Chicken & bell pepper macaroni
One pan builds the whole meal in layers. Chicken and paprika go first, then cherry tomatoes and bell pepper, then dry macaroni straight into the garlic-tomato broth. Everything finishes together, the pasta soaking up the cooking liquid until the pot is nearly dry.
705 kcal and 43g of protein from ten ingredients, Parmesan grated on top while the bowl is still hot. Twenty minutes, one pan, nothing to drain.
Ingredients
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- cherry tomatoes 8
- bell pepper 1
- garlic 1 clove
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- paprika (ground spice) 0.5 teaspoon
- water 1 cup
- vegetable bouillon 1 cube
- macaroni, whole wheat 3 ounces
- Parmesan cheese 1 ounce
Method
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Cut the chicken breast into cubes, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the bell pepper into strips and finely chop the garlic.
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Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chicken cubes along with the paprika and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
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Add the cherry tomatoes and bell pepper strips and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
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Add the water, bouillon cube and macaroni to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
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Let it simmer with the lid on and cook until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes. Check occasionally if the pasta is cooked and add a bit of extra water if it gets too dry.
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Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese.
Keep a small cup of hot water next to the stove. Whole wheat macaroni absorbs liquid at different rates depending on the brand. If the pot goes dry before the pasta is tender, adding two to three tablespoons at a time keeps everything on track without flooding the sauce. Too much water at once dilutes the concentrated garlic-tomato broth you just spent ten minutes building.
Behind this recipe
Can I use regular macaroni instead of whole wheat?
Yes. Regular macaroni cooks in roughly the same time window and absorbs the broth the same way. The swap drops the fiber from 11g to around 3-4g per serving and shifts the carbs slightly. The protein and fat stay the same since those come from the chicken, olive oil, and Parmesan.
Why does the pasta cook directly in the pan instead of boiling separately?
The macaroni absorbs the garlic-tomato cooking liquid as it simmers, which concentrates the flavors inside the pasta itself. Boiling separately in plain water means draining all of that flavor down the sink. The one-pot method also means fewer dishes and a thicker, more cohesive sauce since the starch the pasta releases thickens the remaining liquid naturally.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Chicken thighs work well here and stay juicier during the simmer. The trade-off is a higher fat count: thighs carry roughly 8-10g more fat per 84g compared to breast, which adds about 70-90 calories to the meal. Protein stays similar. Cut them into the same small cubes so the cook time in step 2 still works.
