Creamy Chicken Bacon Penne (Printable)

Rich and comforting pasta with tender chicken, smoky bacon, and creamy garlic-Parmesan sauce. Perfect for weeknight dinners.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne pasta

→ Meats

02 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), thinly sliced
03 - 5 oz bacon, chopped

→ Dairy

04 - 1 cup heavy cream
05 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 small onion, finely diced
09 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

→ Pantry & Seasonings

10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.
03 - Season the chicken slices with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the skillet, then add the chicken. Sauté until golden and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
05 - Pour in the heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and the sauce thickens. Add reserved pasta water, a little at a time, to achieve desired sauce consistency.
06 - Return the cooked chicken and bacon to the skillet. Stir in the chopped parsley. Add the drained penne and toss everything together to coat thoroughly. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Transfer to serving plates immediately. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one skillet after the pasta boils, so cleanup is mercifully quick even when youre too full to move.
  • The bacon fat left in the pan does half the flavor work before you even add the cream.
  • It reheats beautifully the next day, which means lunch is already solved.
  • You can double it without any extra effort and still have dinner done in under an hour.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, it's the only thing that will loosen a too-thick sauce without breaking it.
  • Slice the chicken thin and even or some pieces will be dried out while others are still raw in the middle.
  • Let the Parmesan melt off the heat if the sauce starts to look grainy, high heat can make cheese seize up.
  • Taste the sauce before adding the pasta because once it's all mixed, fixing the seasoning gets tricky.
03 -
  • Use a skillet that's big enough to toss the pasta in comfortably, or you'll end up chasing penne across the stove.
  • Grate the Parmesan yourself from a block, the pre-shredded stuff has anti-caking agents that make the sauce grainy.
  • If the sauce looks too thin, let it simmer another minute before adding the pasta, it will thicken as it cools.
  • Cook the bacon on medium heat, not high, so it crisps without burning and leaving a bitter taste in the pan.
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