Chicken Bacon Alfredo

Alfredo is such a classic pasta dish – often served all on it’s own. But in my family of carnivores – I always have to add meat (and lots of it!). So I decided to make Chicken Bacon Alfredo this go around. The chicken is has just a little kick from red pepper flakes – oh and I cooked it in the bacon grease! And the brightness of the spinach added at the end really brings the dish together.

I do not like to eat cooked spinach at all – there I said it! I don’t like the way it gets basically slimy. But I do love to put it into warm dishes. The best way to do that is to put it in right at the last moment and let the heat of the dish just wilt it. That’s exactly what happens with this homemade alfredo sauce. By adding the chopped up fresh spinach right when before pouring it over the pasta – you get a perfect wilt.

Fettuccini is the typical pasta used in alfredo dishes – but you really could use any type of pasta, long or short. I would probably stay away from micro pastas like ditalini or orzo, though. Fettuccini can be a little tricky to cook through properly without making it over done. The trick I use is to cook it at a rolling boil – that way it doesn’t have a chance to drop in temperature and cook unevenly.

This is a rather filling dish and probably does not need any sides at all. But if you are looking to stretch the meal (for more people or to ensure leftovers), you could serve with a side salad or a nice breadstick.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Chicken Bacon Alfredo

A classic chicken alfredo recipe with the best addition ever – BACON

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword alfredo, bacon, Chicken, Pasta, pasta dishes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1½ lb Fettuccini
• 1 lb Bacon cut into ½-inch pieces

For the Chicken

• 1½ lb Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Parsley plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Salt

For the Alfredo

• 4 tbsp Butter
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
• 1 cup Fresh Spinach chopped

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients. Start water boiling for pasta.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to paper towel covered plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.
• Reduce heat to medium and add garlic to bacon grease. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle chicken chunks with seasonings and add to garlic. Stir to coat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on package. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water to arrest cooking process. Return to pot, away from heat.
• In a sauce pan over medium heat, add butter, garlic powder and pepper. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Then whisk in chicken broth and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Then add cheese by the handful until fully incorporated. Then stir in spinach. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Add half of bacon and half of chicken and toss to coat.
• In a shallow bowl, add portion of pasta. Sprinkle with chicken and bacon. Garnish with parmesan and parsley, if desired.