Amazingly delicious and easy rigatoni pasta tossed with creamy pumpkin puree seasoned with honey caramelized onions spiced with crushed Calabrian peppers, fresh chopped garlic and sage, and cooked chicken.
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Easy Chicken Pasta
Try a chicken pasta dish that can be served anytime with this Creamy Cheesy Sage Chili Pumpkin Chicken Pasta recipe, where the warm hues and rich flavors of the season come together in a harmonious dance on your plate.
The star of this delectable dish is the luscious creamy pumpkin sauce, a velvety concoction that brings a smooth, comforting essence to each bite with its vivid orange color and red speckles from the chili peppers.
Artistically: The Orange Period
Infused with earthy notes of sage and a hint of chili for a subtle kick, this delicious sauce envelops tender chicken, caramelized onions, and perfectly cooked pasta, creating flavors that satisfy even the most discerning palates.
Make this dish on busy weeknights for a satisfying, quick, easy, and decadent meal, with a creamy, cheesy, and savory bit in every mouthful.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes to Try:
- Pumpkin Gnocchi Chicken Soup
- Loaded Cheesy Ground Turkey Red Lentil Pasta
- Plant-Based Italian Sausage with Spicy Creamy Lentil Pasta
- Spicy Pesto Chicken Pasta Homemade One-Pot-Meal
Ingredients
Start by boiling the rigatoni pasta in salted water. While the pasta cooks, season the boneless skinless chicken breast with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Then cook in olive oil. Remove the chicken, set it aside, and sweat the yellow onions with kosher salt until it becomes translucent.
While the onion cooks, chop the garlic cloves and sage leaves together. Add it to the onions and cook until tender. Next, add the crushed Calabrian peppers and honey. Finally, add the pumpkin puree and low-sodium chicken broth to make a creamy sauce. Add back the chicken, pasta, and grated Italian cheese off the heat and serve.
See the pumpkin chicken pasta recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the instructions and cooking tips below using the step-by-step picture guide.
Boil the pasta as 1 part pasta to 2 part salted water.
You are not browning the chicken; you are just cooking the chicken to add to the end of the pasta. If you have time, you can brown the chicken pieces. Click here to learn how to dice the chicken.
After you remove the chicken, remove any debris since you will be cooking down the onion, which will take some time, or you don't want anything else to burn.
Chopping the garlic and sage together is a quicker and more convenient way to break down the oil in the sage and infuse it with the garlic. Learn more on chopping herbs and garlic.
Thinly slicing the onion allows for quick cooking.
Using honey sweetens the onion to give it a balance between spicy and savory.
Add the cheese off the heat to prevent it from sticking to the pan and spoon when tossing as it melts.
Place into oven at 350 fahrenheit
Busy Folks - Become a better home cook with cooking tips to help you cook more efficiently on Cook's Notebook tab. In addition, some related detailed steps can be found there.
Substitutions
Dairy Free
- Grated Italian Cheese - Use nutritional yeast for flavor.
Gluten-Free
- Rigatoni Pasta - There are a lot of gluten-free pasta choices now; use your favorite type of pasta.
Vegetarian
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - Use a mixture of mushrooms.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth - Replace it with vegetable broth.
Convenience
- Rigatoni Pasta - Use whatever pasta you have in the house, as long as it's wide and complements the thick, hearty sauce, such as penne pasta. For a healthier option, try whole wheat pasta.
- Crushed Calabrian Peppers - Try red pepper flakes
- Fresh Sage Leaves - Use dried sage; just use half the fresh unit amount. This will change the goal taste of the dish, but you can use Italian seasoning as a sage replacement.
Change Heat Level - Modify the pumpkin chicken pasta recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.
Variations
- Traditional Creaming Method - Add heavy cream, coconut milk, or unsweetened almond milk with unsalted butter.
- More Robust Falvor - If you have roasted garlic or garlic in confit, replace the raw garlic cloves with this. You can also splash the seasoned onions with dry white wine before adding the honey to deepen the flavor. In addition, for a more savory taste, use a chicken bouillon cube.
- Chicken Sausage - Use Italian chicken sausage cut into 1-inch pieces instead of chicken breast.
- Add Some Green - Add and wilt baby spinach before adding the chicken back.
Equipment
- Paper Towels - Used to dry the chicken to prevent bubbly of the loose chicken protein.
- Large Sauté Pan - You'll need a large pan to combine the chicken with the large rigatoni past and pumpkin cream sauce. To develop this recipe, I used the All-Clad Hard Anodized Nonstick 4-quart Sauté Pan, chef-trusted American-made; it can even go in the oven with temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kitchen Must Haves - Find other tools I use here.
Storage
- Refrigerator - To store in the fridge, you can place the creamy pumpkin pasta recipe mixture in a shallow 2-inch container to cool down quickly. Then, store it in an airtight container. As a result, the meal will last up to three days.
- Freezer - Follow the refrigeration process mentioned above. Then, place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Air Tight Food Containers - I use Glass Food Storage Containers with a plastic clipping lid to store food. For example, I always suggest glass storage containers since you can microwave them and hold food without staining the container, and the glass keeps them at a more stable temperature, which keeps the food fresher longer.
Cooking Tip
Al Dente Pasta - Achieving perfectly cooked pasta begins with generously salting your boiling water, enhancing the pasta's flavor right from the start. To ensure an al dente texture, regularly check for doneness a minute or two before the suggested cooking time, as pasta continues to cook briefly even after draining, guaranteeing the right bite every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Even though creating a smooth and velvety pumpkin puree will take longer, select a small sugar pumpkin renowned for its sweet and tender flesh. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp, and place the halves cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast for about 45 to 60 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Once cooled, scoop out the flesh and blend it in a food processor or blender until silky smooth.
Add a splash of water or broth for a creamier consistency. Your homemade pumpkin puree is now ready to add a rich, autumnal touch to various sweet and savory dishes.
Chicken Recipes
Looking for other chicken recipes like this? Try these:
- Best Peach Piri Piri Chicken with Fonio Kale Salad
- Lemongrass Marinated Grilled Chicken Spring Rolls
- Spicy Greek Chicken Meatball Rice Bowl
- Simple Spicy Garlic Chili Sauce Chicken Pasta
Pasta Recipes
Looking for other pasta recipes like this? Try these:
- Bold and Spicy Caribbean Beef Noodle Soup Recipe Twist
- Healthy Haitian-Style Creole Spicy Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Spinach Pesto Mushroom Lasagna
- Shrimp and Pork Belly Pad Thai - Spring Roll Style
Video
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Cheesy Sage Chili Pumpkin Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta and Chicken
- 4 cups uncooked rigatoni pasta
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
"Caramelized" Onion Pumpkin Sage Sauce
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon crushed Calabrian peppers
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 15- ounce can of pumpkin puree
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup grated Italian cheese
Equipment
- Paper Towels
Instructions
- Save time in the kitchen: Read the instructions thoroughly, then gather and prep all your ingredients before cooking! Learn Prepping Tips.
- Cook the Pasta: Boil the pasta to al dente as the package instructs.
- Prepare the Chicken: Pat dry the chicken with paper towels, cut it into medium-sized chunks, and season it with salt and pepper.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add and heat olive oil. Before smoking, carefully add and cook the chicken, remove it, and set it aside.
- Start the Sauce: Reduce the heat enough to keep the oil from smoking and remove any loose debris from the oil in the pan. Add the onions and salt and cook until translucent. While the onions cook, mince the garlic and sage together.
- Season the Sauce: Add the garlic sage mixture when the onions are translucent and cook until the garlic is tender. Then, add the crushed peppers and honey, combine well, and cook while stirring for 1 minute to allow any liquid to evaporate.
- Finish the Sauce: Add the pumpkin puree and chicken broth, cover, and bring to a simmer. Then, remove the sauce from the heat, add the cooked chicken and pasta, and combine well. Then mix in the grated cheese and combine well. Taste and adjust the salt and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat to prevent foodborne illness from contaminated uncooked meats.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods; this can breed bacteria.
- Never leave cooking food unattended to prevent burns and fires.
- Use oils with a high smoke point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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