Creamy bacon chicken pasta combines all the best flavors into one savory pasta dish. Perfectly seasoned chicken breast with salty crispy bacon smothered in a cream sauce made with Parmesan and asiago cheeses.
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies
Here’s what you need to get this creamy pasta dinner on the table this week!
Ingredients
- Bacon. You’ll cook up 6 strips then crumble into pieces.
- Chicken. I take a large chicken breast, butterfly it, then pound thin into 2 pieces. You can use 2-3 pieces for this recipe.
- Thin pasta noodles. I used thin spaghetti and only use 3/4 of the 16oz box.
- Light cream.
- Cheeses: Parmesan and asiago.
- Butter and flour.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, chicken bouillon powder, annatto, salt, pepper.
- Reserved pasta water. The best way to thin out a thick creamy pasta sauce!
Kitchen supplies
- Nonstick frying pan.
- Large pot for the pasta.
- Digital meat thermometer for testing the chicken temperature.
Whenever I’m cooking a recipe with chicken breasts I always want to make sure it gets a beautiful color to it…we eat with our eyes first after all! For this recipe you’ll notice I use 1/4 teaspoon of annatto in the dry rub.
You’ll find ground annatto in the spice area of your grocery store, also found in the International section with the Mexican ingredients. Used in small quantities it’s not going to add any flavor to the dish but will help you get this rich and deep color to the chicken.
Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Keep any leftovers in the fridge and use within 3-4 days for best freshness and flavors. You could take the quick route and microwave the leftovers for a super fast lunch, or add to a pan and heat over low heat. Add a touch more light cream and shredded cheese to bring the sauce back to creaminess.
For more creamy pastas, here are more blog favorites to try!
Marry Me Pasta
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Peas and Pancetta Pasta
Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Creamy Bacon Chicken Pasta
Creamy Parmesan sauce loaded with crumbled cooked bacon then topped with perfectly seasoned sliced chicken breast.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry rub for the chicken
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/4 teaspoon annatto (for color)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-3 pieces of thin chicken breast (I take one large chicken breast, butterfly into 2 pieces then pound thin)
16oz box thin spaghetti noodles (I only cook about 3/4 of the box)
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups light cream
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
1. Season your chicken breasts with the dry rub ingredients then set aside.
2. Bring a salted pot of water to boil and cook 3/4 of the box of noodles (I always find the full box is too much). While the noodles are boiling, carefully reserve 1/2 cup of the water to use in the cheese sauce.
3. Cook the strips of bacon, then crumble into pieces. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease then clean the rest of the pan.
4. To the cleaned pan, add 2 tablespoons of reserved bacon grease and add the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness, internal temperature needs to reach 165 degrees. Once fully cooked, place on a plate and cover with foil. Allow to rest before slicing into strips or dicing into pieces.
5. Clean the pan that the chicken was just cooked in, then add the 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add the grated garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the 1 tablespoon of flour then pour in the light cream and season with the salt and pepper. Heat for 5 minutes to thicken.
6. Add the Parmesan and asiago cheeses and whisk to fully melt into the cream. Add as much pasta water as you’d like, I usually use most of the 1/2 cup of reserved water. As the sauce cools it will thicken.
7. Add the cooked noodles, the sliced/diced chicken, and the crumbled bacon to the sauce. Garnish with more shredded cheeses!
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