This chicken penne dish brings together seared chicken, crispy bacon, and wilted spinach in a silky Parmesan tomato cream sauce that clings to every bite of pasta. It's a 30-minute weeknight dinner that layers smoky, creamy, and savory flavors without requiring more than one pan.
Recipe Summary
- ⏱️ Total time: 30 minutes start to finish
- 🍽️ Equipment needed: One large skillet, no extra pots for the sauce
- 🥓 Bacon prep: Cooked crisp first and set aside so its rendered fat flavors the rest of the dish
- 🐔 Chicken prep: Seared in the bacon fat until golden, then sliced and returned later
- 🍅 Sauce base: Tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan simmered together until thickened and glossy
- 🥬 Spinach timing: Added at the end just to wilt, keeping its color and texture intact
- 🍝 Pasta pairing: Penne holds the chunky sauce well, catching bits of bacon and chicken in every bite
This creamy chicken pasta with bacon and spinach started as a way to use up half a package of bacon and a container of spinach that was about to turn. Now it's the dinner I make when I want something that tastes like it took effort but actually took twenty minutes of active cooking. Seared chicken, crispy bacon, wilted spinach, and penne all end up in one Parmesan tomato cream sauce that clings to every ridge of pasta.
If you like this kind of creamy pasta, I've also got a chicken pasta with white wine and Parmesan that's lighter and a touch more delicate than this one.
Why I keep coming back to this one
Bacon builds the base, seared chicken adds heft, and the Parmesan-cream sauce ties everything together with just enough kick from red pepper flakes. It's the kind of dish where the technique is simple - sear, sauté, stir - but the payoff tastes bigger than the effort it took. I've made it for a rushed Tuesday and for a table full of people, and it holds up both ways.
If you're into easy chicken pasta, Chicken Lazone and Creamy Garlic Lemon Pasta are two more I reach for often.
Ingredients for Chicken Bacon Pasta
- Chicken: Chicken breast is neutral enough to absorb creamy sauce flavors but substantial enough to make this a full meal. You can substitute ground chicken for chicken breasts.
- Bacon: Bacon adds smoky, salty depth and creates a flavorful base fat for sautéing other ingredients. Love the combination of bacon and spinach?Try this spinach and bacon stuffed chicken breast for another easy, family-friendly dinner.
- Pasta: Penne's shape holds onto creamy sauce beautifully. You could use rotini or shells too; what matters is surface area and ridges that help capture sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: It thickens the sauce naturally. Freshly grated cheese melts evenly - pre-shredded versions often contain anti-caking agents that can make sauce gritty.
- Tomatoes: If you don't like messing around with fresh tomatoes, you can always replace them with a can of diced tomatoes, drained.
- Spinach. It slightly thickens the sauce as it wilts, preventing it from feeling too heavy. If you don't have fresh spinach, thawed frozen works fine (just squeeze out the extra moisture).
- Heavy Cream: Using milk instead of heavy cream would make the sauce thinner and less stable.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes.
You will also need butter and olive oil.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients, measurements & instructions are in the recipe card below.
1. Cook Bacon and Chicken
- Cook Bacon: Dice the bacon and cook in a large skillet (12-inch works best) over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain and wipe out excess fat, leaving a thin coating for flavor.
- Cook Chicken: Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sear in olive oil (same pan) over medium-high heat for 4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Remove and slice into strips.
2. Sauté Veggies & Build the Sauce
- Add Seasonings: Sprinkle in paprika, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Sauté Garlic: Add butter to the skillet. Once melted, add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add Tomatoes & Spinach: Stir in diced tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted and tomatoes have released their juices, 2-3 minutes.
3. Make it Creamy
- Add Cream: Lower heat to medium-low. Pour in heavy cream and stir. (Tip: Never boil cream! Keep the heat gentle.)
- Melt in Parmesan: Once the cream is hot but not boiling, gradually add fresh grated Parmesan, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened.
4. Combine & Finish
- Cook Pasta: Meanwhile, cook penne in salted boiling water until al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
- Add Everything Back: Return sliced chicken, crispy bacon, and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss well to coat in the creamy sauce-add reserved pasta water if needed to loosen.
- Garnish & Serve: Sprinkle chopped parsley and extra Parmesan on top. Serve piping hot!
Creamy chicken pasta is a comforting classic that anyone can master at home. With this fully detailed recipe, beginner cooks can create satisfying, crowd-pleasing meals without the restaurant price-and seasoned cooks will find plenty of ways to tweak and perfect their own version. Let me know in comments, or on Facebook or Instagram if you make this recipe.
Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Spinach
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 6 bacon strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken (thick in size, such as chicken breasts)
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 4 small tomatoes (diced)
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (more, if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded (more for garnish)
Pasta:
- 10 oz. penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons Parsley (chopped)
Instructions
Cook bacon
- Add bacon strips to the skillet and cook until crispy. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined platter that will absorb extra grease. Chop into 1 inch pieces
- Drain the bacon fat from the skillet and wipe the skillet with a paper towel.
Cook chicken
- Paper towel dry the chicken and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then set aside.
- Heat olive oil in the same skillet.
- Add chicken breasts and cook on each side on medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side (for a total of 8 minutes) until nicely browned.
- If chicken is still pink in the center, reduce heat to medium and cook covered for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from pan and slice it.
Make sauce
- Add butter to the hot pan and once it melts, add chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes on medium high until tomatoes release their juices. Add fresh spinach and cook until it wilts.
- Reduce the heat and season with paprika, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and salt. Mix.
- Next add heavy cream - you are still cooking on low heat. Once heavy cream is slightly simmering, slowly add Parmesan cheese. Once you add the cheese, stir on low simmer until smooth.
Cook pasta
- In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse.
Final assembly
- Add sliced chicken, bacon and pasta to the sauce in the pan.Once heated up, add chopped parsley. Stir until fully coated in sauce.Season with more salt if necessary.
- Serve with additional shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Grate your own Parmesan for this one. The pre-shredded stuff has anti-caking starch on it that makes cream sauces go slightly grainy instead of silky. It's a five-minute difference that actually shows up in the final texture.
- Bacon fat is doing more than flavor here - it's your emulsifier. If you drain the pan completely after cooking the bacon, the sauce won't bind the same way. Leave a thin film, even if it looks like more fat than you think you need.
- Cook the chicken in batches if your pan is crowded. Overlapping pieces steam instead of sear, and you lose the browned bits on the bottom of the pan that would otherwise flavor the sauce.
- If the sauce breaks: pull the pan off the heat immediately, add a splash of warm (not cold) pasta water, and stir in slow circles rather than whisking hard. Whisking fast can actually push it further apart instead of bringing it back together.
- Spinach releases water as it wilts - if your sauce looks thinner than expected right after adding it, give it a minute before adjusting. It usually tightens back up on its own as the liquid cooks off.
- This one doesn't freeze well. Cream sauces separate on thawing no matter how carefully you reheat them. If you want a freezer-friendly version, hold the cream and Parmesan back and stir them in fresh after thawing the base.
- Reheating leftovers: low heat, lid on, splash of cream or reserved pasta water stirred in halfway through. Skip the microwave if you can - it heats unevenly and tends to make the sauce split at the edges of the bowl before the center's even warm.
Pro Tips for the Best Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon
- Season your chicken well before searing. Generously seasoning the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning before it hits the pan builds the first layer of flavor in this dish - don't rely solely on the sauce.
- Always use freshly grated Parmesan. Pre-shredded Parmesan contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly, leaving you with a grainy sauce. Grating from a wedge takes 60 seconds and makes a noticeable difference in this creamy chicken pasta. For another recipe where Parmesan is the star, this crispy Parmesan crusted chicken is pan-fried in 25 minutes and incredibly satisfying.
- Add cheese off the heat. Once you stir in the heavy cream, lower the heat to the absolute minimum before adding Parmesan. High heat causes dairy-based sauces to break and separate - low and slow keeps the sauce silky and cohesive.
- Don't skip the pasta water. Before draining your penne, reserve at least ½ cup of starchy pasta water. Adding a splash to the sauce helps it cling to every piece of pasta and creates that glossy, restaurant-quality finish.
- Make it your own. This chicken bacon pasta is incredibly versatile - add sautéed mushrooms or roasted red peppers, swap spinach for kale, or stir in sun-dried tomatoes for a deeper, more intense tomato flavor.
Getting the sauce right
- Season the chicken well before it hits the pan - that first layer of flavor matters as much as the sauce.
- Grate Parmesan fresh. It melts smoother and takes about a minute.
- Add cheese with the heat low, since high heat is what makes cream sauces break and turn grainy.
- Save that pasta water - a splash brings the sauce back together if it tightens up.
Ways to change it up
- Lighter version: swap heavy cream for half-and-half. Skip regular milk - it's too thin and breaks easily in a tomato-based sauce.
- Different bacon: turkey bacon works if you want something leaner, or use pancetta or diced smoked sausage for a different kind of smoke.
- Vegetarian: drop the chicken and bacon, and sauté 8 oz cremini mushrooms with ½ cup roasted red peppers instead.
- Spicier: double the red pepper flakes, or finish with a drizzle of Calabrian chili oil.
- Deeper tomato flavor: replace the diced tomatoes with chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil.
Creamy Chicken Pasta is one of the most versatile dinners you can make - check out The Complete Guide to Pasta Recipes for all the variations.
Common questions
Yes - it actually tastes better the next day once the flavors settle. Store in the fridge up to 3 days and reheat gently with a splash of cream or pasta water.
Usually the heat was too high when the Parmesan or cream went in. Pull the pan off the heat, add a splash of warm pasta water, and stir in a circular motion until it comes back together.
Cream sauces don't freeze cleanly - they tend to separate on thawing. If freezing is the plan, hold off on the cream and Parmesan until you reheat.
Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the sauce to make up for the missing smoke, and use a tablespoon of olive oil to sauté the chicken and garlic instead.
Rounding out the meal
I usually serve this with an Olive Garden-style salad, a loaf of Dutch Oven Bread, or steamed broccoli on the side. A glass of Pinot Grigio pairs well if you're serving this for a dinner that's a little more than a Tuesday.
Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Reheat: Warm creamy chicken pasta gently over low heat on the stove, adding a splash of cream, milk, or reserved pasta water and stirring often to refresh the sauce. For microwave, cover lightly and heat in short bursts, stirring in between.
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Fully cool, then freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge overnight before reheating.
More Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Louisiana Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
This Creamy Chicken Pasta recipe was originally published Aug 14, 2017. It was updated and republished 10/15/25.
Dave says
Very flavorful. Easy and quick.
Laureen says
Looks good
Wendy G says
This was really, really good. Made as directed with the author’s suggestion of swapping fresh diced tomatoes for drained diced tomatoes. Definitely keeping this in our dinner rotation!
Ann says
I make all lot. My family loves it. And its great the next day maybe even better.
Laurie Courter says
Very good! The only changes I made were after cooking the bacon, I drained all but a T of the grease and sauteed the tomatoes with chopped mushrooms. I also added twice as much spinach. I used 2 breasts from a rotisserie chicken and added some of the thigh meat as well. This is a well seasoned dish.
Olya Shepard says
So happy it worked with the rotisserie chicken! I'm glad you liked it!
Tammy says
Can this recipe be frozen and reheated?
Olya says
Yes, you can freeze it, but cook pasta al dente so that it's still sort of firm when you freeze it. Otherwise, it will be mushy.
Lola says
It was so good but it’s really hard to not finish everything at once. Thank you for low fat alternatives!
Rose says
It’s not unhealthy unless you eat like this all the time! Because you have a fat issue that’s on you not the recipe!
Nicole says
Do you think it’s fattening?? Ok then just don’t make it then. Or maybe make it as written and then eat it on your cheat day if you r counting fat. I think this was spectacular!! Try it.
Marsharena Lee says
This dish is phenomenal! I wouldn't change anything about it, well maybe add way more spinach. But this recipe is great just the way it is!
Olya says
Thank you for your kind words!
Sophie says
I used this recipe as inspiration. Had a bit of tomato basil sauce leftover so used it instead of tomatoes. Don't use cream so thickened an equivalent amount of evaporated milk with a bit of flour. Omitted bacon and chicken and served it with an Italian sausage and spinach. Very tasty. Thank you for the inspiration.
Olya Shepard says
Very very good inspiration result!