Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken
Spaghetti with rich, red, velvety, meaty sauce is what dinner dreams are made of! You'll love this Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken, a 40-minute dinner anyone can make. Serve alongside your favorite salad and some garlic bread!
Servings: 6 servings
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 I 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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the package's instructions.
- Serve the chicken Bolognese sauce over the cooked spaghetti or add the drained spaghetti to the Bolognese sauce and toss to combine.
- Serve warm topped with grated parmesan, and garnished with basil leaves and minced parsley if desired.
Notes
- I first tested this recipe without the carrots, mushrooms, sugar or baking soda but I felt like it was missing flavor depth and the tomatoes were too acidic. So I 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 I am glad to share with family and friends. Please don't skip these additions so you can replicate my 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. My 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, I recommend you do so right before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 717mg | Potassium: 1220mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 2227IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 4mg