together.
Step 11. Add parmesan, chopped basil, and red pepper flakes.
Step 12. Simmer for 1 minute until the sauce comes together.
Step 13. Add cooked pasta and cooked chicken pieces to the pan and stir to bring everything together.
Step 14. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of pasta water a little at a time to thin out the dish.
Recipe Tip
Before you drain the pasta, reserve a cup of the pasta water in a glass or pyrex measuring cup to the side. You may want to add something to the finished sauce to thin it out a bit if it gets too thick and pasta water works beautifully.
How to serve
This chicken pasta dish isn't hard to make, but it does take some time and has a decent amount of ingredients. I like to keep any sides simple and easy.
- a slice of garlic bread
- a caesar salad
- a simple rocca salad (arugula)
Recipe FAQs
Chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees fahrenheit to be considered safe to eat. Invest in a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature at the thickest part.
If you find your sauce is too spicy you can add a little bit of sugar to mellow it out or more cream. You can also double the recipe, omitting the spicy elements, to dilute the heat.
Yes. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are a great alternative here and cook up in a similar time frame. They are very juicy and flavorful.
More chicken pasta dishes
Looking for something a little special for date night or the holidays? These pasta dishes are sure to impress!
If you tried this Spicy Chicken Pasta or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.
Spicy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Spicy chicken marinade
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. hot sauce
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. salt.
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Pasta Sauce
- 2 tbsp. butter
- ½ lb. linguine pasta or shape of choice
- ¼ cup sliced sundried tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ small onion or 1 large shallot (diced)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine oil, hot sauce, paprika, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cut chicken breasts into 1-2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Pour spicy marinade over top and stir to coat. Place in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp. of butter. Add chicken pieces and pan fry until cooked through. Place cooked chicken on a plate to the side.
- While preparing the sauce, cook pasta according to packaging instructions, remembering to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the noodles.
- To the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, add remaining 1 tbsp. of butter. Add diced onions, minced garlic, and sundried tomatoes. Cook until fragrant, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste to the pan and stir to caramelize, around 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze pan with chicken stock and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream, along with parmesan, chopped basil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 1 minute until the sauce comes together.
- Add cooked pasta and cooked chicken pieces to the pan and stir to bring everything together. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of pasta water a little at a time to thin out the dish.
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