Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta

If you are a fan of Pasta Alfredo and Marry Me Chicken, you are in for a wonderful surprise! This Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta combines the best of the two dishes! Tasty creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes coating the pasta with shredded chicken and crispy bacon is exactly the type of comfort food that needs to be enjoyed on busy weeknights! An easy dinner idea that will please the entire family!

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love This Recipe
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Method
• Tips & Tricks For The Best Chicken & Bacon Pasta
• Reader Review
• What To Serve With Chicken & Bacon Pasta?
• Storage and Reheating
• Other Spaghetti Recipes To Try
• Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

Everybody I know loves a creamy pasta dish! It's the ultimate comfort food, right? No wonder Pasta Carbonara and Alfredo are amongst the most popular pasta dishes in the world! Similarly, it's no surprise that Boursin Pasta has become TikTok sensation!

And this Chicken and Bacon Pasta recipe is one of our favourites. Slightly lighter than Alfredo, but super flavoursome with all the saltiness of parmesan and bacon, this chicken bacon spaghetti will instantly become the favourite dish for the whole family:

• Only two pans are needed, so you will have minimal washing up afterwards. 
• 8 simple everyday ingredients + 1 optional (but highly recommended).
• This Creamy Chicken Bacon Pasta comes together within 30 minutes.
• Ingredients can be easily substituted to adapt to what you have in your fridge and cupboards.

But if you fancy tomato-based sauce pasta, try our Spicy Chicken Arrabbiata or Chicken and Chorizo Pasta recipe! For a less creamy version of bacon pasta, try our Pasta e Piselli (Italian Pasta With Peas and Bacon). 

Ingredients and Substitutes

We used 9 simple ingredients in this recipe, but a couple of them are optional and the rest can be substituted with similar ingredients that you may have on hand.

• pasta: like spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle, but other shapes like penne pasta will work too. No need to buy expensive fresh pasta or make your own, all the flavour will be in the sauce! Use whole wheat pasta for more fibre if you wish! Gluten-free pasta will work too! Looking for a low-carb option? Try our Cabbage Alfredo with additions from this recipe!
• bacon: smoked or unsmoked, streaky or back bacon.
• chicken: breast or thighs, boneless and skinless. Whilst we cook and then shred the chicken you can cut chicken strips or cubes. Alternatively, use shredded rotisserie chicken. 
• garlic clove: can be replaced with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• small brown onion: can be substituted with shallot or ½ red onion.
• double cream: also known as heavy cream. You may replace it with creme fraiche or cream cheese too.
• sundried tomatoes: in oil. Although this ingredient is optional, we highly recommend using it if you have some sundried tomatoes handy.
• parmesan: can be replaced with other hard cheese like Padana Grabo, Pecorino or Manchego.
• parsley: finely chopped for garnish. Other fresh herbs, like tarragon, green onions or chives, will work well too. 

Method

STEP 1: Crisp Up That Bacon: Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until browned and crispy. Take it out of the pan and set it aside on a plate lined with paper towels for later. When cool enough to handle, cut it up into small pieces (kitchen scissors work very well for this job).

STEP 2: Cook The Chicken: To the same pan, add a tablespoon of oil and heat on medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and black pepper and add them to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side to sear completely. Then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes, until fully cooked through.

Note, if your chicken thighs or breasts are very thick, they may need longer cooking, but the internal temperature should reach 74°C (165°F).

When the chicken is cooked through, place it on a chopping board or a plate and cover it with a sheet of foil to keep it warm. Reserve the pan.

STEP 3: Cook The Pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water following the package instructions, but reduce the length of cooking by about 1 minute (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Before you drain pasta, make sure to reserve 100ml of starchy pasta water for the sauce.

STEP 4: Make Creamy Sauce: To the same frying pan that the chicken has cooked in, add a tablespoon of oil (if you have chicken juices in the pan, you may skip the oil). Add the garlic and onion and sautee on low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

Add the double (heavy) cream, starchy pasta water, sundried tomatoes and half of the parmesan cheese. Stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 5: Assemble Chicken & Bacon Pasta: In the meantime, shred the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken pieces and half of the bacon to the sauce.

Add the drained cooked pasta and mix to coat. Simmer on low heat for another minute.

Serve the chicken and bacon pasta garnished with parsley, the rest of the bacon pieces and parmesan on the side!

Tips & Tricks For The Best Chicken & Bacon Pasta

This Pasta with Chicken and Bacon is really easy to make, and let's be honest, with bacon, parmesan and cream, there is no way it won't taste good! However, here are a few tips and tricks that you can use to take this pasta dish from great to extraordinary!

Choose the right pasta

Ok, there is no right or wrong pasta! But when it comes to the shape of the pasta, we have a suggestion. This Chicken and Bacon Pasta recipe is CREAMY! That means, that if you choose the intricately shaped pasta, it will scoop up and hold too much of that creamy sauce, making the overall dish too rich!

As a result, we suggest choosing a noodle-type pasta, like:

• Spaghetti
• Linguine
• Tagliatelle
• Fettuccine

Do Not Rinse The Pasta

For some reason, many cooks tend to rinse the pasta, but this is a mistake! By rinsing the pasta before cooking, you will be removing the starchy layer, and we do want that starchy pasta water to help us thicken the sauce later.

By rinsing the pasta after cooking (possibly to help it not stick to each other) once again you will be removing the starch which is very helpful in making the sauce coat the pasta. All in all, do not rinse your pasta before or after cooking. If you have cooked your pasta before your sauce is ready, just stir in a tablespoon of olive oil into your pasta. But note that this will prevent the sauce from sticking to pasta.

Undercook the pasta

Instructions on a packet, typically give instructions for al dente pasta. However, because you will finish cooking the spaghetti in the cream sauce, you want your pasta deliberately undercooked to start with. Reduce the time you cook your pasta by 1 minute. If you are cooking pasta with the intention to reheat it over the next couple of days, cook it 2 minutes less than suggested on the packet.

Chop up the onion very finely

The size of the pieces you're chopping your onion in may seem a little bit petty to consider, however... Onion has the tendency of sinking to the bottom of the pan, especially if not chopped fine enough. For the best distribution of the flavour, make sure to chop your onion very very finely, so that it sticks to the pasta together with the sauce.

Do not add extra seasoning

The only time salt is added to this Chicken Bacon Pasta is to season the chicken. Other than that, we do not add any salt to the pasta or the sauce. Why? Well... There is plenty of seasoning in this dish without the salt. Parmesan and salty bacon (even more so if you're using smoked bacon) add more than enough seasoning! If anything, you can always put some sea salt on the table for everyone to adjust the dish to their taste.

Don't wipe the pan in between

We cook bacon, and chicken and then make the sauce all in one pan. The key to preserving all the flavour in the sauce is to not wipe the pan. Bacon drippings will add a salty smoky flavour. The chicken will then be cooked in the same pan, releasing its savoury juices. Sauteeing the onion in the chicken and bacon pan will add heaps of flavour to the sauce!

The only drawback of not wiping the pan is that the sauce will have a slightly less pure colour, but hey... substance over style, right?

What To Serve With Chicken & Bacon Pasta?

Chicken and Bacon Pasta is one of those rich and creamy dishes that will leave you with nothing to be desired. But if you want to serve a side dish with your pasta, we highly recommend choosing something light and healthy on the side to make a complete meal! We particularly like this creamy bacon pasta dish with Courgette Ribbon Salad. Alternatively, try serving it with:

• Lemon and Garlic Tenderstem Broccoli
• Rocket and Pinenut Salad
• Fresh Spinach & Courgette Ribbon Salad
• Green Bean & Tomato Salad

Although filling enough, this creamy chicken pasta can be enjoyed with a side of garlic bread to mop up any remaining sauce at the bottom of the bowl. Or try it with a slice of our Feta and Sundried Tomato Sourdough Bread.

Storage and Reheating

If you made more of this Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta than you can eat, no problem. The pasta will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. We do not recommend freezing this pasta dish: the pasta will taste overcooked and the sauce will change texture after thawing.

To reheat, scoop the leftover pasta into a large frying pan and set it over medium heat. Using a spatula or a pair of tongs, shuffle the pasta around so that spaghetti unsticks from each other and the sauce loosens.

Add a splash of water, increase the heat and let it heat up quickly, whilst stirring all the time. The pasta should take 3-4 minutes on high heat to warm through.

Alternatively, you may reheat the pasta in a microwave, stirring it once halfway through.

Other Spaghetti Recipes To Try

If you love the challenge of eating spaghetti without making a mess, we have some delicious recipes for you to try! If you enjoy creamy pasta, why not try our Blue Cheese and Mushroom Spaghetti or our 15-minute recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pasta?

For a healthy but easy pasta dish option, check out our Green Spaghetti, made with peas and spinach! Seafood lover? Go straight to our 15-Minute Red Pesto Pasta With Prawns recipe that makes a delicious weeknight meal!

Finally, if you are looking to make a meal that will be loved by vegans and meat lovers alike, try out Lentil Meatballs & Spaghetti.