This healthy bolognese bianco (white bolognese) is a tomato-free Italian meat sauce made with most of the classic ingredients with the exception of ground chicken and bone broth. These ingredient swaps make a low calorie and high protein bolognese that’s still rich and flavorful.
You can use this chicken bolognese to make pasta dishes like classic spaghetti bolognese, a low fat lasagna filling, or even pair leftovers with a box of high protein mac and cheese. More on that later! For now, I’ll walk you through all the ingredients and cover substitutions as we go.
Ingredients
Don’t be scared by the lengthier ingredient lineup. There are plenty of shortcuts to take, starting with the soffritto (onion, carrots, and celery). These days most grocery stores have this trio pre-diced in one form or another. You can even use frozen!
You’ll notice in the ingredient photo below that I don’t shy away from convenience ingredients like frozen crushed garlic and pre-chopped pancetta. Since this recipe simmers for quite some time, I think you can get away with shortcuts like these. Is it the most traditional? Of course not. But neither is making a bolognese with ground chicken.
Speaking of traditional bolognese recipes, my recipe omits the standard white wine and uses a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (any vinegar will do the trick) to add acidity without the alcohol. Combined with chicken bone broth and milk, this trio rounds out the liquid that goes into your bolognese.
I wanted to make an alcohol-free bolognese but since certain flavors are soluble in alcohol, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups of wine for equal parts bone broth and omit the vinegar for ultimate flavor development.
While plain old chicken broth off the shelf will work for this recipe, I would spring for bone broth for a thick and unctuous bolognese. If you have homemade chicken stock, that works great as a replacement. Bonus points if you can find a bone broth with a lemon herb flavor like the one from H-E-B pictured above. I believe Kettle and Fire makes one as well.
The rest of the band is pretty flexible. Feel free to swap the herbs to fit your flavor preference, and you can even omit the pancetta (or bacon) and just use olive oil to make a pork-free bolognese.
While this is a ground chicken bolognese recipe, it totally works with ground turkey. You might even go with Italian ground turkey and pick up an extra pound for turkey meatballs.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient list with specific measurements.
How to Make This Ground Chicken Bolognese
Below you will find a step by step visual guide to making this meat sauce with a few additional tips that you may not see in the printable recipe card.
Step 1 (Optional): Cook Chopped Pancetta or Bacon
Start the pancetta in a room temperature Dutch oven or pot over medium heat to gradually render the fat and achieve even crisping. Once the pancetta is crispy, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
Center cut bacon is typically a leaner pork option that packs plenty of bacon flavor without as much fat as something like pancetta. You might even be able to get away with turkey bacon.
If you’re leaving out the pork, add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of olive oil and move on to step 2.
Step 2: Brown Two Pounds of Ground Chicken Breast
Add the ground chicken to the pot. I like to break it into smaller chunks to create vents for steam. This creates better browning.
Be sure to give the chicken time to develop a golden brown crust on one side. Typically 3-5 minutes does the trick. Don’t be afraid to give it longer.
Step 3: Break the Ground Chicken Apart Before Adding Diced Onion, Carrots, Celery, Salt, and Pepper.
Traditionally, the soffritto is sautéed on its own. After making my turkey bolognese with sautéed veggies and skipping the step of browning the meat on its own, I like this method better. I find adding the veggies to the pot alongside the browned, but not fully cooked, ground chicken achieves the softened veggies you’re looking for all the same.
A little pro tip related to the soffritto: If you have picky eaters in your house, you can toss the veggies in a food processor and blitz them instead of dicing. Enjoy the hidden veggie bolognese! I do this all the time for things like chili and quesadillas to get some extra vegetables in my picky eater.
Step 4: Fully Cook the Chicken Before Adding Garlic, Chopped Herbs, Nutmeg, and Cooked Pancetta
If you’re using frozen cubes of crushed garlic like I did, this step might take a minute or two. Stir everything together and as soon as you’re smelling garlic and the aromatics, proceed to the next step.
Since I didn’t mention in the ingredient section above, you’re always encouraged to increase the amount of garlic in recipes to fit your flavor preferences.
Step 5: Add Chicken Bone Broth, Milk, and Apple Cider Vinegar. Cover with the Lid Slightly Cracked and Simmer for 2-3 Hours Until Thick.
Leaving the lid cracked creates enough pressure in the pot to concentrate flavors while cooking off water and reducing the bolognese at a decent rate. Stir the sauce every hour or so to keep an eye on things.
You’re looking for a thick meat sauce with very little liquid remaining. It should basically leave a trail when dragging a spatula through the sauce.
If you’re nervous about leaving a big pot of something going on your stovetop, you can accomplish the same thing in an oven. I haven’t tested this specific recipe, but I’d start with 350ºF for a couple hours.
Step 6: Finish with Grated Cheese, Parsley, Lemon Juice and Zest, Salt and Pepper, and Chili Flakes.
Add the cheese, herbs, lemon, and any chile flakes or black pepper before salting to taste.
Keep in mind, this sauce will likely be going in pasta dishes that may have salted pasta water incorporated. Don’t overdo it here.
Thanks to the ground chicken, this is a very low fat bolognese. If you like a creamy sauce and can live with a few extra calories, adding 2-4 tablespoons of heavy cream or butter at this step would be a solid idea. For a low calorie creamy component, I’ve used blended ricotta to make creamy turkey pasta and blended cottage cheese for queso.
See the next section below for tips on pairing this chicken bolognese with pasta and other dishes.
Making Pasta Bolognese and Other Uses for the Sauce
The easiest way to use this sauce is with freshly cooked pasta. Just cook your choice of pasta al dente in a pot of salted boiling water then toss it with the chicken bolognese, a little pasta water, and extra parmesan until everything comes together nicely.
For a high protein pasta bolognese, I use chickpea pastas like Banza all the time. But there are plenty of high protein pastas on shelves now.
Goodles mac and cheese (pictured below) is a recent favorite that comes in a variety of flavors with a packet for cheese sauce just like the boxed mac and cheese we all know and love. I paired a box with about one cup of the leftover bolognese and topped with some Calabrian chiles. Good(les) stuff, indeed!
You can also use the bolognese for dishes like lasagna, stuffed peppers, toasted subs and melts, pizza, stuffed shells, or anything else you can dream up.
If you’ve been around these parts before, you know I love stuffing any kind of leftovers inside a tortilla with cheese to make quesadillas. Mission Carb Balance tortillas and mozzarella would make amazing bolognese chicken quesadillas.
All right, if you need to run any ideas for using this sauce by me, the comments section at the bottom of this post is open. You can leave any other questions you have about the recipe or ingredients there as well. I hope you enjoy this chicken bolognese, and I would seriously appreciate a recipe review if you do!
High Protein Ground Chicken Bolognese
A high protein bolognese bianco or white bolognese made with lean ground chicken breast. Perfect for pairing with your favorite healthy pasta or using to make lasagna, mac and cheese, and more.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Pancetta or Bacon, diced (optional)*
- 2 pounds Ground Chicken Breast
- 1 large Sweet Onion, diced
- 2 medium Carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk Celery, diced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced or crushed
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) Poultry Herbs (Rosemary, Sage, Thyme), finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 cups Chicken Bone Broth
- 1 cup Milk
For Finishing
- Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1-2 handfuls Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the pancetta or bacon to a room temperature Dutch oven or pot and place over medium heat. Cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crispy. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the ground chicken to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes until a golden brown crust has formed on one side. Break the chicken apart with a spatula and add the diced onion, celery, and carrot. Season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes until the veggies begin to soften and the chicken is fully cooked. Add the garlic, chopped herbs, nutmeg, and cooked pancetta. Stir everything together and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the vinegar, chicken bone broth, and milk to the pot and bring to a simmer before reducing the heat to medium-low. Place a lid on the Dutch oven, leaving it slightly cracked. Simmer for 2-3 hours until the liquid has fully reduced and you’re left with a thick meat sauce.
- Stir in the lemon juice and zest, freshly chopped parsley, and grated parmigiano reggiano. Salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, cook your choice of pasta to al dente in a pot of boiling salted water. Toss the cooked pasta with the bolognese and stir in a splash of pasta water and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano to bring everything together.
Notes
*You can omit the pancetta and use 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of olive oil to brown the ground chicken in step 2.
Store leftover bolognese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for longer. I like to store the sauce on its own and reheat it as needed for a specific dish with freshly cooked pasta.
See the post above for more tips on ingredient substitutions and a visual recipe walkthrough.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 3/4 cup (about 6 oz)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gProtein: 28g
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Katherine Jackson
Sunday 13th of April 2025
Making this right now! Just to be clear, the serving portion is just for the Bolognese correct? Not including the pasta?
Mason Woodruff
Wednesday 21st of May 2025
Yep, that's correct. Wanted to make it easy to calculate with any type and any amount of pasta.
Amanda
Wednesday 2nd of April 2025
Hi! At what point do you add the pancetta back to the dish- or do you?
Mason Woodruff
Friday 4th of April 2025
My mistake! It goes in with the garlic and everything else in step 3.