5 from 2 votes

Delicious Chicken Bolognese (Meal-Prep Ready)

Name: Delicious Chicken Bolognese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 200 g cooking bacon, chopped into chunks (£1); 2 carrots, peeled & finely diced (£0.20); 3 celery stalks, finely diced (£0.75); 1 onion, finely diced (£0.79); 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (£0.50); 250 g mushrooms, finely chopped (£1.50); 1 kg chicken mince (£2.49); 3 cans (400g) of chopped tomatoes (£0.47x3); 150 ml milk (£1.20); 280 g spaghetti (£0.28); 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp tomato puree; 2 tbsp Worcester sauce; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 300 ml beef stock; Salt; Pepper

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Mimi Harrison Updated onNovember 17, 2025

This chicken bolognese is full of flavour and easy to freeze, which makes it the perfect budget-friendly option for weeknight dinners.

Prep time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Makes: 8

Main

Italian

Freezable

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If you’re after a big comforting dinner that tastes like it simmered all day, this chicken bolognese might be the one. It’s a simple, healthy take on the classic, using lean chicken mince and loads of finely diced veggies. This chicken bolognese recipe makes a big batch, perfect with my Creamy Polenta with Parmesan and ideal for DAYS of easy meals.

A close-up of cooked spaghetti topped with a chunky tomato and ground meat sauce, garnished with chopped parsley, served in a large skillet.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This budget-friendly chicken bolognese pasta is perfect for feeding the family or getting a huge head start on your week’s meals. Here are a few reasons why I think you’ll like this one:

Deep flavour: The secret weapon in a chicken spaghetti bolognese is the low, slow simmer. Letting the smoky bacon, aromatics, and a dash of milk melt together creates a lovely sauce. My Easy Ragu Bianco is another recipe that gets its amazing punch from a slow cook.
Simple: Don’t worry about the long simmer time for flavour as the hands-on cooking part is very quick. You just build up your flavour base on the hob then let your chicken bolognese gently bubble away on its own.
Really versatile: It’s great with spaghetti, obviously, but this chunky sauce is also brilliant spooned over a fluffy air-fried Jacket Potato or for making my all-time favourite bolognese dish- my chicken lasagna.

For more delicious sauces like this one, check out Quick Green Spinach Pasta Sauce, Easy Tomato Basil Sauce, and Creamy Lemon Sauce.

Table of Contents

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Ingredients

The success of this chicken bolognese comes down to combining budget ingredients with some key steps for maximum flavour:

Chicken mince: I use lean (5%) chicken mince instead of beef because it’s budget-friendly and really soaks up all those beautiful sauce flavours. Bolognese chicken feels a bit lighter than a classic beef ragu. You could easily use turkey mince here just like I do in this Ground Turkey Pasta recipe.
Bacon: Using chopped cooking bacon is important because it gives the ground chicken bolognese a smoky foundation. Frying it first creates that lovely rendered fat, which we then use to soften the vegetables. It’s much cheaper than pancetta and works just as well.
Milk: Adding a small splash of milk right before the long simmer softens the texture of the meat and helps create a smooth velvety texture in this chicken bolognese spaghetti similar to my Spicy Rigatoni Vodka.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

Try these simple tweaks to make this chicken bolognese absolutely perfect for what you have in the cupboard:

Load up the veg: Want to sneak in more good stuff? Chuck in some finely diced courgette or perhaps a red pepper when you’re sautéing the carrot and celery. Just cook them down properly until all the water has gone, otherwise the sauce will be too watery.
Make it spicy: If you like a bit of a kick in your chicken bolognese linguine, add a generous pinch of chili flakes or one finely chopped red chili pepper when you put in the garlic and tomato puree. It’s a great contrast when you serve it with a simple side like my Budget Green Goddess Salad.
Swap the protein: If you don’t have chicken mince, you can definitely use turkey or lean beef mince instead. If you go for beef, you can skip the bacon fat and just use a tablespoon of olive oil, but that bacon adds a lot of flavour. For a vegetarian swap, try my Easy Mushroom Ragu.

How to make chicken bolognese

Chopped bacon cooking in a frying pan, with bowls of diced onions and carrots, chopped mushrooms, and minced garlic on a wooden surface nearby.

Step 1: Add the olive oil and chopped bacon into a large saucepan over low/medium heat. Gently fry the bacon until it’s nice and crispy, then remove it from the pan, leaving the rendered fat behind.

A frying pan with chopped onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and bacon being sautéed, stirred with a red spatula. Open cans of tomatoes are visible on the wooden countertop.

Step 2: Add the carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms to the hot fat. Season with salt and pepper and fry over medium heat until the moisture has cooked off and the vegetables are soft.

Raw ground meat sits on top of sautéed diced vegetables in a frying pan on a stovetop, with a window, a salt grinder, and a can of tomato sauce in the background.

Step 3: Add the garlic, chicken mince, and tomato puree into the pan with the vegetables. Cook for about 3 minutes, breaking up the mince until it starts to brown.

A pan of chunky, tomato-based stew simmers on a stovetop near a window, accompanied by a vase of pink tulips and a pepper grinder. A red spoon rests in the pan.

Step 4: Pour in all the liquids (chopped tomatoes, milk, and beef stock) and return the crispy bacon to the pan. Stir in the remaining seasonings.

A close-up view of a pan filled with chunky chili, featuring ground meat, tomatoes, beans, and vegetables in a rich, reddish-brown sauce. A metal spoon rests inside the pan, ready for serving.

Step 5: Reduce the heat to low. Leave the sauce uncovered to simmer gently for at least one hour (or longer if you have time!) until the liquid has reduced and the sauce looks thick and rich.

A pan of spaghetti mixed with meat sauce garnished with chopped parsley, sits on a wooden table beside a pot filled with extra sauce. A metal fork rests in the pan.

Step 6: Cook your spaghetti according to the package instructions. Toss the finished pasta with a generous portion of the rich chicken bolognese and garnish with parsley and black pepper to serve.

If you have leftover bacon, consider making Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Creamy Bacon Pasta, or Easy Cottage Cheese Egg Bites.

Tips for the best result

Make sure the heat is turned right down to low when it’s simmering. You want it to bubble gently and reduce slowly to build that deep flavour and texture. If you have time to cook this for two hours, that’s even better!
Seasoning the vegetables first, and then the whole sauce later, just makes the flavour so much more rounded and vibrant.
Spaghetti chicken bolognese is great, but if you fancy switching up the carb, this sauce makes a fantastic base for my Chicken Lasagna recipe.
This chicken bolognese makes a double batch that serves 8, which is perfect for meal prepping and is freezer-friendly. Store it in individual pots for super quick dinners or lunches during the week.
If the sauce gets too thick while it’s simmering, don’t worry! Just add a small splash of water or a bit more beef stock to loosen it up to your perfect consistency.

Cooked spaghetti topped with a chicken bolognese sauce, garnished with chopped parsley.

Serving Suggestions

Once you’ve got this amazing chicken bolognese ready, the possibilities are endless. Spaghetti is the classic, but this sauce is chunky and versatile enough to use for so much more.

Try it with:

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

I designed this double-batch of chicken bolognese to be meal-prep gold, so it stores really well for easy dinners and lunches later on.

Refrigerator: Let the sauce cool down completely before you pop it into an airtight container. It will keep really well in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer: Yes, it’s freezer-friendly! Pour the cooled sauce into freezer-safe bags or containers and you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Just remember to thaw it overnight in the fridge before you reheat it.

Reheat: The best way is to reheat it slowly in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring it until it’s piping hot all the way through. You might need to add a splash of stock or water to loosen the consistency up a bit.

Recipe FAQs

Should I add milk to chicken bolognese?

Yes, it’s a traditional Italian step. Adding a small amount of milk helps soften the meat and significantly cuts through the sharp acidity of the chopped tomatoes. This ensures your final spaghetti chicken bolognese has a much more balanced flavour rather than being sharp.

How do you thicken chicken bolognese sauce quickly?

The simplest way is to just leave the lid off and let it continue simmering gently for another 15 to 30 minutes, allowing the liquids to naturally reduce and concentrate. If you are really short on time, you can stir in a spoonful of cornflour mixed with cold water (a slurry) right at the end.

Can I substitute chicken mince in bolognese?

This recipe works perfectly well with lean turkey mince for a similar flavour and texture. You can also use lean beef mince, but remember the flavour will be much heavier and richer, so you may want to reduce the amount of cooking bacon you use.

Is chicken bolognese good for freezing?

Yes, this spaghetti bolognese chicken sauce freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, which is why I make a double batch! Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then reheat it gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat. You might need to add a splash of stock to loosen the consistency as it warms up.

If you need something sweet for after, try Chocolate Protein Muffins, Easy Nutella Puff Pastry, and Delicious Vanilla Sponge Cake.

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