This Easy Creamy Tomato Chicken and Chorizo Pasta takes under 30 minutes to cook! And is sure to be a hit with the whole family.
With juicy chicken and flavor-packed chorizo sausage, this creamy pasta recipe has so much flavor whilst still delivering a creamy and comforting yet simple dinner.
We like this with penne pasta, but you can use any pasta shape you like here. Serve it with some garlic bread, a side salad and dinner is done!

We do love pasta! And this Creamy Tomato Chicken and Chorizo Pasta is a family favorite! Mostly because it is packed full of flavor!!! The key is a good Chorizo sausage. It adds so much to the simple sauce!!
A delicious family dinner, that cooks in under 30 minutes and is guaranteed to be enjoyed by even the pickiest eaters.
The base of the sauce is a simple can of tomatoes, this is layered with flavor from some bell peppers, onions, and Italian herbs.
If you have it, a little hint of smoked paprika helps to enhance the smoky chorizo and some sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
Ingredient Notes
These notes are there to help make this recipe a success, it covers some but not all ingredients, for a full ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Chorizo: There are two types of chorizo - Mexican and Spanish. Both will work in this dish. I usually make this dish with the firm cured Spanish chorizo, you'll find it with the pre-packed hams and lunch meat. But if you can only find the soft Mexican sausage kind then go ahead and use that in this dish, it will work well too!
Bell Peppers: You can use any color of peppers (capsicums) you like here. We prefer the sweeter red and yellow varieties. But add green if you like.
Onions: You can use red, white or brown onions for this dish.
Canned Tomatoes: For this sauce it is best to use crushed or chopped tomatoes. They meld into a sauce better than the whole tomatoes. If you have canned peeled whole tomatoes then crush them with your hands before you add them to the pan.
Sugar: you can use brown, white or castor sugar.
Salt: Please salt your pasta water well. But for the sauce, taste it before you add any salt, chorizo sausage varies in salt content so yours could be more/less salty than mine.
Cream: I use a heavy cream/whipping cream/thickened cream here as I don't want the acidity of the tomatoes to split the cream. You can replace it with half and half or milk but there is a chance that your sauce will look slightly split. This won't affect the taste but it will affect the appearance and thickness.
Pasta: We use penne but rigatoni, spirals, ziti, spaghetti or linguine will work. Just use whatever is in the cupboard.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you, have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
- Depending on what type of chorizo you buy can either slice or crumble the chorizo. Both work fine.
- Don't drain the oil that comes out of the chorizo, it helps to cook the vegetables and also adds flavor to the dish.
- If you don't have an electric kettle, put the pasta water on to boil when you start making the sauce, as it will take a while to come to a boil.
- Before you drain the pasta, reserve a cup of the cooking water. This can be used to thin the sauce if it gets too thick, without diluting the flavor.
- The chicken is browned first, but it doesn't need to be cooked through as it will cook for another 10 minutes in the sauce.
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Recipe Adaptions/Substitutions
These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.
- Swap the meat: You can swap the chicken breast for chicken thighs, or for cubes of beef or pork tenderloin. They can be cooked in the same way as the chicken. Or try adding shrimp, these can be panfried in the chorizo oil and then removed from the pan and added back in when you add in the cream.
- Extra veg: Feel free to add to the veg or mix up what you add in. Hard vegetables like carrots and celery can be added with the onion. Softer vegetables like broccoli, mushrooms, peas or corn work well and can added 5 minutes before the sauce is cooked.
- Spice it up: Add some red pepper flakes or chopped chili to give the pasta a kick.
- Turn it into a bake by adding some cheese and breadcrumbs to the top and broiling it for 5 minutes.
- The sauce is delicious over rice, so leave out the pasta and cook some white or brown rice instead.
Serving Suggestions
Sides: As with nearly all the pasta recipes on my site (there are over 100!), I generally serve pasta with some sort of bread and a side salad. I may occasionally add a side of garlic green beans or roasted broccoli.
Wine: The smoky chorizo works well with a Rioja, which normally can't stand up to the acidity of tomatoes, but because they are mellowed by the addition of the cream, the rioja is well balanced here. Or a light Zinfandel.
Alternatively, add a Chenin Blanc, which is rich enough to carry the sauce, but fresh enough to balance the smoky notes. Interestingly a dry cider works too!
Enjoy x
For other great pasta recipes why not try:
If you make this Creamy Tomato Chicken Chorizo Pasta, don't forget to come back and comment. You can also tag me on social media.
Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Get the Recipe
Creamy Tomato Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 5.5 oz chorizo - see note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell peppers, chopped - see note 2
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped - see note 2
- 2 chicken breasts, cubed
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (14oz/400g)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika - optional
- 14 oz pasta - see note 3
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup fresh spinach
To serve
- parmesan
- flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Slice or crumble the chorizo.5.5 oz chorizo
- Heat the olive oil in large frying pan over high heat, add the chorizo and cook for 2 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the chopped onion and peppers and cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 onion, chopped1 red bell peppers, chopped1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- Add the chicken to the pan and stir around in the oil for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden. Add in the garlic and stir together until aromatic (less than 1 minute)2 chicken breasts, cubed4 cloves garlic, crushed
- Add the chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and smoked paprika (if using).1 can chopped tomatoes (14oz/400g)1 teaspoon Italian seasoning1 teaspoon sugar¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and then cook gently on the lowest heat while you cook the pasta.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the salt. Then add the pasta.1 tablespoon salt14 oz pasta
- Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Then reserve a cup of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta.
- Add the pasta to the tomato sauce mixture and pour in the heavy cream. Turn the heat to medium.1 cup heavy cream
- Stir everything together until well coated, thinning the sauce with pasta water as needed.
- Stir through the fresh spinach and allow to wilt. Serve immediately with parmesan and chopped parsley.1 cup fresh spinachparmesanflat-leaf parsley
Notes
- I usually make this dish with the firm cured Spanish chorizo, have a lookout for it at the grocery store, you'll find it with the prepacked hams and lunch meat. But if you can only find the soft Mexican sausage kind then go ahead and use that in this dish, it will work well too!
- You can use any color of peppers (capsicums) you like here. We prefer the sweeter red and yellow varieties. But add green if you like.
- You can use any pasta shape that your family likes here. Penne, rigatoni, spiralli, ziti, and pasta shells work well. Or pick a long pasta like spaghetti or linguine.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
M says
No idea why it isn't recommended to do the sauce first and puree. The meal has a first year out of home vibe about it. I'd recommend letting the chicken sit in lemon first to soften and cook the sauce first. Once the sauce (remove chirzo) is done, puree it so it's a creamy texture. Then cook chicken and add the chorizo back in. Also smoked paprika amount is dependent on the type of chorizo you get given it has paprika in it. I needed to add a fair amount.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
You do you.
Cooking is all about making a dinner that our families and ourselves love.
By all means puree the sauce, we prefer the chunks of onion and pepper, and the cream adds a lovey creamy finish. (this is why it isn't 'recommended' to dirty two more items by pureeing)
I add sugar to remove acidity from the tomatoes, as that is what my kids and I love so I would never want to soak our chicken in lemon juice. But again, it is your dinner and as I always say, adapt the recipe to suit your tastes.
As for being a 'first year out of home' meal, I don't see that as a bad thing, I loved cooking when I left home, recipes that I came up with then are still firm favourites today, and many of them are on the blog. I LOVE entertaining and spending my day preparing fancy food for a weekend meal with friends, but midweek when I have worked all day and the kids need dinner in between homework and extra curricular activities, I prefer easy meals that deliver on taste.
But it is your dinner and I am happy that you can take my recipe and adapt it to make something you love.
Cx
Rocky says
I just found this recipe, and the fact this is the top comment is wild. M literally showed they are a first year out of home cook…..I didn’t follow the steps of this recipe, because I feel like your proteins should be cooked first, removed and then the veggies and the sauce are cooked in the fond to develop flavors…..but saying you should just purée everything other then the proteins shows a lack of understanding in the cooking process, puréeing onions,peppers, and garlic will over power the beauty of this dish…..what’s the point of spending money on chicken and chorizo if every bite you only taste peppers and onions smh…..plus you loose almost all texture of the dish….constructive criticism is a great thing in the culinary world but this M person is a troll. This is a delicious recipe, if you follow the instructions or go out on your own, but M’s comment being the top one on this is ridiculous with how good the flavor profile of this is
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Hi Rocky,
Thank you for your comment, I am in agreement about the texture of the sauce. I pureed enough sauces when my kids were babies! I am happy to have some texture and substance to our food now!
The comment is top as they just get added in date order, so as more comments come in, M's comment will move lower down the page. It is a shame it has been top for so long as there are so many great comments on this recipe as it is a readers favourite.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Cx
EmerOShea says
Great recipe - truly well done
Claire McEwen says
Thank you 🙂
Cx
Lorna says
I loved this, so tasty 😋 I’m not keen on smoked paprika so used just paprika, and didn’t have cream so replaced with creme fraiche. Easy to scale down for just one portion - I wish I’d made 2 so I had some for tonight. However, had I done that I think there was a great danger of me scoffing both portions last night, I enjoyed it so much 😁
Thank you for a lovely recipe.