Roasted Balsamic Chicken Pasta
Published 12/13/2019 • Updated 8/23/2022
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This roasted balsamic chicken pasta is flavorful, packed with veggies, and ready in under an hour! Make it this perfect weeknight dinner for the family!
Easy Weeknight Meals
I’ll say it a thousand times, I love easy weeknight meals! Not just because I have a job where I cook all day, but because it is nice to have a meal that is delicious and that doesn’t take up your whole night.
This roasted balsamic chicken pasta is literally the perfect weeknight meal. It is balanced with protein, vegetables, and amazing flavor. There is nothing better than a pasta that has flavorful sauce that isn’t too heavy.
Let’s break this recipe down a bit!
Chicken Thighs for the Win
Why use chicken thighs? Because they are juicy, flavorful, and the best part of a chicken (in my humble opinion).
We use skin on chicken thighs and it is VERY important that you season the thighs before you sear them in the pot.
pro tip!
Before you sear the chicken, be sure that your pot is hot before adding the olive oil, add the olive oil, and let the olive oil heat until sizzling.
You want the skin of the chicken to crisp up quickly so you don’t over cook the chicken during the bake time!
Let it All Simmer
After you remove the chicken from the dutch oven, it’s time to cook all of the vegetables in the delicious chicken juice and flavors! This is an important step because it helps build the flavor base for what will be the pasta sauce!
Lastly, you will add all of the liquid for the pasta sauce to the pot and then drop the chicken thighs on top of all of the ingredients and bake it for 25-30 minutes. During the bake time the pasta sauce will cook down and the chicken thighs will tenderize to perfection!
Chicken Pasta 101
Can I use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs?
We do not recommend using any other cut of chicken in this recipe. Chicken breasts tend to get a bit dry with the sear and the longer cook time in the oven!
However, you can use bone-in chicken thighs or boneless chicken thighs for this chicken pasta!
Do I have to use asparagus and vegetables in this recipe?
You can use whatever vegetables you would like in this recipe except for root vegetables. Root vegetables would need a bit longer cook time for this recipe! Other vegetables you could use would be…
- Bell peppers
- Shallot
- Eggplant
- Green Beans
How would I make this a creamy pasta?
To make this a creamy pasta all you would have to do is add 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream to the dutch oven after everything is done baking! It seriously takes this dish up a notch if you’re looking for something a little more rich!
Does it matter what type of noodle I use?
No, it does not matter what type of noodle you use! Use whatever noodle you have on hand!
How do I store this balsamic roasted chicken pasta?
This pasta will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator as long as you store it in an air tight container!
Roasted Balsamic Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bone-in chicken thighs, ~4 large
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. asparagus, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 15 sprigs thyme, tied into a bundle
- 8 oz. dry pasta, any kind (we used linguini)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 shaved parmesan, or more to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF.
- Generously season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Then, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until fragrant. Brown chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes on each side and then remove from dutch oven.
- Turn heat down to medium and add onions and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and asparagus and mix all vegetables together.
- Then, add in red wine, balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, and stir. Add in the bundle of thyme and turn off heat.
- Place the chicken thighs back into the dutch oven on top of the veggies. Place lid on top of the dutch oven and bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is 165ºF.
- While the chicken and the vegetables are baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until pasta is al dente. Strain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Remove Dutch oven from oven and remove chicken thighs, placing them onto a cutting board.
- Add three tablespoons of heavy cream to the sauce/veggies and mix well. Then, add cooked pasta to the pot. Stir well and cover.
- Remove bones from chicken thighs and using 2 forks, shred the chicken into large chunks. Add chicken back into the pasta dish and mix again.
- Serve with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Loved this one. Great for a different spin on pasta that isn’t all cream (though I love those too)
I don’t own a Dutch oven so I had to play with the recipe a bit on the stovetop. Overall, this tastes great and I love all the flavors. However, the wet ingredients almost made it a soupy texture and I ended up mixing everything together. Although I should’ve let the liquid simmer for a bit!
Question. In the intro you said you used skin on thighs. The recipe doesn’t say that and instead of whole thighs as the photo shows, the directions say to shred the chicken. The skin on thighs would be difficult as the skin doesn’t shred. Are you sure you haven’t confused two different recipes here?
Hi! We did use skin-on thighs because the skin adds so much great flavor. You can eat the pasta however you want…shredded or whole thighs!