Creamy chicken pasta with bacon is a simple and easy recipe to make. This dish has everything you need, protein, flavor, veggies and a delicious creamy sauce to go with it!
Pasta is always a welcome dinner in most households, and anytime you can make a recipe with bacon, that makes it even better. The creaminess of this pasta dish is out of this world, and you’ll have everyone requesting that you make this recipe again and again.
Besides the creaminess and the crispy bacon, this pasta dish is also loaded with veggies, including garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. With so much goodness, this pasta dinner could be a full meal by itself. The spices are crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika. Add some sea salt and you’re done!
What is even better is that it only takes around 30 minutes to make, making this meal one to keep on record!
What is in Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon?
A creamy chicken pasta with bacon has tasty bacon bits, soft, tender and scrumptious chicken, with spinach, tomatoes, garlic and even a little parmesan cheese for a mouth watering overall flavor.
For the sauce, it can be a little rich as it contains butter, heavy cream and parmesan cheese. There is also a sprinkling of salt and pepper, with some Italian seasoning and a little garlic too, so you know this dish will be a taste sensation.
Homemade is always best, and so you will want to gather only the freshest and finest ingredients to make this pasta dish the best it can be!
We recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese instead or store-bought pre-grated cheese for the best results, along with fresh spinach and tomatoes. However, it is possible to substitute ingredients in this dish, whilst still pleasing the taste buds.
Ingredient Substitutes
Not everyone likes the taste of all ingredients. Some can be fussier eaters, or simply just have their own preferences!
For example, instead of using Italian seasoning in this recipe, you can substitute it for fresh herbs for a more homemade touch.
In addition, if you do not eat regular bacon, you can use turkey bacon instead, or remove it if pork is not your thing.
Also, heavy cream and cheese can be rather rich and fattening ingredients, so if you prefer your meals on the lighter side, you can use half and half instead of heavy cream or light cheese.
We also recommend using a can of diced or chopped tomatoes if you do not have fresh tomatoes on hand, as the recipe will pretty much work out the same!
You can also use frozen spinach if you have not got fresh spinach available, as you can still get lots of goodness and nutrients out of frozen spinach as you would regularly.
Just always bear in mind that you may have to use a large amount of spinach when cooking as it will always boil down a lot.
With any recipe, don’t be afraid to mix it up and make it your own, after all, that’s where all of the fun comes into it!
Top Tips for cooking creamy chicken pasta with bacon
When cooking this meal, you want to make sure that you do it right. We have a few tips for you after years of experience of cooking up this dish.
One of the most important things to remember is that no one likes to eat clumpy cheese, so you will want to ensure that you have no big lumps in your creamy sauce.
To make the sauce, you are going to have to use both heavy cream and parmesan cheese.
When mixing together, it is best to reduce the heat a little and stir in the cheese slowly, giving it time to blend together with the cream before adding more, or you may have clumps.
In addition, it is best to use real, fresh and grated parmesan cheese rather than the shaker type used for topping pasta meals.
Remember that if you substitute some ingredients that the overall outcome will be slightly different to the one stated in our recipe!
Another thing to keep in mind is that your creamy chicken and bacon pasta can become quite watery if not prepared properly.
After cooking your chicken, ensure that you have drained off any excess liquid as this can transfer into your food and give it that watery, runny texture that we do not want!
In the same sense, you have to be careful reheating creamy pastas as they can become clumpy or runny if not warmed properly.
How to reheat Creamy Chicken Pasta With Bacon
If you have leftovers, then you will not want to let any go to waste! With such a creamy base to the dish, creamy chicken pasta with bacon does not always reheat so well. However, we have some tricks and tips to make sure you never waste a meal again!
For example, if you are using a microwave to reheat, then always heat on a low wattage with a little milk or cream added to revive the dish.
You will also want to stir frequently in between heating up. Creamy pasta will always reheat better once you add a little splash of water, cream or milk to the mix, and stir it well!
If you have a large portion of leftovers to reheat, then it may be best to use your oven as this is a more gentle means of heating up old pasta and sauce.
All you have to do is put the leftover pasta in a baking dish, spread it out, and add a dash of milk to retain the moisture. You will also need to heat up the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit, and leave the pasta to warm up for about 15-20 minutes.
How to make Creamy Chicken Pasta With Bacon
If you are ready to make this dish for yourself, then you’re in the right place. The first thing you will need to do is to cook your protein; the chicken and bacon.
How to cook the Chicken and Bacon
The first step is to cook the bacon. Simply add your bacon strips to a skillet and sizzle until they are crispy. Once done, transfer them to a paper towel to dab off excess grease and fat, and cut them into 1 inch pieces.
Then, you can cook up the chicken. First, use a paper towel to remove excess liquid and moisture, and season your chicken with garlic powder, salt and a little pepper.
Flip the chicken and cook the other side for a further 4 minutes, or until it looks nicely browned.
If your chicken is ready, then remove it from the pan and keep it on the plate with the bacon on one side. You should also slice up the chicken breasts into rather thick strips ready to add in later.
Set both meats aside and prepare to make the creamy sauce!
How to make the creamy pasta sauce
The next step is to make the flavorful sauce. To do this, you need to place some butter in the hot pan (that the chicken was in) and wait for it to melt. Once melted, you can throw in some chopped garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes until the smell becomes very fragrant.
Next, add in your tomatoes and cook on a medium high heat for around 3 minutes until the juices start to pour out. Then, you can add in your fresh spinach leaves and cook until it reduces down a little. Once this is done, you can reduce the heat.
Throw in a little Italian seasoning or fresh herbs, and top with paprika and red pepper flakes.
Following this, you must add the heavy cream to the mix, and slowly top with parmesan cheese, stirring until melted and blended with the cream.
Add a little bit of the cheese at a time to avoid lumps and wait for the sauce to become melty and creamy. If the sauce is too thin, then add a little more cheese until you reach the desired consistency.
Once your sauce, tomatoes and spinach is ready, you can put the bacon back into the skillet, and add in your chicken strips, mixing them together until covered in sauce. Add a little salt to bring out the flavors.
How to make pasta
Whilst cooking your sauce, you will want to get a large pan and fill it with water. Then, bring the water to the boil, and add in your desired amount of penne pasta. Follow the instructions of the pasta packet, and cook until the pasta is nearly completely soft.
Once your pasta is cooked, drain off the liquid, but do not rinse. Finally, add the pasta to the pan with the creamy sauce with the chicken and bacon, and mix it together until all of your pasta is coated completely.
Once heated all of the way through, you can dish up your homemade creamy chicken pasta with bacon, and serve it up with a little shredded parmesan and a few red pepper flakes!
Creamy Chicken Pasta With Bacon
A delicious chicken and bacon pasta dish covered in a mouth watering creamy sauce.
The first step is to fry up the bacon. Add your bacon strips to the skillet and fry until crispy. Grab a plate, and cover with a paper towel, and place cooked bacon on top to dab off grease. Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces.
Dry your chicken with a paper towel, and season with a little salt, pepper and some garlic powder.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet, and add your seasoned chicken breasts to the pan. Cook on a medium high heat for around 5 minutes, and turn to cook the other side. Total cooking time should be about 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is nicely browned.
Once cooked, remove chicken from the skillet and slice it up.
Add some butter to the skillet, and wait for it to melt. Throw in your chopped garlic and cook until fragrant for about 2 minutes.
Pour in your tomatoes, and cook for a further 3 minutes on a medium high heat until they begin to juice up. Then, add your fresh spinach and cook.
Turn the heat down a little, and season the ingredients in the skillet with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and crushed red pepper.
Pour in the heavy cream, and stir in a little parmesan cheese slowly. Keep adding more and allowing the cheese to melt into the cream.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and pour in your penne pasta. Cook the pasta in accordance with package directions and drain when done.
Add your sliced chicken, pasta and bacon together in the skillet and stir until fully coated in the sauce.
Once mixed, you can serve the dish up with a little parmesan cheese on top, parsley, and garnish with a few red pepper flakes.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
