Today I am going to share a recipe for an absolute family favourite with you – Spaghetti Alioli!!! I know every Italian will cringe at the spelling of it! But no one knows how to spell aglio e olio, so alioli it was! Also, I’m pretty sure that our version of this dish is a million times better – a family special!
So, to me, Spaghetti Alioli is an amazing dish of al dente Spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, chilli, parsley and an optional – but infinitely better – side of chicken.
What is Spaghetti Alioli?
Spaghetti Alioli, or aglio e olio if spelled correctly, is Italian for spaghetti with garlic and oil. But it does have a few additions – fresh parsley for one, and also some red chilli. Depending on how hot you would like it to be, you can use a whole or half a chilli, and also take the seeds out if you want to reduce the spice even more.
Fresh basil is perfect for sprinkling on top of the finished dish and just adds that certain je-ne-sais-quoi!
While this dish is primarily a vegetarian dish, we have always served this with some fried chicken breast fillets on the side. We have also made other meat in the past, such as lamb or pork fillet, but chicken is definitely the best!
What to look out for when making Spaghetti Alioli?
In principle, Spaghetti Alioli is a very easy dish to make. However, there are a few things you should look out for when making it!
For one, as olive oil is key to this dish you should use some really nice high-quality extra virgin olive oil. It will make the end result taste infinitely better. Another critical point is that you need to make sure that the oil isn’t too hot when you add the garlic and chilli. Otherwise it could burn and become bitter and potentially ruin the dish.
Another crucial ingredient to make the Spaghetti Alioli the best it can be is Aromat. Aromat, sometimes also called all-purpose seasoning in the UK, is a salty-herby concoction of spices – I can really describe it, but it makes almost any dish taste better!
And then one final thing, really make sure you add the mixed herbs to the chicken near the end of the cooking time, otherwise they could also burn and become bitter.
More Family Favourite Recipes
There’s nothing better than a family favourite – something that everybody loves either cooking or sitting down to! Something that makes you salivate at the mere thought of it! I’ve got some more of my (family’s) favourite recipes on my blog, so make sure to check out some of the ones listed below (I realise we really like chicken):
- Chicken Supreme
- Creamy Pesto and Chicken Pasta
- Homemade Pizza
- Chicken, Red Pepper and Avocado Wraps
- Smokey Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti
- Chicken, Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry
- Thai Green Curry
- Pasta, Spinach Sauce and Salmon
- Easy Lasagne Recipe
- Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya
- Spaghetti with Meatballs | Lady and the Tramp Recipe
- Grandma’s Thick Vegetable Soup
- Chicken, Bacon and Leak Pie with Hot Water Crust Pastry
- 2 Ingredient Naan Breads
- Spaghetti Pesto with Feta Cheese
- Pasta with Cheese Sauce
Spaghetti Alioli | Spaghetti Aglio e Olio | Family Favourite
Recipe
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 400g spaghetti (feel free to use a 50:50 mix of white and wholemeal spaghetti)
- 5-6 tbsp good-quality olive oil, plus some for the chicken
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 large bunch (~100g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- Aromat (sometimes called all purpose seasoning)
- 3 chicken breast fillets, cut into thick slices
- Salt, pepper
- Herbes de Provence (or dried Mixed Herbs)
- Fresh basil, to serve
Method:
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions (~9-11 minutes) until al dente.
- In the meantime, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken. Once the underside is crispy, turn to cook the other side and season with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain through a colander and cover with the lid of a pot to keep warm.
- Place the same pot back onto the hob. If using a gas hob, set it over the lowest possible flame, if you have an electric hob, you can probably just use the residual heat. Then pour in the olive oil and heat it up.
- Once the oil is hot (test it by adding a little garlic and see if it starts to sizzle) add in the garlic and chilli. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly and making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Use a large spoon to remove roughly half of the olive oil/chilli/garlic mix while you add the spaghetti.
- Add in half of the chopped parsley, then return the spaghetti to the pot. Spoon on the reserved oil/chilli/garlic mix and add in the second half of the parsley. Season very generously with Aromat, then use two forks to toss the spaghetti until fully coated in oil, garlic, chilli and parsley. Work as quickly as possible to avoid the Spaghetti Alioli getting too cold.
- Serve the Spaghetti Alioli with the chicken and scatter some freshly chopped basil on top. Also, my family finds that you will almost always need some extra Aromat!
