Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Another one of my childhood favs - this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 slices bacon
- 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 15-ounce can canned diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 handful baby spinach
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 - 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- basil to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Liberally season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until golden on the outside and no longer pink inside, about 7-8 minutes per side. Remove from the pan, let rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing.
- In the same skillet, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and then tear into bite sized pieces.
- If there is a lot of bacon fat leftover, drain most of it off. Add the garlic, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and spinach to the skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add heavy cream, Parmesan, and a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Simmer for 5 minutes until saucy and combined.
- Add the reserved pasta, chicken, bacon, lemon juice and lemon zest and toss until combined. If it's too thick, add a few more tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Garnish with basil and serve.