A lighter version of a classic, this chicken bolognese recipe is a healthy, hearty, and comforting dish perfect for a weeknight meal. Made with simple ingredients, this chicken bolognese is full of flavor and freezes wonderfully for another day.
Perfect with some pasta, zucchini noodles, garlic bread, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and more, this chicken bolognese recipe is a delicious addition to your monthly rotation. It's easy, hearty, and flavorful. Everyone will be reaching for a second serving.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with ground chicken instead of beef, this bolognese sauce is a lighter version of a classic. However, there's no need to worry about sacrificing flavor, you can always use ground chicken thigh meat instead of lean chicken meat to ensure the chicken bolognese still tastes rich.
- Leftovers hold up wonderfully and freeze well! You'll want to make extra to freeze for later or to enjoy throughout the week.
- It's pretty easy to make this flavorful meat sauce. Simply brown the chicken, set it aside, simmer the sauce, then combine it before serving it up! Easy peasy.
Ingredients You'll Need
- seasoning — to ensure this chicken bolognese is flavorful, we're working with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and pepper! It may seem like a lot, but it's worth it.
- oil — I use olive oil, but you can use your oil of choice, such as vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- chicken — you can use lean ground chicken or ground chicken thighs.
- onion — I use a yellow onion, but you can use sweet onion or even shallots.
- garlic — the more, the merrier when it comes to garlic!
- carrots — carrots add some extra sweetness and bulk up the sauce. You can also shred the carrots in a food processor to make them less noticeable in the sauce.
- tomatoes — this recipe calls for cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. You can also swap crushed tomatoes for passata sauce if that's what you have on hand.
- white wine vinegar — just a splash!
- bay leaves — don't skip the bay leaves as they add flavor and deepen the flavor of the sauce.
- brown sugar — you can use light or dark brown sugar to add a little sweetness and balance out the flavors.
- Worcestershire sauce — again, a splash will help deepen the flavors of this bolognese.
- to serve — serve with some cooked pasta or a side of your choice. Some basil leaves and shredded parmesan cheese make for a delicious garnish as well.
How To Make Chicken Bolognese
- Combine 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add the ground chicken to cook, breaking up the chicken into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Add the spices to the ground chicken and mix again.
- Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked through but not fully. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Without cleaning the pot, add the last tablespoon of olive oil and then add the onion and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and carrots. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for just under a minute, making sure everything is coated.
- Add the rest of the salt, crushed tomatoes, white wine vinegar, bay leaves, brown sugar, and Worcestershire to the pot and stir to combine.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground chicken back to the pot, stir, turn the heat down to low, and simmer uncovered for 1½ to 2 hours. Stir periodically to prevent the bottom from burning.
- Once thickened to your liking, remove the pot from heat and remove the bay leaves. Add more salt if needed.
- While the bolognese cooks, prepare pasta according to package instructions if you are serving it with pasta. Serve the bolognese over the pasta and top with parmesan and chopped basil.
Recipes Variations
- Make it as saucy as you'd like by adding more crushed tomato or chicken broth to the pot.
- Out of ground chicken? Try ground turkey!
- To make the bolognese more creamy, add ¾ cup of heavy cream or milk right at the end and then simmer for another 10 to 20 minutes. You'll end up with a richer and silkier bolognese.
- Add chopped mushrooms and sauté them with the ground chicken.
Tips and Notes
- Don't rush the simmering process. You need to give it time to simmer for the best flavor.
- A large heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven is ideal as it heats up evenly so the chicken bolognese will simmer evenly.
- Make sure to cook the tomato paste to remove any metal flavor from the can that it sometimes has. You can use tomato paste from a tube as well to prevent that.
Storage
- If you have leftovers, transfer the chicken bolognese into an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. You can reheat the sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave throughout the week for an easy weeknight dinner.
- To freeze the chicken bolognese, allow it to cool completely before placing it in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Chicken Bolognese
A lighter version of a classic, this chicken bolognese recipe is a healthy, hearty, and comforting dish perfect for a weeknight meal. Made with simple ingredients, this chicken bolognese is full of flavor and freezes wonderfully for another day.
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RateServings: 8 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt separated
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil separated
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 yellow onion minced
- 5 to 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ cups minced carrots
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
To Serve
- cooked pasta or side of choice
- fresh basil leaves
- shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add the ground chicken to cook, breaking up the chicken into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Add the spices to the ground chicken and mix again. Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked through but not fully. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Without cleaning the pot, add the last tablespoon of olive oil and then add the onion and ½ teaspoon of salt. Saute for 4-5 minutes, and then add the garlic and carrots. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for just under a minute, making sure everything is coated.
- Add the rest of the salt, crushed tomatoes, white wine vinegar, bay leaves, brown sugar, and Worcestershire to the pot and stir to combine.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground chicken back to the pot, stir, turn the heat down to low, and simmer uncovered for 1½ to 2 hours. Stir periodically to prevent the bottom from burning.
- Once thickened to your liking, remove the pot from heat and remove the bay leaves. Add more salt if needed.
- While the bolognese cooks, prepare pasta according to package instructions. Serve the bolognese over the pasta and top with parmesan and chopped basil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 740mg | Potassium: 808mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4321IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg
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More places to find me: @onepotonlyrecipes on Instagram and One Pot Only on Pinterest.
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