BBQ Chicken Pasta
This BBQ chicken pasta is simple, quick and packed with delicious smoky barbecue flavor, tender pasta and creamy, melted cheese.
My husband has a deep and abiding love for barbecue sauce.
His favorite pizza? Barbecue chicken. His favorite salad? Barbecue chicken with romaine, black beans and corn. His favorite burger? Barbecue ranch with bacon. His favorite sandwich? Barbecue beef. His favorite ice cream? Barbecue tracks.
Ok, just kidding on that one. Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
After the success of the homemade barbecue sauce and knowing the above details, I thought to myself, why not make all his dreams come true and transfer the barbecue passion to pasta., the almighty Barbecue Chicken Pasta invention.
A one skillet meal (have I mentioned I love skillet meals??), this dish was a huge success with my little family.
Simple, quick and packed with delicious smoky barbecue flavors, tender pasta and creamy, melted cheese, I’m hoping that if you ask my husband what his favorite pasta is…he’ll stay with the barbecue theme and give you this meal for an answer.
What to Serve With This
- Divine breadsticks or Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Killer green salad (throw together your own or use a variation on this Gourmet Green Salad)
- Fresh, seasonal fruit
One Year Ago: Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta, and Parmesan
Two Years Ago: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
BBQ Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 2 cups water
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- ⅔ cup barbecue sauce (see note)
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat (you could also use a large pot if you don’t have a skillet this big). When hot, add the chicken and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken and onions to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the water, chicken broth, penne and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the liquid is almost absorbed and the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the barbecue sauce and sour cream. Once mixed, add in the reserved chicken, onions and shredded cheese. Stir to combine and cook until everything is heated through.
- Serve immediately and garnish with additional red or green onions and shredded cheese.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe Original
Look forward to trying this! Do you have a recipe for BBQ chicken pizza on your site? Or, one you recommend?
I usually just kind of throw it together – so I don’t have an official recipe – sorry!
This was surprisingly good. I’m not a huge fan of bbq sauce, but it wasn’t overpowering. My family quite liked it and said they’d like it if I made it again. Quick and easy on a busy night. Thank you!
Any ideas on how to convert this to an instant pot recipe? I’m still a novice there and not sure how much liquid I’d need.
I haven’t tried it yet so I’m not sure – I’ll add notes if I do!
We love this. IP conversion below.
IP rule of thumb is 1 cup liquid per 4oz dry pasta, and I use all broth in this recipe (no water). Onion and chicken both release extra liquid also.
Saute onion in olive oil while prepping other ingredients.
Add 3 cups chicken broth, salt and pasta. Top with diced raw chicken. Set to 5 min HP, with 10 min NR. When finished, release remaining pressure, then stir and add bbq sauce, sour cream and cheese.
I also have increased quantities to use 16 oz pasta. I use whole wheat rotini.
Increase other ingredients to:
1.5 pounds chicken (we prefer boneless thighs)
4 c. broth (or 2 c each broth & water)
1/2 +1/8 t. Salt
16oz pasta
3/4 c bbq sauce
3/8 c sour cream
Total 1 1/4 c cheese
Sharon, thanks for this info! Very handy. I love my IP!
I am going to make this one of these days. I like to prep a few meals on Monday during my child’s naptime to have for the week. How would this do being cooked one day and then re-heated the next–has anyone tried that? Or, after it all cooks, do you think it could be frozen and then heated when ready to eat? Any tips on doing either of these would be great. Thanks.
My 4 kids and I loved this dish. My big eating teenagers gobbled up this meal. The funny thing was that my husband didn’t like it at all … for him, pasta and bbq sauce should not go together. So, I will serve it for lunch when he’s not home. I did not prepare it as a one skillet meal, but I used the ingredient combination. I like to cook a chicken in my crock pot once a week. It was easy to combine all the ingredients in the pasta pot with the cooked and drained pasta. I made your bbq sauce too, very good!
Made this for the first time last night after a friend shared it with me. YUM! The whole family loved it. It’s in the regular rotation now. 🙂
Just made this tonight. My husband doesn’t like BBQ Suace, so I don’t know how he’ll take it (but he works nights, so he doesn’t get a vote), but the kids ate it without the usual threats–even my 2 yo who thinks if it’s not graham crackers, it’s not worth it. So thanks! But, how did you make yours so pretty? Mine looked kind of cat-barfy orange. Still tasted good, though.
Sarah – Not really sure what I did differently – the picture may make it look less orange, I guess, but otherwise, I’m really not sure! I am glad you liked it though.
I thought this seemed a bit strange for pasta but I love bbq chicken pizza and had everything on hand so I tried it and Im SO glad I did! Delish! My whole family loved it. I have recently become obsessed with you (Ha! I sound like a stalker) and have made several of your recipes over the last few weeks and my entire family has loved every single one! Thanks for making me feel good about myself by cooking great food and thanks for making homemade and from scratch easy, fun and do-able!
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Amanda, this is months after your post, but I make this all the time, and I had issues with cooking my pasta in the same pot too. So, now I cook pasta separately, and make the sauce in a separate pot with about 1/2 c chicken broth. I add more at the end if i feel like it needs it. I cook noodles until done, drain, and dump them in the sauce. Perfect! Hope it works for you!
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