Chef John's Chicken Spaghetti

Rating: 4.47 stars
15 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 11
  • 4 star values: 2
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 1

No canned soups were harmed in the making of this chicken spaghetti recipe, which showcases a whole bird. Other than requiring a little time, this recipe is dead simple. Just be sure to undercook your pasta by at least a minute, since it'll finish cooking in hot sauce for a few more minutes. This is a critical step, and allows all those flavors to get sucked up by the still hydrating spaghetti. Garnish with a little more Pecorino Romano cheese and basil.

By Chef John

Gallery
3 more images

Recipe Summary

prep:
20 mins
cook:
2 hrs 5 mins
total:
2 hrs 25 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
8 servings
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

8
Original recipe yields 8 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Place chicken in a pot and pour marinara sauce on top. Add water and anchovies. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, without stirring, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

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  • Transfer chicken to a bowl using tongs. Let cool to the touch.

  • Meanwhile, bring sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, skimming off the fat from the surface, until sauce is reduced by at least half, 20 to 35 minutes.

  • Tear off chicken meat by hand and transfer to a bowl, breaking the pieces into your desired size.

  • Add the chicken, red pepper flakes, and salt to the reduced sauce. Cook and stir until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Keep on low heat while you cook the pasta.

  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water according to package instructions, reducing time by 1 minute, about 11 minutes. Drain and return to the pot; reduce heat to low.

  • Add the chicken sauce and Pecorino Romano to the pasta. Sprinkle in basil and add butter. Stir until butter melts, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add remaining Pecorino Romano cheese. Cover and let sit for 1 minute. Stir and serve.

Chef's Notes:

I cook only 4 ounces, or 1 portion, of pasta in the video, but this recipe makes enough sauce for 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of pasta.

If you want a thicker sauce, simply change the ratio of sauce to water when you start the recipe. You can also reduce it longer, but you knew that.

You can substitute chicken broth for the water and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the Pecorino Romano.

This is also a great make-ahead meal, as you can prep your sauce one day, and then assemble the finished dish at a later date.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
850 calories; protein 33.7g; carbohydrates 53.8g; fat 54.4g; cholesterol 105.5mg; sodium 1162.3mg. Full Nutrition
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Reviews (6)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful positive review

dat1guy
Rating: 5 stars
06/03/2019
This is soooo good. I've made it two times now and I just can't get enough. The chicken is so tender and just makes a really flavorful sauce. I like the sauce a bit thicker than Chef John demonstrated in his video, and so by the time I reduced it to the desired thickness, there wasn't much sauce left. So the second time I made it, I started with 2x 24 ounce jars of sauce and just 3 Cups of water. Gosh it is tasty. I highly recommend this. Read More
Helpful
(6)
15 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 11
  • 4 star values: 2
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 1
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
dat1guy
Rating: 5 stars
06/03/2019
This is soooo good. I've made it two times now and I just can't get enough. The chicken is so tender and just makes a really flavorful sauce. I like the sauce a bit thicker than Chef John demonstrated in his video, and so by the time I reduced it to the desired thickness, there wasn't much sauce left. So the second time I made it, I started with 2x 24 ounce jars of sauce and just 3 Cups of water. Gosh it is tasty. I highly recommend this. Read More
Helpful
(6)
asawvel
Rating: 5 stars
02/04/2019
Wonderful! I followed the recipe as written, and it turned out fabulous. I think it's even better the next day. The leftover sauce also freezes well. Read More
Helpful
(4)
davebruhl
Rating: 5 stars
02/27/2019
I followed the recipe exactly. I thought it was delicious, but my wife and children did not like it as much as I did. I think what threw them off is that they were expecting a traditional spaghetti sauce taste and this definitely has a much different taste than traditional spaghetti sauce. Anyway,I liked it and that’s what counts! Thanks Chef John! Read More
Helpful
(4)
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funco
Rating: 5 stars
10/19/2018
Chicken and spaghetti is my favorite combo. This recipe was 4 1/2 stars. I added 1 cup of wine during cooking time and reduced by 2/3 Read More
Helpful
(2)
Paisey
Rating: 4 stars
10/23/2019
The sauce was really tasty. My adult son really liked it. I'm not sure how I feel about poached chicken in spaghetti though. It tasted good, just seemed out of place. I only cooked the pasta 4 minutes because the sauce was still very loose even after an hour reducing, and I only used 1.5 jars of water and a 32 oz jar of marinara. Read More
Connie
Rating: 5 stars
12/24/2020
This was a wonderfully satisfying plate of pasta. Like some other reviewers I wanted my sauce a little thicker than in the video so I started with a larger amount of sauce and less water, and it turned out amazing. I did not use all the chicken but saved some for another use. The family loved it too. Read More
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