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Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce - an Italian-inspired dish with lots of vegetables! Sliced chicken breast and bacon are tossed with veggies and penne pasta in a delicious, creamy, homemade Alfredo sauce made with Parmesan cheese.
Family Dinner Win: Creamy Chicken & Bacon Pasta
Craving an easy-to-make comfort food that a whole family will love? Then, make this chicken and bacon pasta! Cream sauce absorbs the wonderful flavors from the ingredients in the recipe, and with every single bite, you get all the goodness and all the flavors! This is one of the best chicken pasta recipes you'll ever try! Serve it with my apple spinach salad, easy garlic bread, or homemade garlic butter dinner rolls. Also, don't miss my other family-favorites like chicken feta pasta, creamy chicken orzo with tomatoes and spinach, chicken burrata pasta, and sun-dried tomato chicken pasta.
Ingredient Notes
- Use thinly-sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloin meat. Either cut of meat will work.
- Use shredded Parmesan cheese. Do not use grated Parmesan cheese, use the shredded kind. What I usually do is buy a block of Parmesan cheese and shred it myself. Freshly shredding the cheese results in the best sauce texture. You can, however, use store-bought pre-shredded Parmesan cheese. Just do not use the grated kind.
- You can use cooked spinach, frozen spinach, or fresh spinach. All will work.
- Make this chicken pasta gluten-free. All you need to do is use gluten-free brown-rice penne pasta instead of regular penne. You can also use gluten-free quinoa pasta, chickpea or lentil pasta.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Pasta (Step-by-Step Photos)
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pan of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Cook the chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook on one side for 4 minutes over medium-high, sprinkling paprika and Italian seasoning on top. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low-medium, flip again, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
- Make the creamy sauce + add veggies: In the same pan, add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Stir in Parmesan, reduce to low-medium, and simmer until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy, about 1-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and crushed red pepper; cook on medium just until the spinach wilts. Add sliced chicken and half the cooked bacon, then mix everything together.
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce: Top with the remaining bacon and thinly sliced chicken, then sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.
What is Half-and-Half and Its Substitutions
- You can use either heavy cream or half-and-half in this recipe.
- Half-and-half is the US milk product that combines ½ whole milk + ½ heavy cream or whipping cream to form a lighter cream (unlike heavy cream).
- Substitute ½ cup of milk + ½ cup of heavy cream for 1 cup of half-and-half.
- If you live in the UK, half and half would be the equivalent of single cream. Alternatively, you can mix half double cream and half regular milk (if you live in the UK).
What to Serve with Chicken Bacon Pasta
I love serving Chicken Bacon Pasta with crusty garlic bread, homemade garlic butter dinner rolls, crusty rye bread, or bread machine loaves to soak up all that delicious Parmesan sauce. Since the pasta is already hearty, I usually pair it with a simple salad like one of these:
Other Chicken & Bacon Pasta Recipes
Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce
Chicken pasta recipes can get boring. Not this Italian-inspired recipe! You'll fall in love with the flavors in this Chicken Pasta with Bacon, Spinach, and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce. Easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love! Sliced chicken breast and bacon are tossed with veggies and penne pasta in a delicious, creamy, homemade alfredo sauce made with Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
- salt to taste
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)
- 3 cups fresh spinach or 1 cup cooked spinach
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
- 6 bacon strips cooked, drained off fat, and chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook according to instructions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain the pasta. Proceed with the recipe while the pasta is cooking.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on one side on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 3 more minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low-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.
- To the same pan (but without chicken), add heavy cream and bring to boil. Only after the heavy cream starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese. Immediately reduce to simmer (low-medium heat) and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy, for about 1 or 3 minutes.
- To the same pan with the creamy sauce, add chopped tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper. Stir in the sauce on medium heat just until the spinach starts to wilt and sinks into the sauce. Add ⅓ of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything. Remove from heat.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and reheat on low heat. When ready to serve, top the pasta with the remaining half of bacon (cooked, drained of fat, chopped, gently reheated) and the remaining ⅔ of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips, gently reheated). This is done for presentation purposes.
- When serving, top the pasta with ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Cream: You can use either heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Lower-fat alternatives to cream: To replace 1 cup of heavy cream, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 1 cup of milk. Cornstarch thickens without adding flavor. Or, use evaporated milk (NOT condensed milk).
- How to cook pasta al dente? Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than indicated on the package instructions. "Al dente" literally means "to the tooth" or firm to bite.
- Do you rinse pasta? If using regular, wheat pasta, do not rinse it with cold water. Rinsing pasta with cold water removes the starch which helps absorb the sauce.
- If using gluten-free pasta, rinse it with cold water after cooking to prevent it from getting mushy.
Storage & Reheating Tips
- Fridge: You can store the leftover chicken bacon pasta refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat the pasta gently on the stovetop on medium-low heat, without simmering. Or microwave for 1 minute, checking for doneness every 30 seconds. Make sure the sauce does not overheat and separate. Keep in mind that reheating the cream sauce on high heat will cause the cream to separate.
- I do not recommend freezing this dish: If you freeze it, the creamy sauce might not have the same texture when you reheat it. It might separate.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
1149
% Daily Value*
Fat
77
g
118
%
Saturated Fat
35
g
219
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
9
g
Monounsaturated Fat
28
g
Cholesterol
225
mg
75
%
Sodium
755
mg
33
%
Potassium
1071
mg
31
%
Carbohydrates
65
g
22
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
48
g
96
%
Vitamin A
5361
IU
107
%
Vitamin C
31
mg
38
%
Calcium
438
mg
44
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Yummy, restaurant quality meal! I cooked the bacon first then drained off most of the bacon grease and then started cooking then chicken to keep it flavorful. The sauce was heavenly!
Dan, thank you for such a wonderful, positive comment! What a great idea to cook bacon first, drain most of the fat, and then cook the chicken in a small amount of bacon fat - love this!
I'm sure I've already commented, but this deserves another. I have used this recipe for the last three years, and it's one of our favorites. Very easy to make and yet packed with flavor.
Thank you so much for such a generous and positive comment - I really appreciate it!! 🙂
This recipe is so great!!!
Thanks!
I love this recipe! It is a family favorite. I just noticed, however, that the recipe has been changed. In the prior version, the spinach, tomato and garlic were sautéed in the pan until the spinach wilted prior to adding the heavy cream. Why the change?
Yes, I have changed the recipe as I believe this version is more streamlined. Did you think the previous version was better - let me know.
Can I reheat in oven?
Yes, you can reheat this in the oven on low heat (in an oven-proof dish) and watch carefully so that the sauce doesn't overheat and doesn't start separating.
I love this recipe and have been making it for awhile, but it has changed. In the prior version, the spinach, tomato and garlic were sautéed in the pan until the spinach wilted prior to adding the heavy cream. Why the change?
Yes, I have changed the recipe as I believe this version is more streamlined. Did you think the previous version was better? - let me know.
It was fantastic! I used rotel instead of tomatoes!
Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂 Rotel tomatoes will work well!
I usually make slight changes to recipes, but I made this just like the recipe except I used cherry tomato's sliced. It was fantastic.
Ed, I am so happy to hear that! I know most people don't really have time to post comments so I really appreciate when they do, especially the positive ones! 🙂
Very tasty! I will make again.
Thank you! 🙂
I just made this and my family loved it. I used drained can tomatoes since I didn’t have fresh
Kathy, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that drained canned tomatoes worked well instead of the fresh ones - very helpful information for others!
This is a great recipe. Very tasty and creamy. Just as good as going out to restaurant for this dish. This one is a keeper.
Rex, your comment made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this wonderful feedback - I appreciate it!!
This recipe is in my pasta night rotation. I use half and half instead of heavy cream and we don’t use Parmesan. It’s so flavorful that we don’t miss it. The garlic adds so much flavor that I add a couple more cloves. So yum.
MaryAnn, I just love your comment! Thank you for sharing that you use half-and-half and don't even add Parmesan and that the recipe still has a ton of flavor! Very helpful information to me and other readers.
Yummy!!!!!!
Glad you liked it! 🙂
this recipe is a winner, classic creamy garlic tuscan chicken pasta and a staple on most Italian restaurant menus I like the addition of a finely chopped shallot added near the end of cooking the chicken breast and the bacon but otherwise I make the recipe as written
Michael, I am so happy you've enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for stopping by and letting me know! Adding finely chopped shallots sounds delicious!
This was soo enjoyable. Thank you! The only difference was I cooked the bacon with the garlic and added extra tomato purée. Superb!
Helena, thank you so much for such a nice comment - I appreciate it! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe and stopped by to let me know that!
I’be made this recipe several times before and it was excellent. However, the recipe has changed. The ratio of cream and parm is different and the order is different. Would you please publish the prior recipe?
Karen, you are correct - I have recently updated this recipe - I thought this version was better. I will paste the original recipe in my next comment. If I get more feedback similar to yours, I will revert to the original recipe.
I agree! I’ve used this recipe for years and I thought I was going crazy when my husband was reading the steps to me I made it the new way this time but prefer the old way! Thanks for the recipe - it’s been one of my standbys!
Abby, I am glad you've enjoyed this recipe for years! I will take your feedback into account.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb chicken (chicken breasts or tenderloins)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)
1 cup spinach cooked
5 garlic cloves minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes , crushed
6 bacon strips , COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
1 ⅓ cups half and half
1 ⅓ cups Parmesan cheese , shredded
10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne)
½ cup Parmesan cheese , shredded, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
1)
In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning. 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.
2)
To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, ⅓ of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything.
3)
Add 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 red pepper and salt, if needed.
4)
In the mean time bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.
5)
Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Add remaining half of bacon (cooked and drained of fat). Season with more salt if necessary. Slice the remaining ⅔ of chicken into thin strips. To serve, top the pasta with chicken strips and shredded Parmesan cheese.
Is the nutritional information for the whole recipe (I hope)? It seems too high to be per serving. Thank you in advance for confirming.
Unfortunately, the nutritional information is per 1 serving.
This is my new favourite pasta recipe! I can't wait to make it again.
Diane, I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment and the 5-star review!
I can’t wait to make this. It looks and sounds delicious! Is it possible to use sun dried tomatoes instead?
Hi Misty! Yes, you can use sun-dried tomatoes - that sounds delicious!