Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake
Creamy, cheesy and so comforting! This family-friendly creamy chicken and bacon pasta bake recipe is indulgent, easy and the perfect pasta bake to feed a crowd. Fantastic leftovers too!With plenty of creamy goodness, this pasta bake is definitely saucy and never dry!
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Servings: 8 people
Calories: 672kcal
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 500 g / 1 pound penne pasta or other pasta shapes
- 300 g / 11 ounces middle bacon diced (note 1)
- 3 tomatoes large, roughly chopped
- 1 onion finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- salt or chicken/veg stock powder (note 2)
- black pepper
- 2 cups shredded tasty cheese or 50/50 tasty and mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F.
- Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Remember to season the pasta cooking water with plenty of salt. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, prepare the creamy chicken and bacon sauce. In a large non-stick pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half of the chicken breasts. Spread the chicken into a single layer, season with salt and pepper. Brown both sides, turning once, about 1 minute per side. (note 3) Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Repeat for the remaining batch of chicken and set aside. (note 4) Note, the chicken should be browned but not cooked through.
- In the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, onions and garlic. Saute on medium heat for about 1 minute. Add in bacon. Turn the heat up to high. Saute until bacon starts to caramelise, about 3 - 4 minutes.
- Add in tomatoes and continue to cook on high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in browned chicken including its juices, dried oregano, dried thyme, sugar and paprika. Stir fry on high heat for 1 minute then pour in heavy cream and sour cream. Reduce heat to medium-low, mix well and bring up to a simmer then turn the heat off.
- Taste the creamy sauce and adjust for salt (or chicken stock powder if using) and pepper to taste.
- In a large baking dish (I use the standard sized one at approx. 23x33cm (9x11inch)), combine cooked pasta and creamy chicken and bacon sauce. Mix well with a spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle the cheeses all over then bake for 15 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven or until cheese blisters and turns golden.
- If you can wait, rest for 10 minutes then serve.
Video
Notes
1. Middle bacon. Since this is a rich and indulgent recipe, opt for middle bacon or short cut (aka back bacon) and not streaky bacon. Middle bacon is leaner and way less fatty than streaky bacon. If you're using streaky bacon, I recommend discarding the excess bacon drip (or save for other cooking adventures) to prevent this pasta from becoming too oily.
2. Use chicken or vegetable stock powder instead of salt to season the sauce. This will add more oomph and depth of flavour into the pasta casserole! It's a useful trick I love using and one I swear by when making a simple Prawn Fried Rice!
3. Only turn the chicken once when searing. The key here is to sear on the highest heat possible. About 1 minute per side is all that's needed and do not stir the chicken or turn it more than once. Stirring or turning the chicken often will promote excess moisture to be released from the chicken. This stops the searing process and you end up with watery chicken in the pan.
4. Brown the chicken breasts in 2 or 3 batches. Just like stirring, overcrowding in the pan will drop the temperature of the pan and lead to watery chicken. It'll be impossible to get any golden searing when the pan is watery.
Rest the chicken and bacon pasta bake for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the sauce to settle into the pasta and I find the sauce thickens a little more too!
Leftovers Keeps well in airtight containers for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 2 to 6 months in the freezer.
Reheating To reheat in the microwave, loosely cover the pasta with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out in the heating process. To reheat in the oven, place the pasta into an oven-safe dish and tightly wrap with foil paper (aluminium foil). Reheat in the oven at 180°C/350°F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until warm to your liking. If the pasta is looking a little dry (soaked up by the pasta!), simply mix in a splash of hot water or chicken stock before reheating. This goes for any reheating method.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!
Nutrition
Calories: 672kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.1g | Protein: 37.8g | Fat: 37.4g | Saturated Fat: 22.9g | Cholesterol: 247mg | Potassium: 281mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 6.8g | Iron: 3mg