Chicken Bolognese
This chicken bolognese is quick, easy and packed full of flavor. This is a perfect midweek dinner that is hearty and comforting and will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. This recipe is modeled after the traditional beef bolognese. I used chicken mince instead of beef, and no endless simmering is required, making it an ideal dinner for a busy night.
Try my quick spaghetti bolognese and gnocchi bolognese recipes next
Why you will love this recipe
It is quick and easy.
Hearty, thick and delicious bolognese sauce.
Easily adaptable: You can swap the chicken for turkey, pork or beef mince.
Everything cooks in one pan. You can even cook the pasta with the bolognese sauce to make it a one-pan wonder like this rigatoni bolognese. Easy peasy dinner!
What you will need
Chicken mince (ground chicken)
Olive oil
Tomato paste: Use this for the umami and richness for the sauce.
Chopped tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
Celery
Carrot
Sugar: This is optional, but I would like to add it to help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Worcester sauce
Chicken stock cube: Since this is a quick recipe, I added it to add extra flavor to the sauce since it will not be simmered for a long time like the traditional bolognese.
Bay leaves
Fresh basil
Grated pecorino or parmesan cheese to serve
Salt and black pepper to taste
Spaghetti to serve
How to make chicken bolognese
Saute the mirepoix: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
Add chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes to cook off the tomato taste.
Cook the chicken mince: Add it to the sautéed vegetables and break it up with a spoon. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
Make the sauce: Add chopped tomatoes (Rinse out the can with 1/4 cup of water and add to the pan). Add Worcester sauce, sugar, and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, crumble the chicken stock cube over it, and stir everything to combine. Add a stalk of basil leaves (or as many as you prefer) to the sauce, stir in 1/2 cup of water and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes until it reduces in size and thickens slightly.
Lastly, stir in grated pecorino or parmesan cheese until melted. Take the pan off the heat and serve the chicken bolognese over portioned bowls of hot spaghetti. Enjoy it with a side of everyday salad or garlic bread.
Watch how to make it
Tips
- If you have an extra ten minutes and you eat pork, you can also add pancetta or bacon to the pan and cook it before the mirepoix for added flavor.
- You can easily double this recipe if you are feeding a crowd or want to have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. Adjust the quantity of the ingredients accordingly using the X slider on the recipe card below.
- This chicken bolognese sauce freezes well, so feel free to make a big batch and portion in your freezer for future quick dinners. It can be frozen for up to 3 months or even longer.
How to store
Bolognese sauce will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Add the sauce as a filling for quesadillas. It is so good, you should try it.
Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More ground meat recipes
Chicken Bolognese
Ingredients
- 500 g Chicken mince ground chicken
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes
- 1 large Onion finely chopped about 1 cup
- 4 Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 Celery stalk finely diced
- 1 small Carrot grated
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1½ Tablespoons Worcester sauce
- 1 Chicken stock cube
- 2 Bay leaves
- Fresh basil to serve
- ½ cup Grated pecorino or parmesan cheese to serve
- Salt and black pepper
- Cooked Spaghetti to serve
Instructions
- Saute the mirepoix: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes to cook off the tomato taste.
- Cook the chicken mince: Add it to the softened veggies and break it up with a spoon. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Make the sauce: Add chopped tomatoes (Rinse out the can with 1/4 cup of water and add to the pan). Add Worcester sauce, sugar, and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, crumble the chicken stock cube over it, and stir everything to combine. Add a stalk of basil leaves (or as many as you prefer) to the sauce, stir in ½cup of water and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes until it reduces in size and thickens slightly.
- Lastly, stir in grated pecorino or parmesan cheese until melted. Take the pan off the heat and serve the chicken bolognese over portioned bowls of hot spaghetti. Enjoy it with a side of everyday salad or garlic bread.
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
And there you have it, a simple and delicious bolognese recipe you can make at home in no time. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 stars and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and Facebook and save it to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox.
