BLT Pasta with Chicken
Oh just wait, this recipe for BLT pasta with chicken will become your new family favorite! BLT pasta features tender bites of chicken, spinach, juicy tomatoes, and crispy bacon in a creamy sauce over pasta. Comforting and hearty, and oh so delicious!
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If you love the traditional BLT, aka bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, you will love this BLT pasta! It also has chicken to make it extra hearty. Your family will gobble this up! I don’t know what it is about the combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but it’s kind of perfect. Don’t you think!?
Let’s get to it! What you’ll need:
- Bacon– obviously 😉 You’ll want thick sliced so it holds up to cooking. You can use 1/2 pound to a full pound. Let your heart tell you how much you need. I think a full pound of bacon is great, it’s not overpowering to the rest of the ingredients.
- 1 pound of chicken breast– cut into bite sized pieces
- Baby spinach leaves
- Tomatoes– 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
- Cream cheese– 8 ounce block, that’s what makes this so creamy.
- Pasta– I love farfalle pasta with this (bowties). I think it compliments everything so well, but feel free to use any short cut pasta, or you could serve it over spaghetti
- Seasoning-just some salt, pepper, and onion powder
- Large pot to cook in, a Dutch oven is perfect for this recipe. I also love these pasta pots with the strainer lid. Life changing!
Tips & Tricks
- To save time you could use shredded rotisserie chicken
- Sub in Boursin cheese or goat cheese for the cream cheese
- Use arugula instead of spinach
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce and to thin it out if necessary
- Instead of bacon you could you crumbled sausage, ham, Canadian bacon. Alternatively, use precooked bacon bits
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Love pasta dishes? Try Prosciutto and Pea Tortellini , Crockpot Mac and Cheese, or Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole!
BLT Pasta with Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces 1-2 chicken breasts
- 1/2-1 pound thick cut bacon how much do you love bacon? Add that much to the recipe
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 pound farfalle pasta or short cut pasta
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into large chunks. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- In a large, heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium high heat add the chopped bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and put on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside for later.
- To the same pot add the chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Cook through and remove the chicken to the bacon plate.
- While the chicken is cooking add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Drain the pasta.
- Add the tomatoes to the Dutch oven and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Cook 3 minutes until they start to brown and burst.
- Cube the cream cheese and add in with the tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir until the cream cheese melts and becomes saucy. Add the spinach and stir 1-2 minutes until wilted. Add back in the chicken and bacon and the pasta and stir to combine.
- If the sauce is too thick add the reserved pasta water a little at a time until it's the right consistency. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
