This Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta is one for all those days when nothing but a creamy pasta will do. It’s unapologetically indulgent, and loaded with all the essential food groups – cream, parmesan, chicken and BACON. Very little prep, on the table in 20 minutes!
Luxuriously rich Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
I’ve been crowned the Queen of Creamy-Without-Cream*, but today I’m dethroning myself temporarily just so I can share this Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta with you without an inkling of guilt.
We’ve made it to the end of the year, and the month of December is about indulgences. I’ve been very sensible in the past and shared real Alfredo recipes, made the real proper Italian way. That recipe uses just 1/2 cup of cream for 250g / 0.5 lb of pasta.
This recipe uses 3/4 cup of cream for 180g / 6 oz of pasta. I was very honest with you right from the outset….this is indulgent!
* I have been known in the past for self proclaimed titles (such as Roast Queen). However, on this particular occasion, it was in fact the editor of Super Food Ideas magazine who pointed out my fetish for creamy-without-cream. I feel that provides some level of authority for this title!
I actually photographed and filmed the recipe video about a month ago. I’ve been waiting for the right time to share it. I feel like making it to the end of the year, relatively unscathed, warrants some form of celebration.
After all, it is the month for excessive food indulgences, right? The month where even when we’re absolutely determined to eat healthy, there are treats at every turn enticing us. Office occasions, food gifts, gatherings with families and friends.
This is just one more enticement to add to that list. 😈
All that creamy sauce. All. That. CREAMY. SAUCE!!!
I do feel a bit guilty sharing such an indulgent treat with you. So I promise you, I have a big healthy fix coming up soon. Maybe even this Wednesday!
In the meantime, just think back to all you have achieved in 2016. Even if you didn’t make a dent in your list, ignore the fails and focus on the successes. Give yourself a pat on the back, a praise.
Then treat yourself to THIS Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta! 😉 – Nagi xx
More ways to get your creamy pasta fix!
Baked Mac and Cheese – and try the Shrimp version!
Browse all pasta recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Watch and weep that you can’t reach through the screen…
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Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 oz / 180 g fettuccine or other long strand pasta
- 3/4 cup pasta cooking water , scoop out just before draining
- 5 -7 oz / 150 – 200 g bacon , chopped
- 6 oz / 180g chicken breast , cut in half horizontally (1 large)
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper , for seasoning chicken
Creamy pasta sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/2 small onion , finely chopped (brown, white or yellow)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream / thickened cream (or any full fat cream)
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper , for sauce
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan (or 1/4 cup store bought grated) (Note 2)
To Serve
- Fresh parsley
- Parmesan
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Cook pasta per packet minus 2 minutes, reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining. Cook bacon, then chicken, sauté garlic and onion, simmer with cream, 3/4 cup pasta water, parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss with pasta 1 1/2 minutes, TASTE to check for salt. Serve with parmesan.
FULL RECIPE
- Cook pasta – Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for time per packet MINUS 2 minutes (finishes cooking in Sauce).
- RESERVE water (important!) – SCOOP OUT 1 cup (250ml) of pasta cooking water, then drain.
- Cook bacon – Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook bacon until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels, reserve bacon fat in pan.
- Cook chicken – Season chicken on both sides with the salt and pepper. Cook in the bacon fat for 2 minutes on each side. Remove, then cut into thick slices when cool enough to handle (do this while sauce is simmering).
- Wipe pan (optional) using paper towels to keep sauce pretty and white, and for a buttery clean tasting sauce rather than very bacon-y (Note 3).
- Sauté onion – Over medium heat using the same pan, melt the butter. Add garlic and onion, cook for 3 – 4 minutes until onion is light golden and soft.
- Make sauce – Add cream, about 3/4 cup pasta water, parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir, then simmer for 2 minutes until it reduces slightly – the sauce will still be a too thin, don't worry, it thickens in the next step.
- Add pasta and toss gently in the sauce for about 1 1/2 minutes, still on the stove. The sauce will thicken and coat the pasta rather than pooling in the pan. Do this step until you get the sauce consistency you want. If your sauce gets too thick, add a splash of pasta water.
- Toss and taste – Toss through bacon and chicken. Taste and add more salt if needed (depends on bacon saltiness).
- Serve – Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan and parsley!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Just making sure we don’t forget he’s down there on the floor…..
Forgot the stars!
Who cares about calories? The mental health benefits of this dopamine hit counterbalance and then some. Delish!
Recipe needs to say to cut chicken in ready bite size pieces before cooking, method needs to say how long bacon to cook. Also, cream didn’t thicken for ages, had to take pasta out and thicken it separately so the pasta didn’t overcook.
who needs to be told when bacon is cooked lol
Really delicious pasta. A big hit in the household!
Just made this for dinner – doubled up – so easy and delicious – I’m sure it’ll be a regular! Yum!
im always trying new recipes on the web. this was absolutely delicious. I followed recipe exactly but did add mushrooms like many others. The sauce wasn’t thick and overpowering. it was just right! so goodI will surely make this again and again
Cooking this tonight, with added prawns to up the excess factor! hahaha..can’t wait, and love the tip about the pasta water, thanks!
have made this so many times! so yum and my family loves it
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Thanks for another great recipe.
Wow! This was SO good! Simple and easy but super tasty! Hubby and I cooked it together and both agree it needs to be on the regular rotation. As always, thanks for dinner Nagi x
Addition comment as forgot to rate 😝 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I want to point out it’s important for the cream to be closer to room temperature before adding otherwise it won’t thicken and be too watery. I knew better and made this mistake. This recipe was okay to me, if i were a better cook it would have been better.
I’ve just made this and it’s delish! I air fryed the bacon and chicken and fryed off the onion/garlic in sunflower oil to keep the calories down a bit (in my head!) and increased the onion/garlic ratio in the sauce. Seasoned with a touch of salt and black pepper. Simple, quick and really tasty. Served with garlic baguette…
Excellent quick dinner when in a bind! I doubled it, subbed shells for the fettucine and a Woollies roast chicken for the breast, and added 200g or more of baby spinach (maybe 3 generous handfuls). Everyone loved it!
Used leftover bbq chook. Worked a treat. Thumbs up from granddaughter
So simple, so fast to prepare and so yummy. This will definitely play into our roll over of dinner favorites list.
Delicious, I usually think creamy pastas a bit heavy but this was light and tasty, added mushrooms in sauce and fresh parsley to serve, yumm
This recipe is amazing!I added asparagus and mushrooms and it worked really good
Was a flavoursome dish, quick and easy. Wasn’t a standout dish, like Nagi’s usual.
Excellent! Even after more than doubling.
I had some leftover mushrooms, so threw those in, and since I had some sundried tomato strips, those went in as well.
Maybe yours tasted too bacon-y because you put 5-7 ounces in?? That is an insane amount of bacon. A slice of bacon is like .6 oz, you put in one chicken breast and 10 slices of bacon??