Description
Honey bbq chicken cheddar pasta brings together smoky sauce, tender chicken, and creamy cheese for a dinner that feels both comforting and special. Your family gets a satisfying meal where each bite has that perfect balance of tangy barbecue flavor and rich, cheesy pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 1 pound chicken breast, diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pasta and Base:
- 8 ounces pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
Sauces and Seasonings:
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your 8 oz of pasta to the package’s exact timing, then drain it in a colander and set it aside.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet and set your heat to medium, letting the oil warm for about a minute.
- Add your 1 lb of diced chicken breast to the hot oil, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, salt, and pepper across the pieces.
- Let the chicken cook at medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until there’s no pink remaining inside when you cut into the thickest piece.
- Stir in 1 cup of BBQ sauce and 1/2 cup of honey together, keeping the heat at medium for 2 minutes while you combine everything.
- Lower your heat to medium-low and pour in 1 cup of heavy cream, stirring continuously for about 1 minute until the sauce looks smooth and blended.
- Add your drained pasta to the skillet and toss everything together for about 2 minutes so each piece gets coated in the creamy sauce.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the top and stir gently at medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese melts completely into your dish.
- Transfer your finished pasta to bowls or plates and serve it while it’s still warm.
Notes
- Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly and mixes easily throughout the pasta instead of creating large chunks.
- Taste the sauce before adding cheese since BBQ sauces vary in sweetness, and you can adjust the honey amount to match your preference.
- Stir in the cream slowly over low heat to prevent the sauce from breaking or becoming too thick for coating the pasta properly.
- For a lighter version, replace heavy cream with Greek yogurt or sour cream added after removing the pan from heat, which keeps the dish creamy without extra richness.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: More Chicken Recipes
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 556 kcal
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg