Decadent Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta is a quick and easy chicken pasta dish. When you think of comfort food, rich and creamy comes to mind, and this chicken and bacon pasta is no exception. Full of heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and bacon, this recipe teases your palate with its rich, creamy deliciousness.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package to the al dente stage. Before draining the pasta, reserve one and one-half cups of the water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, add the butter to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté for about four minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Then, add the cream and one cup of the pasta water and stir to combine. Add the parmesan cheese and ranch dressing and stir until the cheese has melted. Turn the heat down to low and simmer uncovered for two-three minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add the pasta and stir to combine. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for two minutes. Add the chicken and cook for one-two minutes.
If the sauce looks too thick add some of the reserved pasta water, about a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a consistency you like.
Top the chicken and pasta with bacon and garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Sharon's Expert Tips:
I used Torcetti pasta in this recipe because that's what I had. Feel free to substitute any sturdy pasta you have on hand or your family likes. Bowtie, macaroni, penne, fettuccini, or fusilli would all be good choices.For a dish like this, I like to cook my bacon in the microwave. I place the bacon on folded up paper towels on a paper plate and cover it with another paper towel. Usually, one minute per slice works perfectly. Drain on another paper towel before chopping.Leftover cooked chicken works great in this recipe, or I always have chopped cooked chicken in my freezer to use for recipes like this. I usually roast four skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts at a time. Then, after the chicken cools, I chop it up and freeze it in two-cup packages. Easy peasy! Check out my recipe for Easy Roasted Chicken Breasts here.You can also use a deli roasted chicken. Two cups of chicken is approximate, a little more or less won’t matter.I serve Chicken and Bacon Pasta in the skillet I cooked it in to save on cleanup.