Oh man, I love this spinach chicken pasta recipe. There’s smoky bacon, fresh spinach, seasoned chicken, onions, garlic, and a creamy sauce all packed into one pasta dish. What’s not to love? I created this recipe for two people to share, but you can easily double or triple the recipe if you need to!
It’s a great go-to recipe for a cozy weeknight dinner, or a fairly quick weekend date night in. The recipe comes together in about 30 minutes, and makes two fairly large portions.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. boneless skinless Chicken Breast (or Chicken Thighs)
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 8 oz. cooked Pasta (like Spaghetti, Penne, or Linguine)
- 2 strips thick cut Bacon
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Onion (Yellow or White Onion)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
- 1/4 cup Dry White Wine (or Chicken Broth)
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream (or Half and Half)
- 2 cups packed Baby Spinach, roughly chopped – thick stems removed
- 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice
Ingredient Notes and FAQs
Chicken Breast
Chicken breast is recommended in this recipe, as it’s easier to cut uniform, bite-sized pieces of it. You are welcome to substitute chicken breast with chicken thighs for added flavor.
Dry White Wine
I keep a small carton of box white wine (like an Italian Pinot Grigio) in my refrigerator specifically for cooking. It adds flavor, and the alcohol cooks out if that’s something you’re concerned about. If you don’t have dry white wine on hand, a low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth can be used in place of it. If you don’t have any of those things on hand, it can just be omitted.
Heavy Cream
Half and half is a great substitute for the heavy cream in this recipe, but it will take a couple of extra minutes to thicken. (Half and half is half heavy cream, half milk). Whole milk can be used as a substitute, but will take quite a few extra minutes to thicken, and will not deliver the same rich flavor as heavy cream. I recommend sticking with the recipe the way it is!
Fresh Spinach
Fresh baby spinach is pretty ideal here. Remove any offensively large or thick stems from the leaves, toss those in the compose, then roughly chop the leaves. If you’re using large fresh spinach leaves, just roughly chop them. The chopped pieces reduce significantly when introduced to the heat.
Parmesan Cheese
Ah, the topic I live and die by. 😉 Step up your flavor game, and snag a small hunk of good, aged, Parmesan Reggiano from a reputable grocery store with a decent cheese section. I’m not an avid Whole Foods shopper, but I always get my Parmesan cheese from there. It’s like $7, and will last you through plenty of meals. I have tons of recipe that use Parmesan cheese on this website if you need some ideas.
Fresh Lemon Juice
This is not included to make this creamy chicken spinach pasta taste like lemon, so don’t worry. The sauce is rich from the white wine, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese … so it needs a squeeze of fresh, bright acidity to make it taste more balanced. That’s the only purpose of the lemon here! Don’t skip it.
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!
Directions
How to Make This Chicken Spinach Pasta Recipe
Step One: Season the Chicken + Boil the Pasta. 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.
While the chicken rests at room temperature, go ahead and boil the pasta in salted water until al dente (usually about a minute less than the package instructions call for). Carefully reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the rest. Set the cooked pasta and the reserved water aside.
Step Two: Cook the Bacon + Chicken. Cut the bacon slices into 1/2″ pieces. Heat olive oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon for a couple of minutes until the fat starts to render, then add the chicken pieces to the pan. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to 165 F, and the bacon pieces are crispy.
Step Three: Cook the Onion and Garlic. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and bacon to a bowl, leaving the rendered bacon fat in the pan. Cover the bowl with foil to keep it warm. To the pan with the bacon fat, add the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes until softened and slightly browned, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the onions. Stir minced garlic and crushed red pepper into the onions and cook for one minute.
Step Four: Add White Wine, Cream, and Spinach. Add the white wine to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is mostly absorbed into the onions. Stir the chopped spinach and heavy cream into the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and the cream has thickened.
Step Five: Toss the Cooked Pasta, Chicken, and Bacon with the Sauce. Transfer the cooked pasta, chicken, and bacon into the pan with the creamy spinach sauce. Toss to coat the pasta, and to distribute the chicken and bacon evenly. Add a splash or two of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
Step Six: Season to Taste. Add the fresh lemon juice and parmesan cheese to the pan, then toss the pasta until everything is evenly mixed. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired.
Check out this Instagram reel if you’d like a video version of the recipe!
Customize this Recipe:
- Instead of Bacon, you could use pancetta or guanciale for an Italian twist.
- Substitute the Spinach with chopped kale leaves or baby arugula.
- Add more flavor by tossing some mushrooms in to cook with the chicken and bacon, or stirring sun-dried tomatoes in with the cream and spinach.
- Add more red pepper flakes for a spicier version.
- Toss in some Vegetables, like zucchini, mushrooms, or summer squash.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Storing: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to three days.
To Reheat: Heat the leftover pasta in a small non-stick pan over medium-low heat, stirring it frequently to prevent the sauce from breaking. Add a splash of chicken or vegetable broth, or heavy cream to the leftovers to help bring the creaminess back to life.
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 pasta or farfalle noodles.
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 to Serve with Chicken Spinach Pasta:
- A simple salad tossed with this Maple Balsamic Dressing OR Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Roasted Asparagus Caesar “Salad”
- Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread
- Chopped Romaine with Miso Caesar Dressing
More Pasta Recipes for Two People:
Want to make more than two servings? Increase the amount you want to make in the recipe card; there is a little slider bar near the “servings” section on the recipe card if you’re on a desktop, or if you’re on your phone, touch the number of servings on the recipe card (it will be a number, and colored dark red). You can adjust the slider bar that way instead of doing the calculations on your own! 🙂
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
Chicken Bacon Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Chicken Breast or chicken thighs
- Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 8 oz. cooked Pasta Noodles like spaghetti, linguine, or penne
- 2 strips Thick Cut Bacon
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Onion white or yellow
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper optional
- 1/4 cup Dry White Wine like Pinot Grigio
- 2 packed cups fresh Baby Spinach roughly chopped, large stems removed
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream or half & half
- 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Season the 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.
- Boil the Pasta. While the chicken rests at room temperature, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente (usually about a minute less than the package instructions call for). Carefully reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the rest. Set the cooked pasta and the reserved water aside.
- Cook the Bacon + Chicken. Cut the bacon slices into 1/2″ pieces. Heat olive oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon for a couple of minutes until the fat starts to render, then add the chicken pieces to the pan. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to 165 F, and the bacon pieces are crispy.
- Cook the Onion and Garlic. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and bacon to a bowl, leaving the rendered bacon fat in the pan. Cover the bowl with foil to keep it warm. To the pan with the bacon fat, add the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes until softened and slightly browned, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the onions. . Stir minced garlic and crushed red pepper into the onions and cook for one minute.
- Add White Wine, Cream, and Spinach. Add the white wine to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is mostly absorbed into the onions. Stir the chopped spinach and heavy cream into the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and the cream has thickened.
- Toss the Cooked Pasta, Chicken, and Bacon with the Sauce. Transfer the cooked pasta, chicken, and bacon into the pan with the creamy spinach sauce. Toss to coat the pasta, and to distribute the chicken and bacon evenly. Add a splash or two of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
- Season to Taste. Add the fresh lemon juice and parmesan cheese to the pan, then toss the pasta until everything is evenly mixed. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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