Chicken Bolognese
If you’re in the mood for a traditional Italian meat sauce, but want something on the leaner side, this chicken bolognese is exactly what you need. Made with a soffritto of vegetables, aromatic herbs and a bold tomato base, this hearty ragu is made with ground chicken instead of beef for a healthy alternative that’s still simple to prepare.
What we love about this chicken bolognese
- Unlike traditional bolognese made with beef, our chicken version creates a lighter yet totally satisfying dish. While ground chicken is very lean, the chicken absorbs the delicious, savory flavors of the sauce offering a delightful twist on the classic recipe.
- As with traditional bolognese, chicken bolognese includes a variety of hidden veggies. Shredded carrots and diced celery seamlessly blend into this savory sauce. It’s a brilliant way to sneak in essential nutrients for both kids and adults, making this dish not only delicious but also secretly wholesome.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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- Ground chicken
- Dry white wine – White wine adds complexity and depth to the flavor of the dish, plus it helps to deglaze the pan.
- Carrots, celery and onion – These common ingredients create what Italians call a soffritto which forms the base for a bolognese sauce. This simple mixture provides much of what creates the characteristics of the sauce – the aromatics, sweetness, depth and textural contrast.
- Crushed tomatoes – We like to use crushed tomatoes for bolognese sauce because it adds a robust, thick texture.
- Fettuccine – You can opt for a different pasta style if you want, but this is a hearty and heavy sauce that works best with a sturdy pasta such as a rigatoni.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make this chicken bolognese
Cook the pasta. In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions for al denté. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain and set aside. If you need more detailed instructions on this step, check out this how to boil pasta and this detailed post about pasta water.
Simmer the soffritto. Heat olive oil a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté onions, carrots and celery until the onions have become translucent – this should take about 10 minutes.
Finish the sauce. Add the ground chicken, salt and pepper to the pan, breaking up the meat as it cooks. When the ground chicken is browned through, stir in the white wine, crushed tomatoes and dried basil. Lower heat and allow the sauce to simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes.
Everything you need to know about this bolognese sauce
Bolognese sauce is an Italian meat sauce that is prepared by slow-cooking a blend of ground beef and/or pork, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes and white wine resulting in a thick and hearty texture. On the other hand, meat sauce is a more generic term referring to with a tomato sauce that includes meat, which would include a bolognese sauce.
The word “ragù” has its roots in Italian cuisine and refers to a meat-based sauce. Ragù is a generic term used to describe what we would call meat sauces. So as described above, bolognese sauce is a specific type of meat sauce – which means bolognese sauce can also be described as a type of ragu sauce.
More ragu sauce recipes you will love
Other hearty pasta recipes you should try
- Baked rigatoni with sausage and ricotta
- Italian sausage and peppers pasta
- Rigatoni gorgonzola
- Chicken spaghetti with rotel
- Spaghetti all’assassina
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Chicken Bolognese
If you’re in the mood for a traditional Italian meat sauce, but want something on the leaner side, this chicken bolognese is exactly what you need. Made with a soffritto of vegetables, aromatic herbs and a bold tomato base, this hearty ragu is made with ground chicken instead of beef for a healthy alternative that’s still simple to prepare.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Fettuccine
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce fettuccine pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay)
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, prepare pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent and tender, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground chicken, salt and pepper and sauté for about 10 minutes, breaking the meat up as it cooks.
- Add wine, tomatoes and basil. Stir to combine. Simmer the sauce for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 399
- Sugar: 8.4 g
- Sodium: 381 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 54.4 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 19.3 g
- Cholesterol: 48.2 mg
