Transform your weeknight dinner routine with a dish that promises both wholesome goodness and irresistible flavor: **Healthy Chicken Bolognese**. This comforting Italian-inspired meal expertly marries tender spaghetti noodles with a rich, savory sauce crafted from vibrant tomatoes, aromatic herbs, exotic spices, and lean ground chicken. Forget the hours of simmering often associated with traditional bolognese; this remarkable recipe comes together in under 40 minutes, ensuring you can serve your family an incredible, crowd-pleasing chicken spaghetti sauce with minimal fuss.
This hearty red sauce is not just delicious; it’s remarkably filling, making it a perfect choice for satisfying appetites without the heaviness of traditional versions. Our ground chicken bolognese offers a fantastic balance, feeling substantial enough for a cozy weeknight dinner yet straightforward enough to prepare when entertaining guests. It captures all the authentic Italian flavor you crave, but with a healthier, leaner alternative to red meat, making it a smart choice for health-conscious diners. It’s a testament to how simple ingredient swaps can elevate a classic dish to new, nourishing heights.
If you’re a devoted fan of chicken and pasta pairings, you’ll also adore some of my other popular creations. Be sure to explore my White Chicken Lasagna Soup, the delightful Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups, or the indulgent Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff for more delicious inspiration.
Why You’ll Adore This Healthy Chicken Bolognese Recipe
Our Chicken Bolognese isn’t just another pasta dish; it’s a culinary triumph that offers compelling reasons to become a staple in your recipe collection:
- A Healthier Twist on a Classic: By thoughtfully swapping out traditional ground beef for lean ground chicken, this recipe immediately becomes lighter, lower in saturated fat, and significantly reduced in cholesterol. You get all the robust flavor and comforting texture of bolognese, but with a nutritional profile that aligns better with a healthy lifestyle. It’s a guilt-free indulgence that doesn’t compromise on taste, allowing you to enjoy a beloved dish more often.
- Explosive Flavor in Every Bite: Despite its quick preparation time, this sauce boasts an incredible depth of flavor that tastes as if it has been lovingly simmered for hours. This is thanks to a carefully selected blend of fresh herbs like thyme, dried oregano, and bay leaves, combined with the rich intensity of both crushed tomatoes and concentrated tomato paste. A touch of Worcestershire sauce adds an umami complexity, while a hint of brown sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes, creating a wonderfully full-bodied and harmonious taste experience.
- Perfect for Meal Prep and Entertaining: One of the many joys of this chicken bolognese is its make-ahead potential. The flavors actually meld and deepen beautifully on the second day, making it an ideal candidate for batch cooking. Prepare a large pot on the weekend, and you’ll have delicious, ready-to-reheat meals throughout the busy work week. It’s also a fantastic dish to serve guests, as its rich flavors impress, and you can prepare the sauce in advance, leaving you more time to enjoy your company. This sauce reheats like a dream, maintaining its texture and vibrant taste.
Essential Chicken Bolognese Ingredients
Crafting this flavorful chicken bolognese requires a collection of readily available ingredients, each playing a crucial role in building the sauce’s signature taste and texture:
- Olive Oil: The foundation of our sauté. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for a rich base, or any light, neutral-flavored oil you prefer for cooking. It helps to beautifully brown the aromatics and chicken.
- Aromatics: Freshly minced garlic and finely chopped yellow onion are indispensable. These provide the deep, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor base that is characteristic of any great Italian sauce. Their gentle sautéing extracts their essential oils, infusing the entire dish with warmth and complexity.
- Ground Chicken: The star protein of our healthier bolognese. Opt for lean ground chicken to keep the dish light. A mix of breast and thigh meat can offer more moisture and flavor compared to solely ground breast meat, ensuring your sauce remains succulent.
- Chicken Broth: This liquid gold adds essential moisture to the sauce, helping to create a smooth consistency while also contributing another layer of savory chicken flavor, complementing the ground chicken perfectly.
- Tomatoes: We use a powerful duo for maximum tomato richness: concentrated tomato paste deepens the color and intensifies the umami-rich tomato flavor, while crushed tomatoes provide the bulk and luscious texture of the sauce, forming its vibrant red foundation.
- Herbs & Spices: A fragrant blend of bay leaves, fresh thyme, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. These classic Italian herbs and spices are vital for imparting that authentic, aromatic depth to the sauce, making it taste like it’s been simmering all day.
- Worcestershire Sauce: A secret weapon for adding a profound savory, umami note to the sauce. It provides a subtle complexity that enhances the meatiness of the chicken without overpowering the other flavors. If unavailable, a dash of soy sauce makes a good substitute.
- Brown Sugar: Just a touch of brown sugar is used to round out the flavors. It subtly balances the natural acidity of the tomatoes, creating a harmonious sauce that is neither too tart nor too sweet. Feel free to adjust or omit based on your preference.
- Pasta: One pound of dried spaghetti is our recommended choice, offering the perfect canvas for the rich bolognese sauce. However, feel free to use your favorite pasta shape—whether it’s tagliatelle, rigatoni, or penne—cooked al dente according to package directions.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: A generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving is non-negotiable! Its nutty, salty, and slightly tangy flavor melts beautifully into the hot sauce, adding a luxurious finishing touch.
- Fresh Basil: For garnishing, fresh basil leaves provide a burst of vibrant color and a fresh, aromatic counterpoint to the rich sauce, elevating both the presentation and the flavor profile.
Crafting Your Delicious Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese
Follow these simple steps to bring this mouthwatering chicken bolognese to life in your kitchen:
- Step 1: Sauté the Aromatics. Begin by heating a sturdy Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the minced garlic and chopped yellow onion. Sauté gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and become translucent. Be careful not to brown or burn the garlic, as this can impart a bitter flavor. This step is crucial for building the flavor base of your sauce.
- Step 2: Cook the Ground Chicken. Add the ground chicken to the pot with the sautéed aromatics. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the chicken into small pieces. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is fully browned and has released its moisture. This browning process adds depth and flavor to the meat. If there’s an excessive amount of liquid or fat, you can carefully drain a portion of it, though lean ground chicken typically doesn’t produce much.
- Step 3: Simmer the Sauce. Pour in the chicken broth, then stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, fresh thyme sprig, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, dried oregano, black pepper, and salt. Give everything a good stir to combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it cook for 12-15 minutes. This simmering time allows all the flavors to meld beautifully and the sauce to thicken slightly, creating a rich and cohesive bolognese. Once simmered, keep the sauce warm aside while you prepare the pasta.
- Step 4: Prepare the Pasta. While the sauce simmers, cook one pound of spaghetti according to the package instructions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente – firm to the bite. Before draining, remember to reserve about a cup of the starchy pasta water; this will be useful for adjusting the sauce consistency later.
- Step 5: Combine and Serve. For the best results, transfer the cooked spaghetti directly into a wide pan or back into the Dutch oven with the prepared bolognese sauce. Toss the pasta vigorously with the sauce, ensuring every strand is coated. If the pasta appears too dry or the sauce too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. Once everything is perfectly combined, transfer the chicken spaghetti bolognese to individual serving bowls. Top generously with some extra sauce, a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a few fresh basil leaves for garnish. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Expert Tips for Your Best Chicken Bolognese Yet
Elevate your chicken spaghetti bolognese with these helpful tips and creative variations:
- Boost Your Veggies: For an even more nutritious and hearty sauce, consider adding finely diced carrots, celery, or sliced mushrooms along with the onions and garlic. They add additional flavor, texture, and vitamins.
- Pasta Perfection: While spaghetti is classic, this versatile sauce pairs beautifully with almost any pasta shape. Experiment with whole wheat pasta for extra fiber or gluten-free options to suit dietary needs. Penne, rigatoni, or fettuccine are all excellent choices.
- Creamy Indulgence: For an extra rich and luxurious finish, stir in a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half to the sauce just before serving. This adds a velvety texture and mellows the tomato’s acidity.
- The Magic of Pasta Water: Always reserve some starchy pasta water! If your sauce seems too thick after combining with the pasta, a tablespoon or two of this liquid can help loosen it up and create a silkier consistency, allowing the sauce to cling better to the noodles.
- Smoky Flavor Twist: For a delightful smoky dimension, substitute regular crushed tomatoes with fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. This adds a subtle depth that beautifully complements the chicken.
- Add a Touch of Heat: If you enjoy a little kick, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes with the other spices. Start with a quarter teaspoon and adjust to your preferred level of heat.
- Turkey Time: Ground turkey is an excellent alternative to ground chicken, offering a similar lean profile and a slightly different, yet equally delicious, flavor. Make sure to choose a ground turkey blend with some fat content for moisture.
- Choose Your Chicken Wisely: When buying ground chicken, opt for a blend of breast and thigh meat if available. This ensures a more moist and flavorful sauce than using only lean ground chicken breast, which can sometimes dry out during cooking.
- Utilize Leftover Chicken: This recipe is incredibly adaptable! If you have leftover shredded chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken, you can easily incorporate it. Simply skip the step of browning raw ground chicken and add the already cooked, shredded chicken directly to the sauce ingredients during the simmering stage. This makes for an even quicker meal.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Bolognese
Bolognese sauce is, at its heart, a rich and hearty meat-based tomato sauce. While traditionally crafted with beef, our recipe intelligently swaps this for lean ground chicken to create a healthier, yet equally satisfying, chicken spaghetti Bolognese. The thoughtful inclusion of sautéed garlic, onions, and a variety of seasonings ensures that this leaner version loses none of its classic, robust flavor.
Absolutely! This chicken spaghetti sauce is an ideal candidate for meal preppers. You can prepare the entire sauce in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. In fact, many believe the flavors deepen and improve overnight, making it a perfect make-ahead meal that tastes even better on day two. Simply reheat gently when you’re ready to serve over freshly cooked pasta.
While spaghetti noodles are a convenient and classic choice for many pasta recipes, this rich and hearty chicken bolognese sauce is incredibly versatile and pairs beautifully with a wide array of pasta shapes. Tagliatelle, with its broad, flat ribbons, is another traditional favorite for Bolognese as it holds the sauce wonderfully. Other excellent options include ziti, rigatoni, penne, or even fusilli. This robust sauce is also perfect for layering in baked dishes like lasagna, offering endless possibilities for your pasta night.
To store, allow the chicken bolognese sauce to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It can be safely kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, simply warm the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is heated through. For best results, serve the reheated sauce over freshly cooked pasta.
Yes, this chicken bolognese sauce freezes exceptionally well! For optimal results, we recommend freezing only the sauce, separate from any cooked pasta. Allow the sauce to cool completely, then transfer it into a freezer-safe, airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bags. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use, defrost the sauce overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat it gently in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until thoroughly warmed. Serve it with freshly prepared pasta for a quick and delicious meal.
This flavorful pasta dish is wonderfully complemented by a variety of side dishes. Consider pairing it with a crisp, fresh green salad, a vibrant Mozzarella Caprese Salad Recipe, or a hearty Brussels Sprouts Salad. And, of course, no pasta meal is complete without plenty of crusty bread for soaking up every last drop of that delicious sauce, especially our Homemade Roasted Garlic Bread.
Explore More Delicious Pasta Recipes
If you loved this Healthy Chicken Bolognese, you’ll surely enjoy these other fantastic pasta dishes from my kitchen:
- Pasta a la Puttanesca
- Easy Baked Spaghetti Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Spaghetti
- Baked Eggplant Pasta
- Chicken Scampi Pasta
I genuinely hope you find immense enjoyment in all the recipes I share, and this delectable Healthy Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese is certainly no exception. I encourage you to try it out, savor every bite, and if you love it as much as I do, please take a moment to rate it and share your delightful creations with friends and family!
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a star rating and comment below. Don’t forget to use my hashtag to share it with me on Instagram so I can see your wonderful recreations! Additionally, connect with me at Cookin’ With Mima on FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST for all my latest social posts, recipe updates, and culinary inspiration.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars from 4 votes
Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese
Healthy chicken Bolognese comes together quickly and will leave you feeling satisfied. This comforting meal pairs spaghetti noodles with a rich sauce made with tomatoes, herbs, spices and ground chicken and takes only minutes to prepare.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
For the Bolognese sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 pieces dried bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dried Oregano
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
For the spaghetti
- 1 lb dried spaghetti
- Water, to cook spaghetti
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, to serve
- Basil, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven with oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the ground chicken, break it up and cook for 3-5 minutes until the chicken releases the moisture.
- Stir in the chicken broth, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, oregano, black pepper and salt. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes until everything comes together and the sauce thickens a bit. Cover and keep the sauce aside.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
- To a wide pan, add the cooked spaghetti and toss them with the prepared sauce and a splash of pasta water (if the pasta looks dry).
- Once everything comes together, transfer the spaghetti to a serving bowl and top with some extra sauce. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and basil and serve.
Notes
- Bulk up the sauce by adding more veggies, including carrots, celery or mushrooms.
- Swap the spaghetti for your favorite pasta noodles, including whole wheat or gluten free pasta.
- For a rich finish, add a splash of heavy cream to the sauce just before serving.
- Reserve a bit of the pasta water to add to the sauce if it’s too thick.
- Try fire roasted tomatoes for a smoky flavor.
- Add crushed red pepper to give the sauce a bit of heat.
- You can also use ground turkey instead of ground chicken.
- Choose ground chicken that has a mixture of breast and thigh meat for more moisture rather than just ground chicken breast.
- You can make this with leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken. Skip the step of browning the meat and add the shredded chicken to the sauce ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 723kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 1091mg | Potassium: 1636mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 601IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 6mg
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