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Chicken Bolognese Pasta

A patient Dutch-oven simmer turns well-browned ground chicken, vegetables, tomato, wine, and milk into a rich ragù for tagliatelle.

Wide tagliatelle ribbons coated with chicken Bolognese, Parmesan, and chopped parsley in a shallow bowl.

This chicken Bolognese gets its savory depth from a sequence of small reductions: first the chicken browns, then tomato paste darkens, and finally wine cooks down before the tomatoes and milk go in. A gentle uncovered simmer gives the sauce time to thicken while pasta cooks in the last few minutes.

Start with real browning

Ground chicken is lean, so a hot Dutch oven and a broad first layer matter. Letting it sit before breaking it up builds browned patches and leaves flavorful fond for the vegetables to pick up.

Cook off excess moisture

The onion, carrot, and celery should soften until their moisture is gone before the tomato paste and wine are added. That pause keeps the next flavors concentrated instead of diluting the sauce.

Ground chicken develops browned patches in a Dutch oven before the diced vegetables are added. — Ground chicken browns in the Dutch oven before the diced vegetables soften in the fond.

Let the sauce reduce slowly

Milk rounds the tomato and wine as the uncovered sauce simmers, while regular stirring keeps the chicken and vegetables from settling onto the pot's hot base. The useful cue is texture: the ragù should cling to a spoon and have no watery ring.

Bring the pasta and sauce together

Tagliatelle cooks while the sauce finishes, which keeps the meal near its 75-minute target without shortening the simmer. A little reserved pasta water helps the ragù coat the ribbons, and Parmesan and parsley go on at the table.

Glossy tagliatelle carries thick chicken ragù with small vegetables, Parmesan, and parsley. — A glossy coating of chicken ragù clings to wide tagliatelle ribbons beneath Parmesan and parsley.

Chicken Bolognese Pasta

5 servings

75 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb ground chicken
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 lb dried tagliatelle
• 1 tbsp kosher salt, for pasta water
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Prepare the aromatics
Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery into even pieces, and measure the tomato paste, wine, milk, and seasonings before heating the Dutch oven so the sauce can build without pauses.
Look for: The three vegetables are cut to similar small pieces so they soften evenly.
Brown the chicken deeply
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the ground chicken, salt, and pepper, spread it in a broad layer, and let it brown undisturbed for 3 minutes before breaking it into small crumbles and cooking 5 to 7 minutes more.
Look for: The chicken has browned patches and browned fond clings to the pot rather than looking only steamed and gray.
Soften the vegetables
Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrot, and celery to the browned chicken, and cook while stirring for 7 to 8 minutes, scraping the pot as the vegetables release moisture and soften.
Look for: The onion is translucent, the carrot has softened at its edges, and no watery puddle remains.
Toast the paste and reduce wine
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until it darkens a shade. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned fond, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the sharp wine aroma fades and only a thin glaze remains.
Look for: The tomato paste turns brick red and the wine reduces instead of pooling around the chicken.
Simmer the Bolognese
Add the crushed tomatoes, milk, and bay leaf, stirring to combine. Bring the sauce just to a gentle bubble, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom so the sauce reduces without scorching.
Look for: Small bubbles break slowly across the surface, and the finished sauce clings to the spoon without a watery ring.
Cook the tagliatelle
During the final 10 minutes of the sauce simmer, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta-water salt and tagliatelle, and cook according to the package until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy water, then drain.
Look for: The pasta is tender with a slight firm bite at its center, and the reserved water looks cloudy with starch.
Check and loosen the sauce
Remove the bay leaf and taste the sauce; adjust the seasoning only if needed. If it has become tighter than a spoonable ragù, stir in reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until it flows slowly but still coats the chicken.
Look for: The sauce is thick and cohesive, with no thin tomato liquid separating at the edges.
Toss and finish
Add the drained tagliatelle to the Dutch oven and toss until every ribbon is coated, adding another splash of pasta water if needed. Divide among warm bowls and finish each serving with Parmesan and parsley.
Look for: The pasta is glossy and the sauce stays attached to the ribbons rather than collecting underneath.