Curry chicken pasta may sound unusual, but simply curried thighs in a tomato sauce with mango chutney makes for a delicious and simple meal.
This dish is gloriously easy to make and takes around 10 minutes to prepare and just 20 minutes to cook.
Spicy Curried Chicken Penne
So many people love rules when it comes to cooking, but I'm not one of those people!
Pasta is one of my favourite ingredients to play around with, mainly because it is cheap and if you mess up, there is little harm done. Let's face it, it is a fairly neutral flavour, so it kinda works as a backdrop for everything.
I've got unusual dishes like my British-inspired chicken sage, and onion pasta, a fun BBQ chicken pasta, a quirky hot dog pasta with tomato sauce and mustard crumb, and a glorious miso butter pasta, which is a sideways glance at cacio e pepe.
This recipe plays with simple Indian flavours, curry chicken pasta in a spicy tomato sauce, sweetened with a little mango chutney. And as bonkers as that sounds, it tastes fantastic!
Unlike some of my curry recipes, this dish contains a relatively small selection of spices.
It relies on curry powder rather than a complex mix of spices. The only thing that you may not have in your cupboard is dried fenugreek, which is pretty widely available.
All of this will go from your fridge to your table in around 30 minutes, which includes the preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breast meat?
Yes, but it takes less time to cook than chicken thigh meat. As a result, the timings change a little.
I would cook the chicken and onion at stage 4 for 2-3 minutes, and add the pasta just before you add the tomato passata.
Can I use precooked chicken?
Yes, this is great, made with leftover chicken, or even better, leftover chicken tikka or tandoori chicken. You can even make it with store-bought, precooked Indian influenced chicken.
Again, the timings need to change significantly.
Make the sauce as per my instructions, just omit the chicken, but add the pasta to boiling water a minute or two after you have started cooking the onions.
Then add the chicken a minute or two before you drain the pasta.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this will be fine in the fridge for 2-3 days, and can be eaten cold as a pasta salad or warmed through. If you are reheating this dish, you will need to add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce a little.
Can I use tinned tomatoes instead of passata?
Yes, a small (200g or 7oz) tin of chopped tomatoes will work fine.
Serving Suggestions
I usually suggest a simple garlic baguette with many of my pasta dishes, and it would work just fine with this curry chicken penne recipe.
But, hey, we have broken loads of rules with this recipe, so why not keep going?
A tandoori-style naan bread slathered with garlic and coriander ghee would be superb; you could also do the same thing with chapatis!
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 25cm or 10" frying pan.
- 20cm or 8" saucepan.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Sieve or colander.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
Indian(ish) Curry Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g Chicken Thigh Meat 12oz
- 1 Small Red Onion 100g
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 2 teaspoon Mild Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 200 g Tomato Passata ¾ Cup
- ¼ teaspoon Salt Plus Extra to Boil the Pasta
- 2 tablespoon Mango Chutney
- 200 g Penne Pasta 7oz
- 1 teaspoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into a 1cm (just under ½") dice.
- Cut the red onion in half, peel it, and then cut it into a 5mm (¼") dice.
- Peel the garlic cloves and dice them as small as you can.
- Heat a 20cm or 8" frying pan over a medium-high heat, and when it is hot, add the ghee, followed by the diced chicken and red onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Now is a good time to bring the water for the pasta to a boil. I use a 20cm or 8" saucepan with 1½ teaspoons of salt.
- Add the garlic, curry powder, chilli powder and turmeric and toss to coat for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the tomato passata, add the mango chutney and salt, and give everything a stir. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer whilst you cook the pasta.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until al dente.
- When the pasta is ready, drain it and reserve a little of the cooking water. Crush the fenugreek leaves into the sauce, add the pasta and toss to coat, adding as much cooking water to form a silky sauce.
- Serve with fresh coriander.