Spicy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Peas

Spicy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Peas – easy weeknight dinner recipe that uses basic ingredients, found in any kitchen. If you want to make something new and delicious with bacon, chicken, and peas – try this pasta recipe! You won’t be disappointed!

The spicy creamy sauce is made with garlic, tomato sauce, cream, mozzarella cheese, basil, and crushed red pepper flakes. I use short pasta – penne, because the sauce coats each piece of short pasta, so you get more creamy goodness with each bite.

Making this spicy chicken pasta is easy!  Here is how you cook it:

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STEP 1. COOK CHICKEN.
Use skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Slice them up, season them generously with salt, dried basil, and red pepper flakes and cook in olive oil in a large skillet.

STEP 2. COOK PASTA AND PEAS.
In the mean time cook the pasta and the peas in a separate pan.

STEP 3. MAKE THE CREAM SAUCE
In the same pan where you cooked chicken, make the cream sauce. Here is how you do it.  Cook minced garlic with red pepper flakes in olive oil, then add tomato sauce, dried basil and bring to boil. Then add shredded Mozzarella cheese and stir until it melts. Finally, while the sauce simmers, add heavy cream and stir to combine.

STEP 4. COMBINE EVERYTHING
Then, you just combine everything together: add cooked and rinsed pasta, cooked peas, cooked chicken, and cooked bacon to the pan with the sauce and mix to combine.

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Spicy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Peas

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Easy, 30 minute Spicy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Peas - this recipe that uses basic ingredients.  

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 835 kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast skinless and boneless, halved horizontally
• salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz penne pasta (use gluten free pasta for gluten free version)
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 15 oz tomato sauce , from the can (I used Hunt's)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 slices bacon , cooked, drained of fat, chopped

Instructions

How to cook chicken:

1. Cut chicken breast horizontally in half, to make it thinner. Season both chicken breast halves generously with salt and also with 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon dry basil - on both sides.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high-medium heat in a large skillet. Add seasoned chicken breast halves and cook on one side for about 3-4 minutes on high-medium heat. Flip the chicken over to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, cover with the lid and let the chicken sit in the skillet off heat - it will continue cooking. After about 10-15 minutes, the chicken should be fully cooked and no longer pink in the center - remove the chicken from the skillet and slice into cubes. Set aside.

How to cook pasta and green peas

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Add peas to pasta during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water.

How to make creamy sauce:

1. To the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 6 cloves of minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes - cook on medium heat for 1 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dry basil, stir and bring to boil - immediately reduce to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Add shredded mozzarella cheese to the sauce and stir to melt until cheese is completely melted and the sauce thickens - 30 seconds. With heat on simmer, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and stir to combine.

Final assembly:

1. Add cooked and rinsed pasta, peas, cooked sliced chicken, and half of chopped cooked bacon to the sauce. Mix to combine. If you cooked pasta in salted water, if you seasoned chicken generously with salt and used canned tomato sauce - there is really no need to add salt at this point as everything should be just perfect. Nevertheless, taste your final pasta and add salt if necessary. Top with the remaining half of chopped bacon

Nutrition Facts

Spicy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Peas

Amount Per Serving

Calories 835 Calories from Fat 405

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 45g 69%

Saturated Fat 18g 90%

Cholesterol 164mg 55%

Sodium 1181mg 49%

Potassium 1135mg 32%

Total Carbohydrates 57g 19%

Dietary Fiber 5g 20%

Sugars 8g

Protein 47g 94%

Vitamin A 31.3%

Vitamin C 29.9%

Calcium 21.8%

Iron 19.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.