Name: Blackened Chicken Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces fettuccine pasta (or your favorite); 2 chicken breasts (butterflied into 4 pieces); 2 teaspoons blackened seasoning; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 small onion (chopped); 2 garlic cloves (chopped); 15 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (drained*); 1 cup chicken broth or stock; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (more for serving); Parsley (for serving)

Recipe

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30 minutes is all that's between you and the best meal you'll have all week. Make this blackened chicken pasta recipe today!

If pasta dinners are a family favorite, this blackened chicken pasta will knock it out of the park. Make sure to read the post for time-saving tips!

Best-Ever Pasta with Blackened Chicken

Just when you thought my delicious garlic chicken pasta was the best yet, this blackened chicken pasta appears and claims the throne! This game-changer recipe is a pasta night winner. It’s ridiculously good, packed with nutrition, and ready to serve in 30 minutes. Perfection!

The seasoned chicken has a unique spicy and smoky taste that carries over into the simple tomato sauce… leaving you wondering when you’ll make this chicken dinner recipe again.

What is Blackened Chicken?

Blackened chicken consists of rubbing the chicken meat with blackened seasoning, a mix of spices that adds flavor to all kinds of proteins. While cooking the chicken in the pan, the spices get slightly charred, resulting in a tasty dark crust, giving it its name.

on the left: blackened seasoning in a bowl. On the right: four blackened chicken breasts in a dish.

Ingredients

For tender blackened chicken, you’ll need butterflied chicken breasts and blackened seasoning. Use your favorite pasta and a few flavorful ingredients for the tasty sauce: onion, garlic, fire-roasted diced tomatoes (you can swap them for regular or Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes, chicken broth or stock, tomato paste to help thicken the sauce, and Parmesan cheese.

How to Make Blackened Chicken Pasta

This epic blackened chicken pasta comes together in 30 minutes following these steps:

Cook the pasta in a pot and, once ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta water for later. While it cooks, butterfly the chicken breasts.
Cook the seasoned chicken in a skillet for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip them over, and cook for another 4 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan and leave any tidbits for extra flavor.
Make the sauce in the same pan by cooking the aromatics, and then add the chicken broth and tomato paste. Add some reserved pasta water and the parmesan cheese into the sauce.
Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce. If it's too thick, slowly add additional reserved pasta water to thin it out to a consistency of your liking. Add the sliced blackened chicken and toss it into the pasta right before serving.

Watch the magic happen in this recipe video:

How Long Do You Cook Blackened Chicken for Pasta

Butterflied chicken breasts take 3 to 4 minutes per side to cook through. Whole chicken breasts have a typical cooking time of 7 to 8 minutes per side, depending on their thickness.

The best way to know if the chicken is done is by checking the internal temperature, in the thickest part, with a meat thermometer. Chicken breast meat is cooked and safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165F.

Make next: Blackened Chicken Alfredo

Recipe Variations

With simple swaps and add-ins, you can customize this recipe to your liking:

Use chicken thighs
You’ll need 1-1.5lbs of thighs, depending on how chicken-heavy you want to make this dish. Since thighs are thinner, there’s no need to butterfly them. Simply cook the thighs, about 6 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 175F.

Make it gluten-free
Swap regular pasta for your favorite gluten-free brand, and it’s done!

Make it dairy-free
Swap butter for olive oil and avoid the cheese and you get a delicious dairy-free dinner!

Swap fire-roasted tomatoes
Don’t you have a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes? No problem. Substitute it for regular diced tomatoes or Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes.

Add veggies
When you cook the garlic, add canned or frozen veggies (previously thawed) or those that don’t need much time to be tender, like diced green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, or thinly sliced red bell peppers.

Swap the pasta shape
I love the richness of fettuccini for this recipe, but other favorites are penne pasta or spaghetti. Of course, you can use the pasta shape you already have in your pantry.

Build a salad lunch
You can cook more blackened chicken, serve it with pasta for dinner, and then use chicken leftovers to pack a delicious blackened Chicken Salad for work!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

You can store chicken pasta leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer. To reheat, add one or two tablespoons of water or broth and microwave leftovers for one minute, covered and slightly vented. Stir and microwave for additional time until it is heated through.

What to Serve with Blackened Chicken Pasta

Sides are always great to add more nutrition and variety to your meals. You can serve this chicken pasta just like it is or enjoy it with a fresh and simple side salad, roasted vegetables like these roasted broccolini, or fluffy, soft popovers!

Blackened Chicken Pasta

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

30 minutes is all that's between you and the best meal you'll have all week. Make this blackened chicken pasta recipe today!

5 from 29 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

For the chicken:

12 ounces fettuccine pasta, or your favorite
2 chicken breasts, butterflied into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons blackened seasoning
1 tablespoon butter

For the pasta:

1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
15 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained*
1 cup chicken broth or stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup parmesan cheese, more for serving
Parsley, for serving

Instructions

Cook the pasta:

Bring water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Once ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain, and set the pasta aside.

Prep the chicken:

On a flat surface, pat dry the chicken breasts. Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them horizontally through the middle.
Season both sides of the chicken breasts generously with the blackened seasoning.

Cook the chicken:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the chicken breasts on the pan, and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over, and cook for another 4 minutes on the other side. *If using whole chicken breasts, the cooking time will vary to 7 to 8 minutes per side until the internal temperature has reached 165F.
Remove the chicken from the pan onto a plate and leave any tidbits on the pan for extra flavor when making the sauce next.

Make the dish:

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan and melt it while scraping the tidbits with a spatula. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic, diced tomatoes, and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and tomato paste and combine to mix the tomato paste into the thick mixture. Add ½ cup of reserved pasta water and the parmesan cheese and combine into the sauce.
Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine with the sauce. If it's too thick, slowly add additional reserved pasta water to thin it out to a consistency of your liking.
Slice the chicken breasts and toss them into the pasta.
Sprinkle parsley over the top (if using) and additional parmesan cheese when serving.