Sweet Chili Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender chicken and pasta tossed in creamy sweet chili sauce—a vibrant fusion of Asian and Italian flavors with perfect balance.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fusilli pasta
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Chicken

03 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), cut into bite-sized pieces
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Sauce

06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
10 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
11 - 1 tablespoon lime juice

→ Garnish

12 - 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
13 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
14 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5-6 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, add minced garlic and sliced red bell pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened.
04 - Pour in heavy cream, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
05 - Return the cooked chicken to the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly.
06 - Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until desired consistency is reached.
07 - Serve hot, garnished with spring onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like takeout but comes together faster than waiting for delivery.
  • The creamy sweet heat is weirdly addictive and nothing like your usual pasta night.
  • You probably have most of this in your fridge already, or can grab it in one quick grocery run.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully and somehow taste even better the next day.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving pasta water because it's the easiest way to loosen a sauce that's gone too thick without diluting the flavor.
  • Let the chicken get a proper sear before moving it around, or it'll steam instead of brown and you'll miss out on all that caramelized flavor.
  • Taste your sweet chili sauce before adding it because some brands are way hotter than others, and you can always add more but you can't take it back.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for thirty seconds before sprinkling them on top, it wakes up their flavor in a way that's hard to describe but easy to taste.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks grainy, pull it off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream to bring it back together.
  • Use kitchen shears to snip the spring onions directly over the bowls, it's faster than a knife and you'll use fewer dishes.
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