Saffron Chicken Penne
Saffron Chicken Penne is a creamy Italian-style pasta main course made with tender chicken breast, saffron threads, double cream and fresh spinach. The Thermomix grates the Parmesan, mixes the silky sauce and cooks everything with precise heat control, delivering an elegant weeknight dinner without constant stirring or multiple pans on the hob.
About this recipe
Saffron Chicken Penne with the Thermomix TM7 brings a touch of restaurant luxury to your quick weeknight dinner routine. This creamy pasta recipe starts with saffron threads blooming into golden double cream, coating tender pieces of chicken breast and penne in a silky, aromatic sauce. Fresh spinach wilts gently into the mix at the end, adding colour and a mild earthy note, while Parmesan — grated to a fine snow in seconds — melts through for savoury depth. What makes this recipe such a winner in the all-in-one kitchen machine is the way the TM7 handles each stage: the mixing bowl grates, mixes and heats the sauce with exact temperature control, so the cream never curdles and the saffron flavour develops fully without you standing at the hob. Perfect for two people or a family, it turns a handful of everyday ingredients into an elegant main course that tastes like far more effort than it took. Serve it straight from the bowl with extra pepper and Parmesan.
Preparation tips
- Crumble the saffron threads between your fingers before adding them to the warm cream, as this releases their aroma and colour far better than whole threads and gives the penne sauce a deeper golden hue.
- Cook the penne separately until just al dente and add it to the sauce at the very end, so it keeps its bite and does not absorb all the saffron cream before serving.
- Slice the chicken breast into even strips so the pieces cook uniformly, and toss the fresh spinach through the sauce off the heat so the leaves wilt gently rather than overcooking.
Recipe variations
- Make a vegetarian version by replacing the chicken breast with chunks of courgette and roasted red pepper; the saffron cream, spinach and Parmesan work beautifully with vegetables and the dish stays just as creamy.
- For a lighter or lactose-free variant, swap the double cream for oat-based cooking cream and use a lactose-free hard cheese instead of Parmesan; the saffron still delivers plenty of flavour.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- The built-in scale weighs the penne and chicken breast to the gram directly in the mixing bowl, so the ratios for this creamy pasta are always spot on. [Built-in Scale]
- Grating the Parmesan in seconds gives an ultra-fine texture that melts seamlessly into the saffron cream for a savoury, glossy sauce. [Multi-Function]
- The TM7 mixes the double cream and saffron into a silky, evenly coloured sauce far faster than manual stirring in a pan. [Time Savings]
- Precise heating keeps the saffron cream at a gentle temperature, preventing the sauce from splitting while the flavours infuse. [Precision Control]
- Steaming the fresh spinach keeps its vibrant green colour and nutrients intact before it folds into the finished penne. [Multi-Function]
Ingredients
- Parmesan cheese
- saffron threads
- water
- fine sea salt
- olive oil
- penne
- chicken breast
- double cream
- ground black pepper
- fresh spinach