Creamy Chorizo Chicken Pasta Meal Prep
Chef Jack Ovens
Qualified Chef · 1.63M Subscribers
Updated September 2026
Chorizo gets rendered down first, so its fat becomes the base for searing the chicken and building the sauce, so no extra oil is needed anywhere in this one.
The pasta cooks separately from the sauce and gets folded in right at the end, which keeps it firmer through the week instead of turning mushy by day three.
It freezes well for up to 2 months, so it’s worth making a double batch if you’ve got the container space.
Creamy Chorizo Chicken Pasta Meal Prep
CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · EASY
Why You'll Love This Creamy Chorizo Chicken Pasta
Two Sears, One Pot, No Wasted Fat
Rendering the chorizo first means the chicken gets seared in real flavour instead of plain oil, and neither step needs its own pan.
The cream goes in early and simmers alongside the stock rather than getting stirred in at the very end, so it actually reduces into the sauce instead of sitting loose on top.
Keeping the pasta separate until the last step is what keeps this holding up as a meal prep. The sauce cooked directly with pasta tends to turn the noodles soft and gluggy by the third or fourth reheat.
Chorizo Chicken Pasta Meal Prep
Ingredients
Seasoned Chicken
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh, Boneless & Skinless Diced
- 12 g Smoked Paprika
- 1.5 g Dried Oregano
- Salt & Pepper
Pasta & Sauce
- 400 g Pasta of Choice
- 250 g Spanish Chorizo Diced
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Diced
- 45 g Tomato Paste
- 1 g Dried Oregano
- 6 g Smoked Paprika
- 500 ml Chicken Stock
- 150 ml Thickened Cream
- 150 g Baby Spinach Washed
- 30 g Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Method
- Season the diced chicken with the paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Heat a large, deep pan or pot over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until crisp and the fat has rendered out. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
- Sear the chicken in the rendered chorizo fat, in batches if needed, for 3-4 minutes until golden — it'll finish cooking later, so it doesn't need to be done through yet.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened, scraping up the browned bits from the base as you go.
- Stir in the tomato paste, oregano, paprika and pepper. Cook 1 minute until darkened and fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken stock and cream, and return the chorizo. Bring to a gentle simmer — not a hard boil, or the cream can split — and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir in the spinach for the last 2 minutes of the simmer, until just wilted.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta separately in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving a splash of the pasta water, if needed.
- Take the sauce off the heat and fold in the drained pasta and parsley, loosening with a splash of pasta water if it needs it. Season to taste with salt.
- Rest 5 minutes, then divide between the 5 x 750ml containers.
Private Notes
Chef's Tips
Rendering the chorizo first and searing the chicken in that fat builds two layers of flavour into the pot before the sauce even starts, with zero added oil.Keep it at a gentle simmer once the cream's in — a rolling boil is still what splits it; simmering time alone won't.Cooking the pasta separately keeps it firmer through 4 days of reheats — pasta cooked directly in sauce tends to go mushy by day 3.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating) — the cream sauce may lose a little of its original silkiness after freezing, but a good stir while reheating brings it back together. Reheat in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel, for 3- 4 minutes, stirring halfway, until steaming hot — add a splash of milk or stock if the sauce has thickened in the fridge.
Serving 500gCalories 814kcalCarbohydrates 71.8gProtein 64gFat 29gSaturated Fat 11.3gPolyunsaturated Fat 2.65gMonounsaturated Fat 3.73gTrans Fat 1.5gCholesterol 190.9mgSodium 828.4mgPotassium 1084.6mgFiber 4.3gSugar 8gVitamin A 238.9IUVitamin C 21.91mgCalcium 81.6mgIron 5.7mg
Common Questions
Why cook the pasta separately instead of in the sauce?
Pasta cooked directly in the sauce keeps absorbing liquid and softening even after it's done, which means it turns mushy by day three or four of reheats. Cooking it separately and folding it in at the end keeps it firmer for longer.
Can I use a different type of sausage instead of chorizo?
You can, though you'll lose the smokiness and the amount of fat it renders will vary. If you swap it out, add a little oil for searing the chicken if the sausage you use doesn't render much fat on its own.
Will the sauce split if I freeze it?
It can lose a little of its original silkiness once thawed, since cream-based sauces don't always come back perfectly smooth — but a good stir and a splash of milk or stock while reheating usually brings it back together fine.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh?
Yes, though breast cooks faster and dries out more easily than thigh. Sear it for slightly less time — 2-3 minutes instead of 3-4 — and only return it to the sauce for the last 5-6 minutes of the simmer rather than the full 8-10, so it doesn't overcook and turn tough.
MORE FROM JACKALL RECIPES →
