Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta

4.87 from 123 votes

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Recipe video above. This is for those days when you just need a really, really great creamy pasta but you want to keep it simple. The pops of bacon in this is sooo good, and the sauce is utterly luxurious and unapologetically rich, saucier than a classic Alfredo.

But, for those days when you want to go all out, make the Creamy Chicken Pasta of My Dreams (it's more loaded, and name-worthy!).

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Pasta

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: creamy chicken bacon pasta, creamy chicken pasta

Servings:

Calories: 946cal

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

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!

Notes

1. Past cooking water - Just before you drain the pasta, scoop out a mugful of the pasta cooking water. This will be used for the sauce - the starch in the water reacts with the oil in the cream / butter and thickens the sauce.

2. Fresh grated parmesan is finer than store bought so it melts in the sauce. If you use store bought, ensure you use a finely grated one otherwise it won't melt properly so the sauce won't be silky smooth (flavour will still be delish though!)

3. Bacon fat - I know it feels like a crime to throw out the bacon fat. I actually photographed and filmed this without wiping the pan and not using butter, but I really just felt the sauce tasted too bacony. Also it was brown instead of white. :) So that's why I wipe the pan. You don't have to. You could skip the butter and use the bacon fat instead. But it will taste much more bacony, rather than buttery creamy Alfredo sauce (depending on how fatty the bacon is), and the colour will be light brown instead of white.

4. Nutrition - I'm providing the nutrition analysis reluctantly. I told you - this is indulgent. And worth it!!! :)

Nutrition is per serving. This takes into account 1 1/2 tbsp of fat that is discarded after cooking the bacon. 271 calories of the total 946 calories is attributable to the bacon. If you use ham instead of bacon (really yum!), it reduces to 790 calories per serving.

Nutrition