Creamy Chicken Bacon Penne (Printable version)

Tender chicken and smoky bacon in a luscious garlic-Parmesan cream sauce with penne pasta. A comforting Italian-American classic.

# Ingredients list:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne pasta

→ Meats

02 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), thinly sliced
03 - 5 oz bacon, chopped

→ Dairy

04 - 1 cup heavy cream
05 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 small onion, finely diced
09 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

→ Pantry & Seasonings

10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.
03 - Season the chicken slices with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the skillet, then add the chicken. Sauté until golden and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
05 - Pour in the heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and the sauce thickens. Add reserved pasta water as needed to achieve desired sauce consistency.
06 - Return the cooked chicken and bacon to the skillet. Stir in the chopped parsley. Add the drained penne and toss everything together to coat.
07 - Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It delivers restaurant quality creaminess without needing fancy techniques or hard to find ingredients.
  • The bacon fat becomes part of the sauce, giving it a smoky richness you just can't fake.
  • Everything comes together in one skillet after the pasta boils, so cleanup is faster than you'd expect.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully with a splash of milk, and somehow taste even more indulgent the next day.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, it contains starch that helps the sauce cling to the penne instead of sliding off.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks oily, whisk in a tablespoon of pasta water off the heat and it'll come back together smooth.
  • Let the bacon cool on a paper towel after crisping so it stays crunchy when you add it back in at the end.
  • Use freshly grated Parmesan, the pre shredded kind has anti caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly into the cream.
03 -
  • Cook your bacon until it's just crispy, not hard, so it stays tender when you toss it back into the hot pasta.
  • Slice the chicken thin and even so every piece cooks at the same rate and stays juicy instead of drying out.
  • Toss the pasta in the skillet over low heat for a minute after combining, it helps the sauce thicken and cling even better.
  • Taste the dish before adding extra salt, the bacon and Parmesan are already salty and it's easy to overdo it.
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