Ground Chicken Pasta
This Ground Chicken Pasta recipe is made with a wholesome homemade red sauce; served on pasta with a few grates of fresh Parmesan cheese! It’s delicious served with a house salad and hot crunchy bread. The leftovers are fantastic!
We love making a hearty red sauce with ground chicken, for an easy weeknight meal. Cooking from scratch takes a little more time, but a homemade sauce is so much better than buying it from a jar. Often I find myself with a pound or two of ground chicken (or ground turkey, which this recipe works well with, too), so this recipe is my favorite way to use it. It’s also a great dish to make for company. Everyone loves pasta!
The longer the sauce sits, the better, as is with any sauce cooked with garlic, onion, and fennel. YUM.
What seasoning should I put on ground chicken?
Oh my, check out the recipe below, but for this rich red sauce, we’ve added ground fennel, oregano, and many more of our favorite spices. Basically what you put on ground turkey or beef, you can also add to ground chicken.
It also makes for the BEST leftovers—and did you know you can double the recipe and freeze this sauce? This is a great tip, because you are always ready for company. Especially if you keep extra pasta stocked in the pantry. [Or, you’re a ground turkey lover? Try this popular Healthy Ground Turkey Puttanesca!]
❤️ Why you’ll love Ground Chicken Pasta
- Family-friendly meal that both toddlers and adults will love.
- Can be made gluten or dairy free (use GF pasta)
- Perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
- Use your favorite pasta noodles.
Ingredients for Red Sauce with Ground Chicken (Pasta)
- Meat: Ground chicken
- Herbs & spices: Fennel seeds, fresh ground pepper + kosher salt, fresh rosemary + dried oregano, fresh bay leaves, fresh basil
- Pasta: We used Tagliatelle Nest Pasta (but you can use your favorite)
- Pantry: Olive oil, tomato paste, white wine, chicken or vegetable broth, tomato puree, diced tomatoes,
- Veggies: Carrots + celery + onions + garlic
- Dairy: Parmesan + the rind (optional)
How do you make ground chicken pasta?
- Mix together the crushed fennel seeds, pepper, salt, rosemary, and oregano. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high. When shimmery, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and season with salt. Sauté until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook—the tomato paste should lightly brown, caramelize, and become fragrant.
- Add half of your chicken in a single layer and sprinkle with half of the herbed seasoning mixture, then add the remaining chicken and seasoning—this is done in layers to ensure the meat is evenly seasoned. Use a spatula to break up the meat and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by about half.
- Cook the pasta: Make your pasta during the last 15 minutes or so of the sauce reducing. Cook your pasta el dente according to package directions (I recommend setting your time 2-3 minutes earlier than instructed, to ensure you don’t overcook the noodles). A few minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add about 1/2 cup of the starchy water to the sauce; stir in.
- If you’re serving the whole batch of sauce, use a handheld strainer to transfer the pasta directly into it.
- Toss the noodles in the sauce for about 5 minutes before plating and serving hot with shaven Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Tips and substitutions:
- The sauce is great for meal prep, because it stores great in the freezer; simply pull it out to defrost in the morning, so that all you’ll have to do is make the pasta and maybe a salad! So easy. So flavorful.
- Substitute the chicken for any ground meat—turkey, beef, pork, or a mix.
- Use any pasta you have on hand (however, I’d stay away from extra-small varieties). Tagliatelle pasta is a wonderful choice, but any pasta will do.
- If you’re serving the whole batch of sauce, use a handheld strainer to transfer the pasta directly into it.
- If you’re looking for a quick red sauce, grab my 5-Ingredient Pasta Sauce recipe.
This is just cozy-great for any meal this holiday season! An easy meal to make–one the whole family will love!
Storage
Refrigerate any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days! Or, you can freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 month.
More red sauce recipes:
Get the Recipe:
Ground Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced, divided
- 2 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 pound Tagliatelle Nest Pasta, we used Dellalo
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 large carrots, sliced, about 2 cups
- 2 large stalks celery, about 2 cups
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2-3 fresh bay leaves, or 4 dried
- 2 Parmesan rind, optional
- Parmesan to serve
- Fresh basil to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the crushed fennel seeds, pepper, salt, rosemary, and oregano. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and season with salt. Sauté for 10-12 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 4-6 more minutes—the tomato paste should lightly brown, caramelize, and become fragrant.
- Add half of the ground chicken in a single layer and sprinkle with half of the herbed seasoning mixture, then add the remaining chicken and seasoning—this is done in layers to ensure the meat is evenly seasoned. Use a spatula to break up the meat and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 10-15 minutes or so, until reduced by about half—about 45 minutes.
Cook pasta:
- Cook the pasta during the last 15 minutes or so of the sauce reducing; al dente according to package directions (I recommend setting your time 2-3 minutes earlier than instructed, to ensure you don’t overcook the noodles). A few minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add about ½ cup of the starchy water to the sauce; stir in.
- If you’re serving the whole batch of sauce, use a handheld strainer to transfer the pasta directly into it. If you’re reserving some sauce to freeze, transfer into storage containers before adding the pasta to the pot.
- Toss the noodles in the sauce for about 5 minutes before plating and serving hot with shaven Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
This recipe is delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for posting