Chicken Bacon Spinach Pasta

“This tastes like it’s from a restaurant.” Ahhh…music to my food blogging ears. Thank you hubby. He doesn’t lie either. In fact, he’s brutally honest about my recipes. But this one, is undoubtedly a keeper. The fresh tomatoes and spinach pair perfectly together, and I never met a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce that I didn’t like, the chicken gives this pasta dish the protein that it needs, and finally, the bacon. Who can really say no to a loaded pasta dish that’s topped with crispy bacon? I really don’t think that anyone could.

I personally love to prepare this meal in a cast iron skillet. Searing the chicken in a cast iron skillet helps set the tone for the rest of the meal by giving the pan a ton of delicious flavor that you later use to cook the sauce in. It’s part of what makes this pasta dish so incredibly flavorful.

The main difference between these two types of penne pastas is that penne rigate has ridges, and those ridges really help to lock-in flavor, which makes it ideal of creamy sauces such as this.

Feel free to experiment with the flavors on this one, perhaps substituting that spinach for kale, or the chicken for ground turkey or sausage! 😉

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning a combo of thyme, oregano, & basil
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 4 bacon strips
• 10 oz. penne pasta
• Garlic Parmesan Sauce
• 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 + 1/3 cups half and half
• 1 + 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 2 cups spinach uncooked

Instructions

1. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat.
2. Butterfly the chicken breast and cut the seam to create 2 thinner slices, each about an inch thick. Season each side generously with Italian seasoning and desired amounts of salt and pepper.
3. Sear the chicken in the hot skillet on each side. Refrain from moving the chicken around as it sizzles, it will hinder the nice golden sear color. If the pan gets too hot, reduce the heat to medium. Each side will take 3-5 minutes. Once each side is a nice, golden brown and the middle is cooked, set the chicken aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the bacon to the same skillet. Low and slow is the best way to cook bacon.
5. ..............................

for full recipes please see : thecozycook.com

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