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Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon

August 14, 2017 by Olya 390 Comments

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Creamy chicken pasta with bacon is easy to make weeknight one pot pasta dish! With only 30 minutes of total work, this chicken dinner recipe is simple, fast and delicious! Full of tender chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and bacon!Creamy chicken pasta with bacon

Creamy chicken pasta with spinach and bacon is one of my favorite things to eat! And how about you? After all, it’s a very rich and indulgent treat for dinner. I also love that it only takes about 30 minutes to make it. This easy pasta recipe will yield about 4 servings.

By the way, you can easily double if you are feeding a crowd or want extra for later. The restaurant chicken pasta just doesn’t compare to this delicious homemade version with spinach, bacon and tomatoes! Once you make it, you will know what I’m talking about.

WHAT’S IN CREAMY CHICKEN PASTA SAUCE?

I made this Creamy Chicken pasta sauce using butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. While the bacon and chicken are great together, I simply like to add garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to make the sauce taste even better!

Note that it is best to use freshly grated parmesan cheese right off of the block so that your sauce isn’t grainy.  I do not recommend using the “shaker” style container grated cheese for this recipe.

The Parmesan will thicken this sauce up.  If it isn’t quite thick enough, allow the sauce to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PASTA:

  • The first step to making chicken pasta is to brown the chicken in a large saucepan over medium heat. Then, add garlic.
  • Next, you will pour in your heavy cream.
  • Lastly, you will add your parmesan cheese and stir just until the cheese has melted and your sauce is smooth.

Substitutions that will work

If you don’t like messing around with fresh tomatoes, you can replace them with a can of diced tomatoes.

Prefer fresh herbs? Use fresh herbs, such as basil and oregano instead of the dried herbs. And if you so desire, also replace regular bacon with a turkey bacon.

Also, if you want to lighten up this recipe, simply use half and half instead of heavy cream.Creamy chicken pasta with bacon

Should I use fresh or frozen spinach?

Spinach is one of the healthy elements of this tasty chicken pasta dish. Besides, it’s one of my favorite ways to eat it. With pasta in the creamy sauce. Even though I always use fresh spinach in my recipes, I also like the idea of frozen spinach. Because compact frozen spinach may be easier to handle than fresh spinach leaves that cook down significantly.

Overall, in terms of nutrition, frozen spinach compares very favorably with fresh spinach. And if you love spinach, by all means, use more than the recipe indicates. It will shrink when cooking anyways!

Why is my chicken pasta too watery?

Because of the chicken! You should drain excess liquid after cooking chicken. Depending on the chicken your supermarket carries, it may have added liquid. Unfortunately, this liquid will be released during cooking. But as long as you discard it, it’s fine.

Why did my cheese clump up?

Make sure to reduce heat before adding heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Once you add the cheese, stir on low simmer until smooth. By the way, I do not recommend using “shaker” style container grated cheese.Creamy chicken pasta with bacon

Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe in pictures

First, you will cook bacon. Once you cook it, you will remove it onto a separate plate. Then cook the chicken breasts in the same pan. Remove chicken from the skillet and slice it in thick strips. You can keep it on the same plate with bacon. So far so good!Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Spinach in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Next, you will make the creamy sauce. This is my favorite part!Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Spinach in Creamy Tomato Sauce

You will thicken the sauce by adding Parmesan cheese. Make sure to reduce heat before adding heavy cream and Parmesan. Heavy cream, especially the one with all the additives (not the one that just has milk fat and milk – that one is fine), might curdle when cooked at boiling temperatures, therefore keeping the heat low should prevent this.

Once you add the cheese,  stir on low-medium simmer until the cheese is incorporated. If the sauce is still runny to your liking, simply add more cheese to thicken up the sauce. Are you still enjoing it?Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Spinach in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Lastly, you will add pasta, chicken strips, and sliced bacon. You will want to reheat them in the sauce. Also stir until you fully coat pasta with sauce. You don’t want any dry pasta. Next taste and season with more salt if necessary. Maybe just a bit!

Finally, you will cover the pan with a lid. This will keep the pasta warm. Serve it with chopped parsley, additional shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes! By the way, it reheats so well!Creamy chicken pasta with bacon

How to reheat leftover pasta

  1. Creamy pasta dishes will always suffer when reheated. What can we do? Add a little water, milk or cream to the ready mixed pasta and warm through slowly if reheating on the stovetop.
  2. If using a microwave add a little of the above liquid, then heat on a low wattage setting, stirring a couple of times in between.
  3. Preheat the oven! Set your oven to 350F (175C) and wait for it to preheat. This method is gentle on pasta and sauces, but may not be practical for a single serving. Add the pasta to a baking dish and spread it across, because a deep pile of pasta may heat unevenly. Add a splash of milk or extra sauce to keep it moist. The pasta is usually ready in 20 minutes, but check after 15 just in case. The foil should help trap moisture, slowing the drying process.
Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Spinach in Creamy Tomato Sauce
Print Recipe
4.94 from 117 votes

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon

The DELICIOUS creamy sauce permeates every single bite of this dish!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken bacon pasta
Servings: 4
Author: Olya

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
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 4 small tomatoes (diced)
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (more, if desired)
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 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

  • 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
  • CHICKEN: Paper towel dry the chicken and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then set aside.
    Heat olive oil in a large deep 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.
  • 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 and slowly add Parmesan cheese - until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy. 
  • 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.
  • Add sliced chicken, bacon and pasta. Next add chopped parsley. Stir until fully coated in sauce. Season with more salt if necessary.
  • TO SERVE: Serve with additional shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon
Amount Per Serving
Calories 768 Calories from Fat 342
% Daily Value*
Fat 38g58%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 133mg44%
Sodium 1427mg62%
Potassium 1499mg43%
Carbohydrates 56g19%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 50g100%
Vitamin A 8655IU173%
Vitamin C 44.1mg53%
Calcium 477mg48%
Iron 4.2mg23%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Video

Notes

Recipe Source: Juliasalbum

Our new favorite chicken pasta recipes include Cajun Chicken and Sausage Penne Pasta dish.Cajun Chicken and Sausage Pasta

We also love amazing Chicken Spinach and Bacon Alfredo Pasta. You can easily make both recipes for midweek dinners!

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Main Dishes, Most Popular, Pasta Tagged With: Bacon, chicken, Creamy Sauce, Pasta, spinach, Tomato

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. matt

    December 24, 2020 at 7:36 pm

    excellent dish. very good instructions!

    Reply
    • Olya

      December 25, 2020 at 5:20 pm

      Thank you, Matt

      Reply
  2. Pamela Eime

    December 18, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    O my! so many calories…What is an easy way to reduce calories in this dish?

    Reply
    • Olya

      December 18, 2020 at 7:15 pm

      You can use turkey bacon, use lentil pasta (or reduce amount of pasta – that’s a lot of carbs); and use half and half or milk (thickened by flour).

      Reply
  3. Amanda

    December 15, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    Would half and half work?

    Reply
    • Olya

      December 15, 2020 at 6:04 pm

      Absolutely!

      Reply
  4. Diane

    November 30, 2020 at 6:43 pm

    this was such a good recipe and easy to put together, I had supper on the table in 30 min. I love this also cuz it helped me figure out what to have even though I didn’t have chicken. Subed Chorizo sausage for chicken, used frozen spinach. This is a keeper recipe and can’t wait to try it with chicken.

    Reply
    • Olya

      November 30, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      Thank you, Diane! Using Chorizo is genius! I need to make that one as a recipe with sausage.

      Reply
  5. Nikeyah

    November 24, 2020 at 11:49 am

    Can I make with frozen spinach?

    Reply
    • Olya

      November 25, 2020 at 11:56 am

      Yes- absolutely!

      Reply
  6. Beth

    November 23, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    This dish was fabulous! Loved it. Just wondering in what universe there is a 20 min prep time?

    Reply
    • Diane

      November 30, 2020 at 6:45 pm

      your kidding right!! This is so easy, I had it togerther and eating in less than 30 min.

      Reply
  7. Maria

    November 22, 2020 at 5:20 pm

    This was amazing! I omitted the red pepper flakes because I was out but still it didn’t need it. It was so flavorful. My husband just told me I need to put it on the weekly rotation (he is a picky eater). I am planning to double the recipe and make it for the next family gathering. Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Olya

      November 24, 2020 at 12:07 am

      So happy your husband enjoyed it! Incredible about weekly rotation!!!

      Reply
  8. Ariel

    November 15, 2020 at 9:08 pm

    This is seriously the BEST pasta dish! I’ve been searching for a good tomato cream sauce and this exceeded all expectations. I followed the recipe exactly as it was, minus the bacon because I didn’t have any.

    Reply
    • Olya

      November 15, 2020 at 10:49 pm

      Not having any bacon is a perfectly good reason to not use bacon:)

      Reply
  9. mobasir hassan

    November 12, 2020 at 11:46 am

    Really appreciate the way you made this delicious pasta. Easy and very nicely described. It helped to make it at home quite nicely and my family enjoyed lots. Spinach make it more healthy. Looking for more such yummy recipes in future too.

    Reply
  10. Gretchen

    November 5, 2020 at 11:47 pm

    Love this meal! I just cooked it for my family this week and everyone loved it! I have a 7 yr old, 9 yr old, and 11 yr old and they all said it was the best pasta. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Olya

      November 9, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      I’m so glad the kids thought it was the best pasta!!!

      Reply
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