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On your table in just 30 minutes - this Red Wine Pasta Sauce is a winner every time! Packed full of fall flavors like red wine, mushrooms and thyme, it's a perfect Saturday night dinner - that you will love to have in your lunchbox come Monday.
Why you will love this recipe
- It's quick and all done in under 30 minutes
- It's easy to make with no unnecessary steps
- It's loaded with fall flavors - like red wine, mushroom & thyme
- It has a high stuff-to-pasta ratio which means loads of chicken & mushrooms
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Mushrooms - I recommend white button mushrooms or a mix of white button mushrooms and chantarelles
- Red wine - dry and flavorful works best, I prefer a Nebbiolo or Barbera as it pairs so well with the mushrooms and thyme
- Cream - full fat, low fat, or half and half
- Fresh tagliatelle - dry pasta works as well, and any shape
- Chicken thigh filets have more taste than chicken breast filets, but both work
- Concentrated mushroom stock - if you don't have it, add a crumbled bouillon cube together with the wine instead, and make sure it's all mixed up before adding cream
How to make it
- Melt half of the butter in a pan over medium heat, then add chopped garlic and garlic cloves that have been slightly crushed with the side of a knife, but are still in one piece. Fry for a few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the second half of the butter
- Allow for the butter to melt
- Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, adding more butter if the mushrooms start to look dry
- Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan
- Add the chicken on the other side and cook until it has color on all sides
- Then mix together the chicken and mushrooms
- Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the red wine. Cook for a few minutes, until about half of the wine has evaporated.
- Add concentrated mushroom stock
- Add fresh thyme sprigs and cream
- Mix, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta, one minute less than stated on the package. Drain when done, but reserve some of the water.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves with kitchen forceps or a fork - or skip it, if you're in a hurry
- Add the grated parmesan cheese
- Mix
- Add pasta and pasta water
- Mix and simmer for 2 minutes, until the pasta is done. Serve!
Tips & tricks
- Get just the right amount of garlic flavor by using whole cloves that are just slightly crushed - this gives a subtle garlic taste, and you can easily remove them before serving
- Keep adding butter until the mushrooms are saturated, for the fullest taste
- Use a red wine you really like for the best tasting sauce
- Serve the same wine alongside the pasta for a perfect pairing
- Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves before serving, for a fancy touch
- Don't skip the pasta water it thickens the sauce and helps it coat the pasta
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ
What red wine is best for pasta sauce?
The best wine for a red wine pasta sauce is a dry and flavorful wine - preferably a combination of a wine you really enjoy and a wine that pairs well with the other flavors of the sauce.
Think about what you would drink with another dish with the same ingredients. For example:
-
Nebbiolo and Barbera pair amazingly with mushrooms and thyme
- Malbec and Chianti are great for a sauce with red meat
- Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz are great in flavorful and spicy sauces
How do you add wine to sauce?
The best way to add wine to pasta sauces or other sauces is to add it early, after frying garlic and onion, and letting it reduce. This way you get a lot of wine flavor with less alcohol, and without as much of the sharp taste of alcohol.
Does red or white wine go better with pasta?
This depends on what you have in your pasta, and is also a personal preference. But in general, a pasta with red meat goes great with red wine and a seafood or fish pasta goes great with white wine.
More delicious pasta recipes
- 15-minute Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- 20-minute Halloumi Pasta Primavera
- Seafood Pasta Casserole with White Wine
- Easy Smoked Salmon Pasta with Spinach & Lemon
- Crème Fraîche Pasta with Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Did you love this recipe? Rate it 5 stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Creamy Red Wine Pasta Sauce with Chicken & Mushrooms
Print RateServings: 4
Calories: 887kcal
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter divided, more if needed
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves in one piece but slightly crushed
- 10 white button mushrooms chopped
- 1 lb chicken thigh filets cut in bite-size pieces
- 1 cups red wine
- 2 Tbsp concentrated mushroom stock
- 20 fresh thyme sprigs + more to serve
- 1 cups cream
- ½ lb fresh tagliatelle
- 1 cups pasta water
- 1 cups grated parmesan + more to serve
Instructions
- Heat a pan, large enough to hold all the sauce and pasta, over medium heat. Add half of the butter, chopped onion and garlic cloves. Let cook for a few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the second half of the butter and allow to melt, then add the mushrooms. Let cook for a few minutes. If the mushrooms start to look dry, add more butter.
- Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan and add the chicken on the other side. Cook separately until it's got some color on all sides, then mix it up with the mushrooms.
- Raise the temperature to medium-high, pour in the red wine, and cook for 2 minutes until about half of the wine has evaporated.
- Add concentrated mushroom stock, thyme sprigs and cream. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to medium again. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Cook it 1 minutes less than stated on the package. Then drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
- When the sauce is done, use kitchen forceps or a fork to remove the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Then add the pasta together with the pasta water. Mix, bring back to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes, until the pasta is done.
- Mix in the grated parmesan, and serve topped with some fresh thyme & more parmesan.
Equipment needed for this recipe
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Mushrooms - I recommend white button mushrooms or a mix of white button mushrooms and chantarelles
- Red wine - dry and flavorful works best, I prefer a Nebbiolo or Barbera as it pairs so well with the mushrooms and thyme
- Cream - full fat, low fat, or half and half
- Fresh tagliatelle - dry pasta works as well, and any shape
- Chicken thigh filets have more taste than chicken breast filets, but both work
- Concentrated mushroom stock - if you don't have it, add a crumbled bouillon cube together with the wine instead, and make sure it's all mixed up before adding cream
Tips & tricks
- Get just the right amount of garlic flavor by using whole cloves that are just slightly crushed - this gives a subtle garlic taste, and you can easily remove them before serving
- Keep adding butter until the mushrooms are saturated, for the fullest taste
- Use a red wine you really like for the best tasting sauce
- Serve the same wine alongside the pasta for a perfect pairing
- Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves before serving, for a fancy touch
- Don't skip the pasta water it thickens the sauce and helps it coat the pasta
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Calories: 887kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 309mg | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 839mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1812IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 389mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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jackie hastert
What a great dinner idea! I know that my family would love to have this for dinner or for a lunch on Sunday! It's perfect for us and I will be adding it to my menu for next week.
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman
This makes such a delicious, satisfying meal; and it's so easy to make, too!
Charla
This is my kind of week night dinner and love that there will be leftovers to carry over for a few days. Thanks!
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain
Well what can I say - you had me at red wine hehe! But really, this sounds beyond fantastic!
Taylor Kiser
Quick and easy! Just how I like my dinner! This is sure to be on repeat!
Monidipa Dutta
I love pasta! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! It left me drooling..!!
Emmeline
Woho that means I did my job right! 😉 Thank you for commenting & rating!
Sania Ahmed
This is something I never heard about Red wine in Pasta.... I am sure it would taste yummy as it looks.
Emmeline
It sure does 😉 Thank you, Sania!
aisasami
This looks so yummy but I don't think chanterelle are common?
Emmeline
Thank you! I think that depends on where in the world you are, as well as the time of year. We have a lot of them in Sweden in the fall, but not other times. You can substitute them for white button mushrooms, however - super delicious as well!
Blair
I think this could be a hit in our house. It has some of the popular ingredients for us garlic, mushrooms, pasta and chicken.
Emmeline
Thank you Blair! Hope you try it!
Preet
I must try this recipe. It so delicious and look so easy to make and I am sure my husband and my kids will give me a warmer hug because of this dish.
Emmeline
Thank you Preet! It really is a yummy recipe - hope you try it!
Clare Minall
This looks nice and simple to put together but so delicious! Perfect for a midweek pick me up dinner or nice warm comfort food on a weekend.
Emmeline
Thank you Clare! I love treating myself to this together with a glass of red like on a Tuesday - when you really need it!
Sincerely Miss J
This creamy red wine chicken pasta looks tasty . I love mushrooms.
Emmeline
Thank you so much!
April
I love experimenting with sauces when I make pasta at home. And I love it even more when the sauce has thyme flavors. Definitely the recipe I would love to recreate!
Emmeline
Thank you April!
Lydia Smith
I love the proportion you have here. Makes it more meatier😋. Looking delicious and a perfect cheat day meal with lots of chicken.
Emmeline
Thank you Lydia! Yeah I feel like it makes it a bit healthier at least, with lots of good protein - but probably for a cheat day anyday haha 😉
Melanie Frost
I prefer more chicken and mushrooms than pasta. This sounds delicious and so hearty.
Emmeline
Thank you Melanie! Come to think of it, you could probably serve it over rice or cauliflower rice as well - the sauce is so delicious it will make anything work!
Megan Kerry
Great tip about cooking down the mushrooms before adding more flavour:) These flavours go so well together! Great recipe:)
Emmeline
Thank you Megan!
Renata Feyen
I love the ingredients but never tried them in this kind of combination - sounds great 🙂
Emmeline
Thank you Renata!
Natalie
Oh wow this looks really delicious. So creamy and so flavorful. It's definitely something I'm going to try next week. I'm saving this on my weekly menu. It's perfect family weekday dinner.
Emmeline
Thank you Natalie! Let me know how you like it!
Marta
This looks so good! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe 😊
Emmeline
Thank you Marta!
Michael
This I like more. Chicken is life lol Not so much of a pasta person but I think I can finish a plate.
Emmeline
Haha yes chicken is good! Thanks for commenting, Michael!
Lyosha
I don't know why but lately my body is craving for some more pasta than usual. I don't really resist. Your chicken pasta sounds super tempting to me. Adding the red wine is nice to me too, I have some at home and I frankly don't know what to use it for
Emmeline
I think that's winter for you 😉 Thank you for commenting, Lyosha!
Marisa F. Stewart
We are always on the search for new and exciting chicken recipes. I love the idea of the red wine instead of white. And really its very clever of you to extend the wild mushrooms with the farm grown. You still get that wild earthy taste plus get plenty of mushrooms. A very satisfying dish during these horrible cold days. A recipe that will bring some sunshine to the dull days.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Marisa! I love red wine so I love being able to add it to food as well! And of course, then it makes for a perfect pairing with a glass of red 😉
Cheese Curd In Paradise
I love the different mushrooms in this pasta! This sauce sounds so tasty and delicious. I can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Emmeline
Thank you so much! It really is a yummy sauce. One of my best creations I believe!
Mahy Elamin
Tonights dinner! Definitely a keeper recipe. Will be making again! Delicious!
Emmeline
Thank you Mahy! So happy you liked it!
Claudia Lamascolo
I love trying out new chicken recipes and wine always make it tender and flavorful I am sure to print this one off today thanks
Emmeline
Thank you for commenting Claudia! Hope it turns out great!
Lewis Johnson
This looks pretty yummy
Emmeline
Thank you, Lewis!
Karly
Yum! This dish looks so delicious! Can't wait to try.
Emmeline
Thanks Karly! I hope you try it - it's soo delicious & cosy!