Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken

Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese

There’s nothing better than digging into a bite of twirly spaghetti with parmesan cheese and a rich meat sauce. This recipe can give you that exact experience! It’s a satisfying supper that’s perfect after a long day.

The tomato sauce is super flavorful, with chicken mince, hints of garlic, onion, assorted spices, and chicken stock. Instead of traditional bolognese sauce with beef or pork, this version is a satisfying chicken spaghetti! The ground chicken makes this dish so satisfying.

Why This Recipe Is A Must-Make!

• A fun twist on traditional bolognese! Put a twist on traditional ground beef Bolognese and make this easy chicken Bolognese instead!
• Perfect for meal prepping! This recipe is perfect for people who love to meal prep. You can make it on a Sunday and enjoy it for lunches or dinners on busy days! It makes plenty of servings, so you’ll have enough for a big bowl of pasta every time.
• This recipe is versatile. Serve this ground chicken Bolognese as a weeknight dinner, or dress it up and make it for a small dinner party! It is both simple and sophisticated, so it can work for either scenario.
• Easy to make: One of the best parts about this family favorite is how easily it comes together. This is a beginner-friendly recipe, so if you are new to making dinners from scratch, don’t worry! We have the steps broken down and some images to help you out. You don’t have to use too many stovetop burners at once, just one for the flavorful sauce and one for the pasta.

Ingredients Needed

This pasta recipe calls for simple ingredients. Pictured below is what you need for the sauce, except the baking soda and sugar (equally important ingredients which take the sauce to next level good by reducing the acidity of the tomatoes!)

And of course, you need some spaghetti with some shredded or grated parmesan for serving. Garnishing with fresh basil leaves is optional. but we highly recommend it as it makes a prettier presentation and the fresh basil adds flavor.

Here are some notes about the primary ingredients:

• Chicken: You will need ground chicken meat. We used ground chicken breasts, but you can use a ground chicken product with chicken thigh meat, too. The chicken really adds substance to the meal!
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic and mince it into fine pieces so that it evenly cooks and its flavor spreads throughout the sauce. Avoid using jarred pre-minced garlic because it can have a funky taste!
• Crushed Tomatoes: The crushed tomatoes add a bright flavor as well as some texture. It’s also easy since you can used canned.
• Spaghetti: You’ll need spaghetti noodles. The dish is incomplete without them! You can use classic spaghetti, thin spaghetti, or even whole wheat spaghetti.
• Spices and Herbs: There are a variety of seasonings here. Each plays a vital role! From the earthy bay leaves and savory chicken bouillon powder to a pinch of salt, all of the seasonings help give the dish a deeper flavor.

For this bolognese recipe, you’ll also need other ingredients like tomato paste, olive oil, and onions, so be sure to check out the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements!

Other ways

There are plenty of great ways to make slight variations of this healthy chicken Bolognese. This is the perfect recipe for experimentation! Here are some ideas:

• Minced Meats: Use a different meat if you prefer. For instance, you can use beef mince or pork mince instead. You could also use chicken sausage instead. This dish is just as satisfying with red meat.
• Lighter Version: Use leaner protein in this Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken, like lean ground chicken. You can also substitute half of the pasta with zucchini noodles! This will give you a leaner alternative that still has notable taste.
• Brown Rice: Want to really switch it up? Use rice instead of pasta!
• Vegetarian: If you wish, you can make a vegetarian mince to replace the ground chicken and bouillon powder. This way, the meal will be a plant-based friendly recipe! Or make the sauce with lentils instead of chicken.

Add diced tomatoes in addition to the crushed tomatoes if you want a chunkier, hearty red sauce.

Pantry notes

• Pasta Shape: Although we find that the best pasta for this recipe is spaghetti, you are more than welcome to get creative and use a pasta of choice. For example, bow ties, penne, or rigatoni pasta.
• Tomato Products: we don’t suggest using tomato puree instead of tomato paste because the paste has a thicker consistency and bolder flavor than puree. However, if you have some San Marzano tomatoes on hand, you can make your own tomato paste using our recipe. You can also use freshly crushed tomatoes in place of the canned crushed tomatoes for this Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken.
• Herbs: Aside from the fresh herbs, this recipe calls for some dried herbs (bay leaf and basil). However, you can use whatever you have on hand, like parsley, oregano, marjoram, or rosemary instead. Or even just an Italian seasoning blend. Italian herbs are a great match for this recipe!

Many traditional Bolognese sauces include dairy, such as evaporated milk, heavy cream, or whole milk. Our recipe is dairy-free, but feel free to replace a portion of the chicken stock with dairy if you want a creamier sauce.

How it comes together

Easy steps, great results! You’ll be surprised at how easy this recipe is to make!

Step 1: Heat up olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms and carrots.

Step 2: Add ground chicken and cook, breaking up the chicken until it is done.

Step 3: Add chicken stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, herbs and seasonings.

Step 4: Stir and simmer the sauce for a while.

Step 5: Add a tad bit of sugar and baking soda. Simmer on low heat until done.

Step 6: Cook spaghetti and serve with the sauce.

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Bolognese Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup chopped
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• ½ cup diced carrots
• 1 pound ground chicken, we used ground chicken breast
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
• 1¾ cups chicken stock, or broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon crushed pepper flakes, optional, for some heat
• 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda

Spaghetti

• 16 ounces spaghetti
• Grated parmesan for serving
• Fresh basil or minced parley for garnish, optional

Method

1. Add the olive oil to a pot set on medium-high heat. Heat the oil for 2 minutes until shimmering. Add the diced onions, minced garlic, diced mushrooms, and carrots. Sauté until the onions and mushrooms are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken to the pot and let it cook while breaking it it up with a wooden spoon until no raw chicken is visible.
3. Add the chicken stock/broth, tomato paste, tomato sauce, bay leaves, thyme, basil, salt, chicken bouillon powder, and black pepper. If you like, add crushed pepper flakes for some heat. Stir and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium and let it simmer covered while you cook the spaghetti. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Add the brown sugar and baking soda. This is an awesome trick that helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes. And no, you can't taste the sugar. Stir to combine and let it simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the package's instructions.
6. Serve the chicken Bolognese sauce over the cooked spaghetti or add the drained spaghetti to the Bolognese sauce and toss to combine.
7. Serve warm topped with grated parmesan, and garnished with basil leaves and minced parsley if desired.

Notes

We first tested this recipe without the carrots, mushrooms, sugar or baking soda but we felt like it was missing flavor depth and the tomatoes were too acidic. So we went back to the drawing board and this version is insanely good! The mushrooms add umami flavor. The carrots add texture, and a tad bit of sugar and baking soda reduces the acidity of the tomatoes. It’s a rich, red, velvety, meaty sauce that we are glad to share with family and friends. Please don’t skip these additions so you can replicate our results.

Traditionally, Bolognese sauce is tossed with the pasta before serving. If you would love to serve it that way, reserve a cup of pasta water, so if the spaghetti is dry, after tossing it with the sauce you can add some pasta water. Our personal preference, though, is to top the spaghetti with the sauce. It makes for a prettier presentation and the pasta doesn’t end up soft from sitting in the sauce. If you would like to toss the pasta with the sauce, we recommend you do so right before serving.