Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Name: Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive Oil (2 tablespoons of olive oil); 500 g Chicken Breast (500 g of chicken (chicken breasts or tenderloins)); 2 tbsp Smoked Paprika (2 tbsp of smoked paprika); 3 tbsp Italian Seasoning (3 tbsp of Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil – combined)); 5 pieces Tomato (5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)); 1 cup Spinach (1 cup of spinach cooked); 3 pieces Garlic (3 garlic cloves minced); ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes , crushed); 6 pieces Bacon (6 bacon strips , COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED); 1 ⅓ cup Half And Half (1 ⅓ cups of half and half); 1.83 cup Parmesan Cheese (1 ⅓ cups of Parmesan cheese , shredded + ½ cup of Parmesan cheese , shredded, for serving); 1 piece Whole Wheat Spaghetti (1 pack of wholewheat spaghetti or any pasta of your choice); ¼ cup Parsley (1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish)

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta - Dinner (European)

30 minEuropean

Servings4

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Egg Free

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Olive Oil2 tbsp · 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Chicken Breast500 g · 500 g of chicken (chicken breasts or tenderloins)
Smoked Paprika2 tbsp · 2 tbsp of smoked paprika
Italian Seasoning3 tbsp · 3 tbsp of Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil – combined)
Tomato5 pieces · 5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)
Spinach1 cup · 1 cup of spinach cooked
Garlic3 pieces · 3 garlic cloves minced
Red Pepper Flakes¼ tsp · ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes , crushed
Bacon6 pieces · 6 bacon strips , COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
Half And Half1 ⅓ cup · 1 ⅓ cups of half and half
Parmesan Cheese1.83 cup · 1 ⅓ cups of Parmesan cheese , shredded + ½ cup of Parmesan cheese , shredded, for serving
Whole Wheat Spaghetti1 piece · 1 pack of wholewheat spaghetti or any pasta of your choice
Parsley¼ cup · 1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish

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Steps

1In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken that’s seasoned with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and smoked paprika, cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm. Slice into strips once it’s not too hot
2To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and black pepper, crushed red pepper. Once that’s done in add ⅓ of the chicken strips, and half the cooked bacon, mix everything.
3In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, but leave 1/2 cup of pasta water. Rinse with cold water and drain again.
4Add half and half and bring to boil. Only after half and half starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese – immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more crushed black pepper and salt, if needed.
5Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. If you need the pasta water you can use it here to mix the sauce and pasta properly. Season with more salt if necessary. To serve, top the pasta with the remaining chicken strips, bacon, parsley, and shredded Parmesan cheese.