Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Chicken - Rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken help make this an easy weeknight meal the entire family will want to devour.
Are you guys sick of me saying how busy I've been lately? I'm sorry. I'm sick of saying it. At some point, I've just got to realize my kids are at ages where this is the new normal. It's not a busy week. It's not a busy month or season. Apparently, it's just our lives.Â
I'm starting to realize that some of my favorite dishes like my Eggplant Parmesan or Classic Italian Meatballs have to be put on hold and only made on the weekends. I just don't have the time during the week.Â
My weeknights will now consist of sheet pan meals, one pot meals and 30 minute meals. Those recipes that take over an hour will become Sunday Dinners! I guess that will make them more special to my family. Maybe they will actually appreciate it if they see me in the kitchen, cooking for 2 hours at a time on a Sunday afternoon? You're right, probably not! Kidding. Sort of. Not really.
Anyway, my original intention with this pasta dish was that it was going to be a side dish. Then time got away from me and I never did cook my chicken breasts, so I quickly decided it had to be the main star. Thankfully, I had a bag of pre-cooked chicken in my fridge. I made the pasta as I had planned and just a few minutes before it was finished, I tossed in some pre-cooked chicken. I could have done without the chicken but that husband of mine. Well, you know by now.
If you don't buy that pre-cooked, bagged chicken, this is a great place to use up leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Chicken is perfect for busy week nights. Using rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken makes this dish even easier. Or leave the chicken out altogether!
Printable Recipe Card
Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne regatta pasta or similar
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 T butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 T flour all purpose
- 2 C milk
- ½ C chicken stock
- ÂĽ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 6 oz precooked chicken rotisserie or packaged, chopped
- ÂĽ C grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile:
- Add bacon to a large skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 1 T bacon drippings from pan.
- Return pan back to stove top on medium heat. Add butter and garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk, stock and black pepper. Continue to stir until smooth. Bring up to just a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Cook until just starting to thicken.
- Add drained pasta to skillet (if skillet is not large enough then return pasta back to its cooking pan and pour the sauce in with pasta) over medium low. Stir well. Add chicken and most of the bacon into the pasta mixture (reserving just a few pieces, if desired, to garnish serving plates). Cook just 2-3 minutes more to warm chicken, if needed.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
- Serve in bowls/plates with reserved bacon on top.
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Patty Haxton Anderson says
This is a great budget meal too - pasta stretches everything! PLUS the ingredients go together so nicely. Love, love. And I have one of "those" too - has to have some kind of meat!
foodyschmoody says
Thanks Patty. I know, you'd think bacon would pass as the meat but not in his eyes. I would have been totally content with just the bacon.
The Food Hunter says
You had me at bacon!! looks really good.
Stephanie says
Oh yum. My family would love this!
Kelly @ Nosh and Nourish says
I love this delicious (and quick) weeknight meal. My family will LOVE THIS!!!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
Well hello delicious comfort food!
Jessica @ Savory Experiments says
This looks like a dish my family would LOVE!!! Me, I'm a sucker for pasta and bacon!
Carolyn says
Everything is always better with bacon!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
This looks great and I am never one to turn down bacon!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
This is pretty much the best flavor combo in the world - it looks incredible!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Just pinned this because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the first picture
foodyschmoody says
Much appreciated Angie!
Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says
I bet my grandkids would love this one Christine! Lots of great flavors going on here!
Nicole Power says
Oh my!!! I am all over this pasta!! Pasta is my favorite and 30 minute meal really has me hooked! On the list to make next week 🙂
Nicole Power says
Update: had this for dinner last night. SO delicious!! And so quick and easy. We LOVED this!!
foodyschmoody says
Yay! So glad to hear it. I've had a lot of great feedback on this one from friends. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
Fantastic looking dish. I love how creamy it is, and with the use of leftover chicken it converts nicely into a main course. But, I'll bet it would make a great main course even without the chicken.
Angela says
Yup, I need to make this pasta asap!!! I love everything about it!!!! Its creamy, got bacon in there and garlic... its heaven in a bowl!!!
linda spiker says
Oh my goodness! I just got back from the beach and this looks like the perfect no fuss meal to end a great day!
Joanne/WineLady Cooks says
I love when a dish comes together like this. We grill a lot of chicken on the weekend and we love it with pasta, and this is a delicious recipe.
lizzy wermuth says
You already had me with pasta - then you added garlic, then bacon, now I am just drooling! This looks soooo yummy!
Healing Tomato says
Creamy and garlicky! You have got my attention! When pasta is this good, I am always looking for ways to turn it into a vegetarian version.
Nutmeg Nanny says
This pasta is the comfort food I CRAVE! Especially since you added in bacon - yum!
Debra C. says
Did someone say bacon? Yum yum what an easy delicious meal!
foodyschmoody says
Thanks! My son (so picky, never eats anything) has recently found a love of bacon so I'm happy to have an excuse to incorporate bacon into a lot of recipes lately!
Cindy CORAY says
Hubby loved it! I used corn and quinoa pasta, just as good. It was delicious. Btw, did anyone figure out the calories ?
foodyschmoody says
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have not figured out the calories.