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Spicy chicken and tomato arrabbiata

  • Serves 4-5
  • Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins

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

  • 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

  1. Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Meanwhile, bring a drizzle of oil to medium heat in a large casserole dish.

  2. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes or until softened.

  3. Add diced chicken and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

  4. Pour over pasta sauce. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

  5. 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.