Creamy Paprika Chicken Bowtie Pasta Freezer Meal Prep
Creamy paprika chicken pasta is the kind of cozy dinner that tastes like it took all evening, but the hard part is done weeks ahead.
Chicken breasts get a bold coat of smoked paprika and herbs and a hard sear in butter. The pan drippings, onion and garlic turn into a rosy cream sauce, and the chicken goes back in, cut into tender bites.
Freeze that sauce in blocks and dinner on a busy night is just a matter of melting a couple of them and tossing in freshly cooked bowties.
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Freeze time | 4 to 6 hours (hands-off) |
| Reheat time | 12 to 15 minutes, straight from frozen |
| Serves | 4 |
| Keeps | Up to 3 months in the freezer |
Why Searing the Chicken First Is Worth It Here
A paprika rub on its own tastes flat, but a few minutes in hot butter toasts the spice and gives the chicken a deep, smoky crust.
Everything left behind in the pan becomes the base of the sauce. Those red, buttery drippings are why the sauce turns that warm orange color and tastes so savory.
Seared chicken also holds its texture through freezing and reheating far better than chicken poached in the sauce, so the bites stay juicy.
Why Freeze the Sauce and Not the Pasta
Pasta frozen in sauce keeps soaking up liquid, so it reheats soft and the sauce turns thick and dry. Bowties take only about 12 minutes to cook, and they are much better fresh.
Freezing the chicken and sauce in portion-size blocks also lets you take out exactly what you need, whether that is dinner for two or for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
- Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 oz farfalle (bowtie pasta), cooked fresh at dinnertime
- Freshly grated Parmesan, to finish
You will also need a large skillet with a lid, a silicone freezer mold, and a zip-top freezer bag to store the blocks once they are frozen.
How to Make Creamy Paprika Chicken Bowtie Pasta
Part 1: Make The Sauce
1. Prep The Chicken
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and lay them in a shallow dish. Dry chicken takes the spice rub evenly and browns instead of steaming.
2. Coat With The Paprika Rub
Mix 1 tablespoon of the smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of the oregano and 1 teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle it over the chicken and rub it in on both sides.
3. Melt The Butter
Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Let it melt and foam before the chicken goes in.
4. Sear The Chicken
Lay the chicken in the butter and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until deeply browned and cooked through to 165°F. Paprika can scorch, so lower the heat a little if the butter starts to smoke.
5. Rest And Cut The Chicken
Lift the chicken out with tongs and let it rest for 5 minutes, then cut it into bite-size pieces. Leave all the red drippings in the skillet.
6. Melt More Butter In The Drippings
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet. It picks up all the spice left behind from the chicken.
7. Bloom The Spices
Sprinkle in the remaining 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Stir for about 30 seconds so they warm through in the butter, which brings out their flavor.
8. Add The Onion
Add the diced onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. A fine dice melts into the sauce.
9. Add The Garlic
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about a minute, until it smells fragrant. Keep it moving, because browned garlic turns bitter.
10. Pour In The Broth
Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce a little.
11. Stir In The Cream
Lower the heat and pour in the heavy cream. Stir until the sauce turns a smooth, even orange.
12. Return The Chicken
Add the chicken pieces and any juices from the board. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, then taste and add salt if it needs it.
Part 2: Freeze
13. Cool And Portion Into Molds
Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then pour it into a silicone freezer mold, sharing the chicken evenly between the portions, and freeze until solid. Cooling it first stops ice crystals from forming, which keeps the cream from turning grainy later.
Once frozen, pop the blocks out and store them in a labeled zip-top freezer bag. Your mold is then free for the next batch.
These are the 1-cup silicone freezer molds I use to portion every component. Get the freezer molds on Amazon.
How to Reheat and Finish
14. Add The Frozen Blocks To A Skillet
Put the frozen sauce blocks straight into a skillet. There is no need to thaw them first.
15. Heat With The Lid On
Cover the skillet and warm over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once the blocks soften, until the sauce is smooth and the chicken is hot all the way through. Keep it at a gentle bubble so the cream does not separate.
16. Add The Freshly Cooked Farfalle
While the sauce heats, boil the farfalle in well-salted water until al dente. Drain it, saving a splash of the pasta water, and tip it into the skillet.
17. Toss Through The Sauce
Stir until every bowtie is coated. Add a little pasta water if the sauce looks too thick, because the pasta will keep soaking it up.
18. Finish With Parmesan
Spoon the pasta onto plates and grate plenty of Parmesan over the top. Serve right away while the cheese melts into the sauce.
Storage and Variations
The sauce blocks keep for up to three months in the freezer, so write the date on the bag. Once the sauce has been reheated, eat it rather than refreezing it, and keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.
For extra heat, add a pinch of cayenne to the rub or red pepper flakes to the sauce. Boneless chicken thighs work just as well as breasts, and a few handfuls of baby spinach stirred in at the end add some color.
