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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.
Can I omit the Parm Cheese? What would be a good substitute for a family who does not eat cheese??
Brandi, just skip the cheese. Heavy cream should be enough to provide the sauce with the proper creaminess and texture.
Absolutely delicious! Will make again.
Lois, so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Looks great but that is a lot of calories for one serving.
That's the calorie content for the entire recipe. You can tell that it applies to the whole dish as there is no serving size/number of servings per recipe listed.
Unfortunately, the calorie count is per 1 serving (there is a total of 4 servings).
The calorie and nutrition info is only an estimate the accuracy is not guaranteed.
I am somewhat confused. In the Nutritional Information box, it says "per serving". If this is the actual count or everything is high. 77 grams of fat to include 35 grams saturated fat! Woah! However, the reason this recipe tastes so good!
Julia, the nutritional info is per 1 serving. There are a total of 4 servings in this recipe.
after cooking the chicken in the beginning steps and removing from pan, I put the garlic, chopped tomatoes added sundried tomatoes, and chopped zucchini to pan. Sauted then removed them. Then I continued with heavy cream (cutting cream with milk to reduce "some" fat). Once sauce thickened, I added back in the tomatoe mixture and the chicken. Melded flavors few minutes then added Chickpea pasta.
DELISH!!
Lori, thank you for sharing this wonderful feedback! Love the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and zucchini! Chickpea pasta is a great choice!
I just made this for dinner and it was amazing! I think next time I might cut some 2% milk with the cream and add a little more Parmesan. Other than that I think it’s perfect. Thank you for this great recipe.
Gloria, thank you so much for this glowing review! 🙂 If using 2% milk, I would add it only after you have made the creamy sauce with cheese. Slowly whisk the milk into the sauce as it simmers.
Hello, im going to make this tomorrow, can I use cherry tomatoes instead?
Victoria, yes, cherry tomatoes would work great!
can I use sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes?
Kim, yes, sun-dried tomatoes would be so delicious here!
This was excellent- I doubled the recipe but only 5 cups of penne, about 4 hands of spinach , 8-9 cloves garlic, about 1/2 a rotisserie chicken seasoned with hot papirika and the Italian seasoning originally called for and approx 1 tsp of basil. Was brave enough to serve it to company-they raved.
Le Ann, I just love your comment! You are quite brave for serving a recipe you make for the first time to the company. I usually do 1 practice run. 🙂 Love that you used rotisserie chicken season with hot paprika and Italian seasoning - sounds delish!
My family & I LOVE this recipe! I actually just made it with the shrimp instead of chicken & I think it's just as amazing. This is 1 recipe that my picky husband & preschooler WILL eat so I try to make it at least once a month. That's enough time I've noticed that they don't get bored with repeating recipes, lol.
Candace, your comment really made my day! 🙂 I am so flattered you've made this recipe more than once or twice. 🙂 It's a huge compliment to me!
Can I use another cheese as don’t like Parmesan
Anne, you can also use Pecorino Romano, and Asiago cheese. Or, use pre-shredded Mozzarella (labeled as part-skim, low-moisture). Don't use fresh Mozzarella (softer cheese that is usually shaped as logs or balls). Enjoy!
This recipe is so delicious and really simple to make! There will definitely be a repeat performance at my house!
Pam, I am so glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! Thank you for your comment and the 5 stars! 🙂
What a heavenly dish! Our family loves all ur recipes! I enjoy cooking again thanks to u and ur recipes are so detailed and very easy to follow. Thank u!
Diane, I am so flattered by your comment - thank you! Glad you feel inspired to cook again and enjoy my recipes! 🙂 Happy Fall cooking!
There wasn’t enough cream sauce. Had to leave pasta on side and add sauce to the pasta on a dish. How would I double the recipe without
having to much spinach?
Jean, if you want to double the recipe without too much spinach, just double all the ingredients excluding the spinach.
About the amount of sauce - you can "increase" the amount of sauce by thinning it out very carefully by gradually adding half-and-half and constantly stirring so that it doesn't get too thin.
I have made this before and it’s delicious. My question is can I make this one day in advance with out the pasta added, will it heat up ok with out breaking the sauce?
Stacy, I wouldn't make it ahead. This kind of sauce is so hard to reheat - it separates, thickens, and just loses all its texture.
When making my cream sauce, it looked a little curdled, like a little cottage cheese-like. What did I do wrong? I was using half and half.
Emily, here are some troubleshooting tips:
1) Use Parmesan cheese that you freshly grate/shred from a block of cheese. Make sure the cheese is at room temperature - that means you might have to microwave it briefly (without, obviously, melting it in the microwave). Just bring the cheese to room temperature before adding it to the sauce.
2) Bring the sauce to a stable simmer (but not boil) - mix the sauce ingredients on a low simmer, slowly, and patiently. Do not boil the sauce - just simmer.
This was really good! The only different thing I did was that I added a handful of chopped basil because I have so much growing right now. I'll definitely make this again.
Tiffany, I am so happy you loved this recipe! Glad you stopped by and share your feedback and the 5-star review! 🙂
Would be great to have uk measurements as well - would love to try a few on here but a hassle to keep converting. Thanks!
Tasha, I have added metric measurements. Under the ingredients list, you will see 2 links: US Customery - Metric. Click on Metric to convert the amounts of the ingredients.
Fantastic, made this 3 times now, works everytime love it thanks
Sharon, so glad you've made it more than once! Thanks for sharing such a positive comment and the 5-star rating! 🙂
Hi, can I used drained diced tomatoes for this recipe?
Thanks
Krystal, yes, you can.
Approximately how many cups of chopped tomato or drained dicd tomato?
Kathy, I would use about 3 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes or 2 cups of drained canned diced tomatoes.