Spicy chicken and tomato arrabbiata
Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes, with this spicy chicken and tomato arrabbiata. It’s speedy and uncomplicated with a flavourful kick. Arrabbiata is a spicy Italian sauce and this dish uses tomato and chilli pasta sauce for a tasty meal with penne pasta.

Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 225g dried penne pasta
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 400g skinless chicken breast diced
- 500g tomato and chilli or arrabbiata pasta sauce
- ¼ cup capers
- Grated parmesan
- Handful fresh basil leaves
Method
- Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Meanwhile, bring a drizzle of oil to medium heat in a large casserole dish.
- Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes or until softened.
- Add diced chicken and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Pour over pasta sauce. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, stir through the drained pasta and capers. Garnish with parmesan and basil leaves. Serve and enjoy.
Tips
- Cook pasta in a large pot to allow it to cook properly. If you use too small of a pot, the water temperature drops too much when you add the pasta so it takes a long time to heat back up. This makes your pasta mushy and you'll often find it clumps together.
FAQs
- Why is it called arrabbiata sauce?
- The main ingredients to this sauce are garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes for spice. The word “arrabbiata” in Italian actually means “angry” – this refers to the spiciness you get from the red pepper! If you don't do well with spice, you can adjust the flavour to your liking.
- Does arrabbiata typically include chicken?
- Despite appearances, there's just one type of arrabbiata sauce in Italy and it doesn't include any kind of meat, just tomato, and a few other ingredients.
- Despite appearances, there's just one type of arrabbiata sauce in Italy and it doesn't include any kind of meat, just tomato, and a few other ingredients.