CHICKEN PASTA WITH BACON AND SPINACH IN CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE

This chicken pasta with spinach and bacon in creamy tomato sauce is simply amazing with Parmesan cheese! The DELICIOUS creamy sauce permeates every single bite of this chicken penne dish. It’s as though all the ingredients here were made for each other. Very flavorful and creamy.

WHAT KIND OF CHICKEN TO USE IN CHICKEN AND BACON PASTA

A few tips about which chicken to use in this chicken bacon spinach pasta. When you shop for chicken, the one that works best is without any added water.

But if it’s the kind that has added water (and usually added sodium too) – make sure all water/broth is drained after cooking the chicken. Otherwise the recipe will turn out watery and will need to be thickened by additional cheese or flour.


SUBSTITUTIONS THAT WILL WORK IN THIS RECIPE

This chicken bacon spinach pasta recipe is very flexible with substitutions. If you don’t like messing around with fresh tomatoes, you can replace them with a can of diced tomatoes.

Prefer fresh herbs? Use fresh herbs, such as basil and oregano instead of the dried herbs. And if desired, you can also replace regular bacon with a turkey bacon.

Half and half.  If you can’t find half and half or they don’t sell it where you live, simply mix half cup whole milk and half cup heavy cream or double cream. You can also use heavy cream or double cream without diluting it with milk.

SHOULD YOU USE FRESH OR FROZEN SPINACH?

Spinach is one of the healthy elements of this tasty chicken pasta dish and that’s one of my favorite ways to eat it – with pasta in creamy sauce. I always use fresh spinach in my recipes, but I also know that compact frozen spinach may be easier to handle than fresh spinach leaves that cook down significantly.

In terms of nutrition, frozen spinach compares very favorably with fresh spinach. And if you love spinach, by all means use more than what recipe indicates, since it shrinks when cooking.


DOES THE CREAM SAUCE HAVE TO BE PREPARED SEPARATELY?

The cream sauce is not prepared separately. Half and half (or you can use heavy cream), is added right into the pan with chicken, spinach and tomatoes.


ISSUES YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER WHILE MAKING THIS CHICKEN BACON PASTA IN CREAMY SAUCE

My dish is too watery. Make sure to drain excess liquid after cooking chicken. Depending on the chicken your supermarket carries, it may have added liquid that will be released during cooking. This liquid should be discarded.

My cheese clumped up. Make sure to reduce heat before adding Parmesan cheese. Once cheese is added, stir on low-medium simmer until the cheese is incorporated.


HOW TO COOK BACON

To start making this chicken bacon spinach pasta, you will need to cook bacon first. I like to cook it in the oven due to the simplicity and not having to wash the pan of the bacon grease afterwards since you can throw away that parchment paper so that clean up is minimal.

Bake it at 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes and then chop the bacon into 1 inch slices.

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN

While the bacon is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add chicken breasts, generously rubbed in seasoning mixture, and fry on each side on medium-high heat for a total of 4-5 minutes on each side. Resist the urge to move the chicken or check underneath while it’s cooking on each side, otherwise browning process might be messed up.

Read Full Recipe Here :  CHICKEN PASTA WITH BACON AND SPINACH IN CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE

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