Quick Ground Chicken Bolognese Sauce — 🍝❤️🙌🏻 Just as comforting as what Nonna used to make, but so much LEANER and FASTER! Made with ground chicken, ready in 45 minutes, and the INCREDIBLE flavor of this easy bolognese recipe gives classic bolognese a run for its money! Make a big batch now and freeze some for later!
Traditional bolognese sauce from the Italian city of Bologna is incredibly rich and fairly heavy. It’s often made with ground beef and / or pork, wine, and milk. It has to simmer on the stove for hours to develop the right flavor. If that’s what suits you, hey that’s great.
However, I don’t have hours in my schedule to make sauce. And I like to try to make traditional recipes a bit healthier when I can, without sacrificing flavor, which is where this version with ground chicken comes in.
I know what you’re thinking — bolognese sauce … with chicken? Yes!
This easy chicken bolognese tastes so similar to the sauce Nonna used to make, minus the fatty beef and pork and the hours and hours of simmering on the stove.
Ground chicken is leaner than the traditional ground beef, but you still end up with an ultra flavorful and silky sauce that’s ready in 45 minutes. I call this a huge win-win!
Table of Contents
Ingredients in Chicken Bolognese
Making bolognese sauce with chicken requires these common ingredients, including the following:
- Yellow onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Ground chicken – use lean ground chicken in the range of about 90% fat. The higher the fat percentage, the richer the sauce will taste. However, in general, ground chicken is always very lean, ranging from about 85% to 93%
- Garlic
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Red wine – highly recommended but see FAQs below for substitutions if you don’t cook with alcohol
- Tomato paste
- Crushed tomatoes – San Marzano are best, but use what you have
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Ground Chicken Bolognese
To create layers of flavor in the quick and easy bolognese sauce, the recipe starts with a simple mixture of carrot, celery, and onion — the “holy trinity” of most Italian recipes!
If you have a food processor (or Vitamix) now’s the time to break it out! Of course, you can easily make this sauce using a knife and cutting board.
Here are the basic recipe steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced carrot, celery, and onion. Cook the vegetables until tender, or 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the ground chicken and cook until it’s no longer pink. You’ll want to stir the ground chicken to break it down into small pieces. I used a wooden spoon for this.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to the pot.
- Add the red wine and tomato paste, then stir to combine.
- Bring the sauce to a low simmer, then add the crushed tomatoes.
- Reduce the stove to medium-low heat or low and let the sauce simmer gently for at least 20 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite pasta (boil in a large pot and drain according to package instructions). Make sure to top it with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and maybe a few fresh basil leaves!
Adjust the Seasonings as Needed!
Taste the ground chicken bolognese sauce after it’s simmered for 20 minutes and the seasonings have had time to infuse the sauce with flavor. If the sauce tastes flat to you, it likely just needs more salt and pepper. But of course, always season to taste and add what you feel is missing.
Ways to Eat Chicken Bolognese
Serve the bolognese with your favorite pasta such as pappardelle, tagliatelle, spaghetti, noodles of any kind, or really any pasta shape.
Or use it in any Italian recipes that call for classic bolognese or even marinara sauce.
You can also swap in this leaner chicken bolognese in any recipe that calls for classic bolognese sauce or marinara.
For instance, you can try swapping this bolognese sauce in one of the following recipes:
Use this bolognese in these recipes
Recipe FAQs
Yes, I imagine ground turkey will work just as well in this recipe. Just note that ground turkey is even leaner than ground chicken. If the skillet looks dry at any point while you’re browning the turkey, add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan.
I used my food processor but you can use a high speed blender such as a Vitamix if that’s what you have. Sometimes the only catch with a Vitamix is there is not quite enough quantity of ingredients for the blade to catch (get it, haha!) which is why I used a food processor here.
Most types of medium reds will work including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or pinot noir. I wouldn’t use a big, heavy red like a zinfandel because it could overwhelm the sauce, but it’s up to you. Use what you have open or would like to open and sip a glass of while the sauce simmers 🍷
If you don’t have red wine on hand, a dry white wine may be substituted such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio.
If you’d rather not cook with wine, you may use chicken broth instead. Just know that the bolognese sauce won’t taste quite as rich because the depth of flavor wine lends to the sauce just won’t be there.
Traditional bolognese sauce usually includes milk or cream, to give the sauce a creamy texture. Feel free to include ½ cup of milk or cream in this recipe if you like. If you do, add the milk at the same time as the crushed tomatoes. I tested the recipe both with and without milk, and we liked it both ways and didn’t miss it when it wasn’t added.
Pappardelle and spaghetti are the two classic choices, but you can use any pasta shape you like. Bolognese sauce often works best with a long pasta shape, but I’m not the pasta police so use whatever is stashed in your pantry.
Definitely! Chicken bolognese sauce reheats and freezes well. This recipe makes 6 servings, so you can even double the recipe now to have a full batch on hand later on.
What to Serve with Chicken Bolognese
Storage and Reheating Instructions
In the Fridge: Let the sauce cool before sealing in an airtight container. It will last up to 5 days in the fridge. If you also made pasta, I suggest storing it in a separate container.
In the Freezer: Chicken bolognese sauce freezes well, so you can easily make a double batch to have some on hand for later. Store the sauce in individual serving-sized airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. If you also made pasta, I do not recommend freezing it in the sauce.
To Reheat: Heat individual portions in the microwave on high for 30-second intervals. Larger portions of sauce are easiest to reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.
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- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced into large chunks,
- 1 stalk celery, diced into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken, ground turkey may be substituted
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, fined minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste if desired
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or to taste
- ½ cup red wine, (such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir; dry white wine or chicken broth may be substituted but I recommend using red wine)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, (San Marzano highly recommended)
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- Peel the onions and carrots, and roughly chop them and the celery stalk. Tip – Just a very coarse, rough chop is ok because your food processor/blender are going to do the work.
- Add the vegetables to the canister of your appliance, seal, and pulse for about 30 seconds to a minute, or until the vegetables are finely minced but still have a bit of texture. Tip – You do NOT want this silky smooth like a baby food puree. It should retain some chunky bits and texture, so don’t get carried away.
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, pour the vegetable mixture over the top, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft and tender. Stir very frequently.
- Add the chicken, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Crumble, toss, and stir as the chicken cooks to ensure even cooking and browning. Tip – At any time during cooking if the mixture seems very dry, drizzle in a bit of olive oil, as desired.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir constantly.
- Add the red wine, tomato paste, stir to combine, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- After the mixture has come to a simmer, add the crushed tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium, and allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Taste the sauce, and as desired, add additional salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, or even a pinch of granulated sugar, to taste. Seasoning Tips – If the sauce tastes at all flat or boring, it likely needs more salt, so don’t be afraid to add it. If it tastes a bit too acidic, a pinch of sugar is probably in order. Always season to your own tastes.
- Serve as desired, such as over pasta.
- Storage – Extra sauce will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I store all leftovers (fridge or freezer) in individual portion sized containers for easy reheating. I reheat the sauce in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or as necessary.
Serving: 1portion, Calories: 209kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.05g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 680mg, Potassium: 963mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 2116IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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