Fiery 'Nduja and chicken pasta

Ingredients for nduja and chicken pasta

This dish was an experiment after buying some 'Nduja from Hatfield Food Festival last year. I’m not a huge lover of chicken in pasta, I’d never order it out, but it turned out to be the perfect match! When I stumbled across 'Nduja again at my local Pearce’s Farm Shop (and have since discovered it is supplied by EatDrinkIdeas – who have amazing produce at local markets throughout Hertfordshire) I had to buy some so I could recreate this dish.

Although it’s not widely available in supermarkets, you should be able to pick some up in local delis and farm shops. 'Nduja is from Calabria in Sicily, made with pork fat, herbs and spices and has a kick to it with fiery chilli, which adds to its rich and vibrant red colour. You’ll find it dotted across menus; from pizza toppings to pasta sauces and for its more traditional use on bruschetta or crostini as it’s a spreadable sausage!

Fiery 'Nduja and chicken pasta

Servings: 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• 150-200g of pasta – penne, rigatoni or fusilli

• Red onion, finely chopped

• 400g Chopped tomatoes

• 50g 'Nduja sausage meat

• 250g chicken mini fillets, cut into smaller pieces

• Lemon juice of ½ a lemon

• 2 tbsp Freshly chopped parsley

• Parmesan to serve

Instructions:

1. Heat some olive oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the chicken and chopped onion and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is browned.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes, parsley and nduja and stir together and season.

3. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Your sauce will be full of flavour and the tomatoes should have reduced a little.

4. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the sauce, this helps to calm some of the fieriness of the nduja but if you like it hot and spicy you can leave it out!

5. Add the pasta to the sauce with a splash of pasta water and stir so the sauce coats the pasta, it should stick beautifully to the penne or rigatoni.

6. Serve with an extra sprinkle of parsley and grated parmesan.

nduja and chicken pasta recipe

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