Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach

Oh man, I love this pasta recipe. There’s smoky bacon, fresh spinach, seasoned chicken, onions, garlic, and creamy pasta. What’s not to love? I created this Chicken Spinach Bacon Pasta for two people, but you can easily double or triple the recipe if you need to!

This pasta comes together in about 30 minutes and makes two large servings. It’s creamy, packed with flavor, and healthy if you count the spinach and chicken breast. 🙂

Ingredients for Chicken Bacon Pasta with Spinach

• 8 oz. Chicken Breast
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 strips thick cut Bacon
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Onion yellow or white
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/4 cup dry White Wine (or Chicken Broth)
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups chopped Spinach
• 4 oz. cooked Pasta (spaghetti, penne, or linguine)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan
• 1 Lemon wedge (about 1 tsp. lemon juice)

Ingredient Questions and Substitutions

1. Chicken breast or chicken thighs will work for this recipe.
2. White wine can be substituted with chicken broth or vegetable broth, or it can be omitted.
3. Heavy cream can be substituted with half and half or whole milk. Whole milk will take longer to thicken.
4. Fresh spinach is best for this recipe, but frozen spinach can be used. Drain as much moisture as possible from frozen spinach before using it.
5. Good parmesan cheese does make a difference!

This chicken bacon pasta recipe can be doubled if needed. It doesn’t get much better than chicken and bacon creamy pasta. If you do double the recipe, I recommend cooking the bacon first, then the chicken cubes. With double the amount of chicken, it could crowd the pan and not allow the bacon to get crispy. Just to be safe, cook the bacon until crispy, transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels, then cook the chicken in the bacon fat!

How to Make Chicken Bacon Pasta with Spinach

Check out this reel I made for Instagram for a full video of making this chicken

• Cut the chicken breast into small, bite-size pieces. Toss the chicken with a generous pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and Italian seasoning. Set aside. Note: let the chicken rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes. This lets the seasonings soak into it, and creates a more flavorful pasta dish.

• Chop the bacon into 1/2″ pieces.
• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon and chicken for about 6-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crispy. If the chicken is cooked but the bacon isn’t quite done, transfer the chicken to a bowl and finish cooking the bacon until crispy.

• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and bacon to a bowl. Cover the bowl with foil to keep it warm.
• Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes until softened and slightly browned. Stir in minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook for one minute.
• Stir in white wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until it’s mostly absorbed into the onions. Stir in the chopped spinach and heavy cream. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the spinach is wilted.

• Toss cooked pasta in the sauce. Add the chicken, bacon, and parmesan. Toss to coat the pasta again.

• Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice, toss to mix it into the pasta, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!

I love to serve this with a Steakhouse Caesar Salad, or some simple garlic bread! This Roasted Asparagus Caesar Salad is a cool twist on a salad, too.

You can alter this recipe if you want to! To make it just a bacon spinach pasta, leave out the chicken and proceed with the rest of the instructions. Alternatively, you can omit the bacon and add another tablespoon of olive oil to make it a spinach and chicken pasta!

What Pasta Noodle To Use

Long noodles work well for this recipe, like spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine. If you’d rather use a short noodle, I recommend penne or farfalle noodles.

If you’d like to talk about wine pairings for chicken bacon pasta, check back soon for our sister site: Polished Pairings.

If you make this recipe and love it, a comment and rating below would be amazing! Tag me on Instagram if you post a photo to social media, too. As always, feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions!

xx Sara