Creamy Chicken Pasta
on Jan 17, 2023, Updated Jan 29, 2024
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Creamy Chicken Pasta is one of our favorite easy pasta dinner ideas. Throw in some bacon and rich creamy sauce for this tasty chicken dinner!
Juicy chicken, pasta, and cream sauce make this easy chicken recipe so rich and filling! To make this recipe even easier, try using some store-bought or Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken or some Baked Chicken Breast.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken Pasta
- It’s quick to make. Even if you haven’t prepped anything beforehand, this recipe shouldn’t take you any longer than an hour. Get everything ready ahead of time and you might have dinner in half an hour!
- It’s a pretty simple recipe. Quite a few of the ingredients are fridge and pantry staples while the rest are pretty easy to find at your local grocery.
- It’s customizable and easy to modify. You could use almost any shape of pasta for this recipe and any protein could work- but chicken works best! Sub in whatever ingredients you need for those picky eaters.
If there’s one thing that we love on this site, it’s easy dinner recipes that are tasty and filling. This Creamy Chicken Pasta dish checks off all those boxes and then some! You’ve got a rich, cheesy cream sauce tossed in with whatever pasta of your choice and chicken seasoned to perfection. The best part of this chicken and pasta recipe is that it’s very customizable: you can find a few recipe variations below that’ll help you make the Best Chicken Pasta you’ve ever had!
Creamy Chicken Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta – You could use almost any pasta here, but we think you should go with something that’s really going to hold on to the sauce. That might be something like a penne rigate- like we used here- or maybe a ziti.
- Bacon – We like using this thick cut bacon, because we can fry it in the pan and then use the bacon fat to cook the chicken afterwards. You could also use microwave bacon and just toss it in at the end if that’s what you prefer.
- Chicken – Chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Whichever one you want.
- Onion – Diced.
- Seasoning – No one likes plain chicken breast, so remember to season your chicken. We kept things simple with some salt, pepper, and a bit of paprika but you could always use garlic powder or your favorite seasoning or spice blends.
- Heavy Cream
- Chicken Broth
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly shredded parmesan will work best in this recipe. In a pinch, you could use pre-shredded or maybe even canned parmesan if that’s all you have.
The best part of this recipe is how loose and open-ended it is. Feel free to sautee some garlic to add a bit more flavor and aroma to your final dish!
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How to Make a Creamy Chicken Pasta
This Creamy Chicken Pasta is such a simple dish to make- once everything is prepped, it shouldn’t take more than half an hour to make! To make some up for yourself, here’s all you need to do.
- Follow the box instructions to cook your pasta before draining pot and setting aside. Dice your bacon and fry in the pan with an optional splash of oil or butter until brown and crisp. Set aside.
- Cook chicken in skillet over medium-high heat with leftover oil and bacon fat. Coat with seasonings and add diced onion. Cook another few minutes.
- Add in heavy cream, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer. Add in cooked pasta and stir occasionally to coat until sauce reduces and thickens to your liking. Garnish with cooked bacon bits, extra parmesan, and optional herbs.
Variations for this Chicken Recipe
- If you have some of our Homemade Pesto Sauce sitting around, you could add in a few tablespoons to this dish to make a Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta. Pesto sauce plays really well with both pasta dishes and chicken recipes, so tossing some into this recipe would work out great!
- Sautee up some mushrooms, diced tomatoes, spinach and toss those in to make this a Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta. These three ingredients and some Italian seasoning makes for a rich, filling dinner recipe that’s so creamy and tasty.
- A rich creamy dish like this could use a little extra heat or spice. Toss in some diced peppers, some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or a couple glugs of hot sauce to make this a Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta.
- For the spinach fans, consider adding in some baby spinach when adding the diced onion.
FAQs about Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe
Can you reheat leftovers?
The simple answer is yes. Make sure you refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. To reheat, add a little milk and stir. Transfer to an oven safe dish and cover with aluminum foil. Heat in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until hot. Only reheat once .
What can I use instead of onions?
If you are not a fan of onions feel free to replace with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, or simply omit them.
I don’t want to use bacon… any alternatives?
Sun-dried or diced tomatoes would make a nice complement and add some color to the dish.
Tips for Making the Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Save around 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the leftover water from when you boil your pasta.The starches in pasta water can really help your cream sauce “stick” to your pasta much better while amping up the flavor and thickening your sauce.
- How long will Creamy Chicken Pasta last in the fridge? Your Chicken Pasta will taste the best and keep its texture if you enjoy it within 3 days of making it. Reheat slowly while stirring occasionally, maybe adding a splash of milk or cream to loosen the sauce back up.
- Use real fresh parmesan for the Best Chicken Pasta! While you can use preshredded parmesan or canned parmesan for this recipe, it will work the best with freshly shredded parmesan from a wedge. The preshredded stuff is usually tossed with some extra starches and coatings that might mess with your sauce- save that parm for topping your finished dish!
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes
- If you enjoyed this chicken pasta recipe and want a bit more spice and heat, we’d recommend taking a look at our Cajun Chicken Pasta. The addition of some diced bell peppers, Cajun seasoning, and some extra cayenne pepper makes this a warm but tasty dish! A bit of extra cream cheese just makes things a bit tangier and so much more creamy.
- Another recipe that makes for a quick and simple dinner is our Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole. This is an easy casserole dish which is a great way to use up any leftover chicken you might have sitting around. Cheddar, mozzarella, alfredo sauce, and ranch dressing ensures that this dish is going to be rich, creamy, and filling!
- For a nice creamy mix of juicy chicken and some tasty greens, go with our Chicken Broccoli Casserole. This simple recipe is so easy to make, especially with rotisserie chicken and some frozen broccoli! Use some homemade or store-bought alfredo sauce and top off with a crunchy Ritz cracker topping for a delicious and filling casserole.
- Make one of the most popular chicken recipes on my blog. Parmesan Crusted Chicken. We use pounded thin chicken breasts, coat in a delicious Parmesan coating, and then fried to make them crispy. Add this chicken idea to your dinner this week.
Did you make this recipe? If so, be sure to rate with a star rating and drop a comment below.
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Creamy Chicken Pasta is one of our favorite easy pasta dinner ideas. Throw in some bacon and rich creamy sauce for this tasty chicken dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Penne pasta
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 12 oz Bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
- 1 1/2 lb Chicken breast, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (not pre-grated)
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package direction. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until crispy.
- Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium high and cook chicken pieces until just white on all sides.
- Season with paprika, salt and pepper.
- Add diced onions.
- Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add in heavy cream, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer.
- Add in cooked pasta and stir occasionally to coat until sauce reduces and thickens to your liking.
- Garnish with cooked bacon bits, extra parmesan, and optional herbs.
Notes
- Save around 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the leftover water from when you boil your pasta.The starches in pasta water can really help your cream sauce “stick” to your pasta much better while amping up the flavor and thickening your sauce.
- How long will Creamy Chicken Pasta last in the fridge? Your Chicken Pasta will taste the best and keep its texture if you enjoy it within 3 days of making it. Reheat slowly while stirring occasionally, maybe adding a splash of milk or cream to loosen the sauce back up.
- Use real fresh parmesan for the Best Chicken Pasta! While you can use preshredded parmesan or canned parmesan for this recipe, it will work the best with freshly shredded parmesan from a wedge. The preshredded stuff is usually tossed with some extra starches and coatings that might mess with your sauce- save that parm for topping your finished dish!
Nutrition
Calories: 701kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 167mg, Sodium: 931mg, Potassium: 653mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 782IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 243mg, Iron: 2mg
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