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This chicken and bacon pasta is comfort food personified. Pasta shells coated (and filled) with creamy Parmesan sauce flavoured with bacon, then topped with pan fried chicken breast. It’s the meal everyone will request over and over again.
Start with this delicious Basil Pesto Caprese Salad to accompany your beautiful Italian themed dinner!
We have a pasta dish of some kind at least twice a week, usually more. They are quick and easy to make. Everyone loves them and they are endlessly customisable.
I threw this recipe together one night when I was short on time and kids had been begging for a “creamy pasta” for ages. I pretty much used the ingredients I had in my fridge and that’s the story of this recipe.
Adding chicken to bacon pasta is not something I would normally do as it’s not very Italian but I had two chicken breasts that needed to be used up asap. Plus I am always trying to get more protein into my teens, so if you are Italian and are appalled by my choice, I make no apologies!
Truth is, my kids absolutely love this creamy pasta and it’s become a favourite. I figured it’s a shame to deprive my readers of a recipe that is so popular in my house!
How to make it
The base to this recipe is a spin on my pasta cream sauce. Like I mentioned in that post once you master a basic recipe you can add whatever you like to it and will always end up with something new and tasty.
The base of the pasta sauce is heavy cream and This is an affiliate link.Parmesan. No flour, no other thickeners. The heavy cream with cheese stirred in doesn’t need any help thickening.
I’ve changed things up by adding bacon and garlic to flavour my sauce. The biggest deviation from the classic pasta cream sauce is the addition of one tablespoon of tomato paste.
I tell you the tomato paste is a game changer. It colours the sauce just the lightest shade of pink and gives a touch of sweetness and acidity to balance out the richness of cream. It’s a beauty!
For those of you who avoid dairy, this chicken and bacon pasta tastes just as delicious made without cream. Just use with Soya Single Cream instead as I did for my son who is lactose intolerant. I still used This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese as it contains little to no lactose due to ageing process.
What pasta should I use?
You can use any pasta you like but I absolutely love using This is an affiliate link.pasta shells also known as conchiglie for their amazing ability to hold sauce.
If you look closer at the photo above you will see that each pasta shell is filled with the delicious creamy sauce. Just imagine how much more flavour you will get with each bite!
But of course other short pasta shapes will also work. The key is to choose a shape that will hold onto the sauce like the shells did so you get the maximum amount of flavour per bite.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Choose a short, thick pasta shape that will hold onto the sauce. Pasta shells are ideal but penne pasta will also do nicely.
- Keep a cup of reserved pasta water aside to loosen up the sauce if necessary. It’ll add both saltiness and creaminess to the dish and so is better than alternatives.
- Chicken thighs can be used instead of breasts.
- Frying the garlic in the leftover bacon fat is important for adding a lot of taste to the dish, but watch it closely. Garlic can burn quickly because it has a low amount of water and high amount of sugar, and tastes unpleasant when it happens!
Serving suggestions
With pasta and protein all in one pot, this creamy chicken bacon pasta is a meal all by itself. There’s really nothing else that’s needed here, unless you love garlic bread as I do!
As with proper Italian pastas, this one is served with the pasta already stirred into the sauce. I suggest spreading on grated fresh parmesan and a sprinkling of black pepper.
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover chicken pasta can be kept refrigerated in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container for 2-3 days, although storing it for any length of time will mean that you will lose that lovely al dente consistency.
You can reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth to keep the sauce loose, or in the microwave.
More quick pasta recipes
- Easy Spaghetti Carbonara (no cream)
- Shrimp Scampi Linguine
- Spaghetti alla Siciliana
- Goats Cheese Pasta with Spinach and Pine Nuts
Chicken and Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into half lengthwise
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 3 strips of bacon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 500ml / 2 cups double/heavy cream, see notes for non dairy substitute
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3-4 leaves fresh basil, sliced, or 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 50g / 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- 450g / 1 lbs pasta shells or any other short pasta
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Cut each chicken breast lengthwise to create four thin cutlets. Season with salt and pepper. Pan fry in olive oil for 5 minutes on each side over medium heat until golden on the outside and cooked all the way through. Remove to a separate plate and keep warm.
- To the same pan add chopped bacon and cook until the fat is rendered, discards all fat but 1 tbsp. Add minced garlic and cook briefly for 30 seconds, do not allow the garlic to burn, add the cream, tomato paste, sliced basil and bring to a boil, lower the heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, let it simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add salt to taste. Cover with a lid and take it off the heat.
- Drain the cooked pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta directly to the sauce and gently toss until it's coated with the sauce, add some pasta water until the sauce is desired consistency. Slice the chicken breasts and top the pasta. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan and sliced fresh basil.
Notes
- I’ve had success using Soya Single Cream as a dairy free substitute. Plant based Parmesan will also work in this recipe.
- A short, thick pasta shape is best here because it will hold onto the sauce. Pasta shells are perfect but penne will also work well.
- Reserve a cup of pasta water to loosen up the sauce if needed. It will add both saltiness and creaminess to the dish, so is the best option.
- Chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts.
- Frying garlic in leftover bacon fat adds a lot of taste to the dish, but you will need to keep a close eye on it. Garlic can burn quickly because it has lots of sugar and not a lot of water, and tastes unpleasant when it does.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this today. Love it! I would season the chicken breast with oil before frying, so it would be moist 😊
This looks deliciuos! Have added this to next weeks menu😀
Let me know what you think, Shyla!
Wow! Not something I can pass up, I want this!
Haha, yes it’s a pretty special pasta dish!