This Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper Pasta is simple enough for a midweek meal! An easy pasta recipe that's perfect for the whole family and delicious enough for guests.
Succulent juicy grilled chicken, served with a rich, sweet, smoky roasted pepper cream sauce pasta. You can roast your own peppers or buy them in a jar!
The sweet, smoky taste of roasted bell peppers mixed with a little heavy cream makes a rich and creamy sauce that is truly packed with flavor.
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Roasting Bell Peppers
Roasting bell peppers brings out their flavor - making them tender, smoky and sweet!
You can either roast your own or buy them ready roasted in a jar.
There are many ways to roast bell peppers, but one of the easiest is to place cut halves under the broiler (grill). This is safer and cleaner than using the gas burner on your hob and gives far more sweet smoky flavor than using the oven.
The peppers will take about 8-10 minutes under the broiler to get really charred. Once charred, transfer them to a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap. This will encourage the skins to loosen, making it easier to remove.
Once they have cooled, gently rub away the charred skin. Don't be tempted to wash the skins off. This will wash away the lovely sweetness and the hint of smoke, leaving you with a bland sauce.
This sauce can be made with red, yellow or orange bell peppers. We don't recommend green bell peppers for this as they do not roast to yield a super sweet flesh. The resulting pepper is a bitter and doesn't work in this Roasted Pepper Cream Sauce.
Another chicken breast recipe!
You know me! Chicken breasts are always on the shopping list! They are inexpensive, have little waste and quick to cook! But you could substitute chicken thighs in the recipe. They will need extra cooking so give them 10 minutes in the pan before you start the pasta.
To ensure your chicken breasts stay juicy and tender, we suggest flattening the chicken breasts before you cook them. This ensures they cook evenly, and it also keeps the cooking time low, meaning the chicken stays moist.
To do this place the chicken on a chopping board and cover with a piece of baking paper or clingfilm. Then use the flat side of a meat mallet (or a heavy rolling pin) to flatten the chicken until it is about ½″ thick.
You could also fillet the chicken breasts, which is a technique I use a lot on Sprinkles and Sprouts! Check out this Creamy Mushroom Chicken to read more about this approach!
Serving Suggestions:
Side: This grilled chicken pasta dish is packed with rich yet creamy flavors, so a simple side salad of arugula and parmesan works well here. The peppery leaves balance the sweet sauce, and the flash of green looks fabulous next to the bright red roasted pepper cream sauce.
Wine: The roasted pepper cream sauce is perfect for serving with red or white wine. For those that prefer white wine, add a crisp, juicy Vera Vinho Verde or a sparkling prosecco, this balances the rich creamy and smoky flavors in the sauce.
For the red lovers, fruity red wines like a Sangiovese will pull out the sweet, smoky pepper without overpowering the creaminess of the sauce.
Enjoy x
For more delicious chicken pasta recipes try:
- Creamy Tomato Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi with Spinach
- Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Chili Pasta
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta
- Garlic Butter Pasta with Garlic Chicken
- See ALL 80+ pasta recipes
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Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
For the roasted pepper cream sauce
- 1 jar roasted peppers, 12oz/330g jar - see note 1
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the chicken and pasta
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz long pasta
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
To make the sauce
- Slice the bell peppers into rough pieces. Then peel and slice the garlic.
1 jar roasted peppers (12oz/330g jars)
2 garlic cloves - In a skillet, heat up the extra virgin olive oil and then cook the garlic and bell peppers for 2-3 minutes.
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - Place the mixture in a blender, cover the lid with a tea towel and then puree.
- Add in the heavy cream and puree until you have a thick sauce.
1 cup heavy cream
Set aside while you make the pasta and chicken.
- Place the chicken on a chopping board and cover with a piece of baking paper or clingfilm.
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts - Use the flat side of a meat mallet (or a heavy rolling pin) to flatten the chicken until it is about ½" thick.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper - Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based skillet.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - Once it is hot, cook the chicken over high heat for 2-3 minutes on one side and then flip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until it is just cooked through. Remove from the heat and tent with foil to keep warm.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pan of water to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, salt it and add the spaghetti.
1 tablespoon salt
12oz/340g long pasta - Cook for 2 minutes less than the packet suggests.
- Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.
- Return the pasta to the pan along with the roasted red pepper sauce and ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer gently until the pasta is cooked al-dente. Add more pasta cooking water if the sauce starts to get too thick.
- Once the pasta and sauce are cooked, serve with the sliced grilled chicken.
Notes
- You can roast your own instead to do this you'll need 4 large red bell peppers.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Cut each bell pepper in half and remove the membrane and seeds.
- Place the bell peppers cut side down on a baking sheet and then grill under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened - about 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer the bell peppers to a bowl and cover them with cling wrap (or a damp tea towel)
- Let the peppers cool. Once cooled, gently rub away the charred skin. Don't wash it away, or you will lose the wonderful flavor.
- Once skinned, proceed with the recipe as written.
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