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About This Ground Chicken Recipe
Out of all the possible dishes to make with ground chicken, this creamy pasta sauce with al dente short noodles is my favorite.
Ground chicken meat, also known as chicken mince outside the United States, is very lean and eagerly absorbs the luxurious texture and tongue coating richness of heavy cream. It also takes on the spices and seasonings added to the cream and in result a delicious pasta sauce develops.
To that sauce you can add a variety of pre-cooked pasta - both short noodles and long noodles. They get coated in the suave texture of the sauce and absorb some of the moisture. At the same time the delicious ground chicken bits remain to accompany each bite of pasta with lean meat texture.
Why Use Heavy Cream with Ground Chicken?
Heavy cream has the perfect consistency for a creamy sauce of any kind - it is stable because of its high fat content, thick, and rich in flavor. It does not break. You will not need to add flour to thicken it or butter to stabilize it as would be the case with using milk or half and half.
But better than all that, it truly imbibes the lean mince and gives it depth. Whatever flavors are imparted onto the heavy cream become infused into each morsel of ground chicken.
Consider our collection of Cream Sauces for future meal ideas.
Ingredients
The ingredient line-up for this ground chicken cream sauce is simple, yet impactful. Round up (in order of appearance):
Olive oil. Regular, second pressing olive oil is fine. You can also use extra virgin for deeper taste.
Fresh garlic cloves. Mince them so they can release their unique aroma into the oil and subsequently into the sauce and the ground chicken.
Ground chicken meat. Completely thawed, if any juices were released, pour them out of the tray package before you begin cooking.
Seasonings. Red pepper flakes for an almost imperceptible touch of heat, onion powder for subdued savoriness and kosher salt and black pepper for balance.
Heavy cream. Do not substitute with half and half for reasons explained above.
Dry aged cheese. To infuse the cream with savory umami and a touch of saltiness. My favorite is Pecorino because it is stronger and bolder, but most people would be perfectly happy with Parmesan. You can garnish the finished chicken pasta with the same cheese.
Fresh parsley. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped, creates an herbal lift as a garnish.
TIP: If you are grinding your own chicken, use a combination of mostly breast meat and some dark meat because chicken breast alone is too dry.
How to Make Ground Chicken Creamy Pasta - Demonstrational Video
The recipe card has detailed step-by-step instructions and image captures from the video. Watch the whole video to see the process in action.
Basically, to make this recipe you will flavor and then sear the ground chicken until it is cooked (nicely browned), and then add the heavy cream and grated dry cheese to create the sauce. Finally, you will fold in the pre-cooked pasta of your choice.
Choice of Cookware
I recommend that you use a deep frying pan with a large base (about 12 inch) as you see me use in the video. It is adequately sized for the two pounds of ground chicken the recipe calls for in terms of surface area to allow even browning and not steaming.
Additionally, it is deep enough to hold the pasta once it joins the cream sauce and allows plenty of room to comfortably stir in the noodles.
If you do not have such a pan handy use a braiser or a Dutch oven (or similar pot).
Choice of Pasta
The brightly yellow colored pasta you see in the pictures is lemon torchietti. I love using it because the lemon essence is just enough to contribute bright notes to the whole dish but remains quiet against the deeper flavors of the sauce. In other words, it partners with and does not fight the chicken cream sauce.
Other pastas that work well here are:
- short noodles like gemelli, penne, fussili
- long noodles like fettuccine, taliagtelle, pappardelle
Serve
Serve the creamy ground chicken pasta topped with finely chopped fresh parsley and a generous dusting of grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.
If you are feeling indulgent add a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the heap of pasta - I like the robust herbal notes it brings at the last minute.
Storage and Reheating
This chicken pasta dish is best enjoyed as soon as it is made. In the event that you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator once the pasta has cooled down.
To reheat ground chicken pasta leftovers place them in a small sauce pan, add a splash of cream or a bit of water and olive oil and warm up over medium heat stove. Gently stir to reconstitute the sauce and make the morsels of ground chicken comfortable again.
You Might Enjoy
Spinach Cream Sauce | Mexican Chorizo Cream Sauce | Garlic Cream Sauce | Cream of Mushroom Soup Pork Chops | Lemon Cream Sauce
Recipe
Creamy Ground Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- 1 deep frying pan, 12 inch diameter is ideal, to cook the ground chicken sauce and hold the added pasta
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 colander
Ingredients
Ground Chicken Creamy Sauce
- 2 lbs ground chicken meat (chicken mince)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 tsp onion powder
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream*
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese or Pecorino, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
Al Dente Pasta
- 1 lbs pasta (short or long noodles)*
- ½ tablespoon olive oil, optional, if you make pasta in advance
Instructions
Ground Chicken Creamy Sauce
- Over medium-high heat add the olive oil to the pan and when shimmering saute the minced garlic just until fragrant.
- Immediately add the ground chicken and begin to break it up with a wooden spoon. Season with the red pepper flakes, onion powder, kosher salt and black pepper. Mix well and consider breaking up the chicken further with a potato masher or continue with the wooden spoon. Allow it to brown.
- In about 2 minutes or when the chicken is nicely browned, add the heavy cream and the grated Parmesan or Pecorino. Stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low.
- Allow the creamy ground chicken sauce to simmer for about 2-3 minutes so it can thicken.
- Add the al dente pasta and stir to coat well in the sauce.
- Garnish with parsley and some more grated cheese and serve.
Al Dente Pasta
- Cook the pasta of your choice according to the package instructions.**
Jim D
This looks terrific. I have never enjoyed packaged ground chicken.
Do you ever grind your own? Could use some dark meat too.
Milena Perrine
Jim, yes, often times I buy a large quantity of chicken breast and boneless thighs from Costco, freeze them just so that the meat is easy to cut and pass through the meat grinder, and after about 30 minutes of work I end up with several portions of ground chicken I have actually seen before it was ground:) I freeze them in portions of 2 pounds. Our grocery store also offers a grind service - you can pick a boneless leg of lamb etc, and they will grind it for you behind the meat counter. Sometimes I ask them to grind me a combination of chicken breast and thighs I pull out from the display coolers.
Jim D
Hey, that's a great idea. Because I do not have a grinder I have to use a butcher's knife to chop it into a mince. Having it ground would give much better consistency. It's Winn Dixie here in Jacksonville, Fl, let me try them, they are always helpful. And, I love freezing meats, usually buy at a good price. Thanks again. As far as lamb, I really don't care for it. I cook it for my Irish wife but I eat something else. Like a nice pork chop.