CHICKEN PASTA WITH BACON AND SPINACH IN CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE

This chicken pasta with spinach and bacon in creamy tomato sauce is simply amazing with Parmesan cheese! The DELICIOUS creamy sauce permeates every single bite of this chicken penne dish. It’s as though all the ingredients here were made for each other. Very flavorful and creamy! Ingredients Main Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken (thick in size, such as chicken breasts) 6 bacon strips 5 medium tomatoes (chopped in cubes) 10 oz. package of fresh spinach 1 cup half and half 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded (more for garnish) 5 garlic cloves minced Pasta: 8 oz. penne pasta Seasoning Mixture: 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (more, if desired) 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon salt Instructions BACON: Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Arrange bacon strips and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined platter that will absorb extra grease. Chop into 1 inch slices. CHICKEN: Paper towel dry the chicken and rub it in seasoning mixture, then set aside. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add chicken breasts and cook on each side on medium high heat for a total of 3-4 minutes until nicely browned. If chicken is still pink in the center, reduce heat to medium and cook covered for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Add sliced garlic in the last minute of cooking chicken, cook for 1-2 minutes until browned and fragrant. REMOVE CHICKEN FROM PAN: Slice it in thick strips and return only half of it back to the skillet (we want to keep the other half intact for later). Also, make sure that all liquid, if any, is removed after cooking the chicken (it depends on the chicken you use), otherwise the dish will be too watery. TOMATOES and SPINACH: Add chopped tomatoes to the remaining chicken and cook for 3 minutes on high until tomatoes release their juices. Add fresh spinach in 4 consecutive batches until it wilts. CHEESY SAUCE: Add half and half (see note if half and half is not availabe) and bring the mixture to boil. Reduce to simmer and slowly add Parmesan cheese - until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy. Remove from heat. PASTA: In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse. ADDING BACON: Add pasta and bacon and stir until fully coated in sauce. Season with more salt if necessary. ADDING REMOVED 1/2 OF CHICKEN: Now it’s time to add the 1/2 of chicken that we removed earlier and slightly mix it in with the rest of the ingredients (I just pushed my chicken slightly into the skillet). Cover with a lid until ready to serve to keep warm. TO SERVE: Serve with additional shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired. Recipe Adapted From whatsinthepan.com Recipe Notes If half and half is not available or is not sold in your area, use a combination of heavy cream and whole milk in place of half-n-half. compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma,compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma,compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, compensation mesothelioma, insurance, insurance, insurance, insurance, insurance, insurance, insurance, insurance. Tweet Share Yum Subscribe to receive free email update

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb chicken (chicken breasts or tenderloins)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
• 5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)
• 1 cup spinach cooked
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes , crushed
• 6 bacon strips , COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
• 1 1/3 cups half and half
• 1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese , shredded
• 10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded, for serving

instructions

1. In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
2. To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/3 of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything.
3. Add half and half and bring to boil. Only after half and half starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese - immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more crushed red pepper and salt, if needed.

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