I’m wasn’t entirely sure what to call this recipe – chicken, bacon, red bell pepper, corn, green onion, parmesan, and cream. It is quite good – just was not sure what to call it and then it struck me how colorful it turned out. So I settled on Confetti Chicken & Pasta and I think it really suits the dish.
This one-pot really is just a variation of all the others. You add a meat to some veggies and pan-fry them. Then add enough liquids to cook the pasta through and thicken to make a sauce. You can play around with the types of liquids and pastas to make deeper flavors.
Substitutes and Variations:
If you do not like corn with pasta – I know some people don’t – you can simply omit it. If you want to swap it out for a can of petite diced tomatoes, that adds a nice flavor and maintains that small note of sweetness. I used shells but you can use elbows or bow ties or rotini.
Suggestions for Sides:
Since this already had the meat, grain and veg in one pan, you do not necessarily need a side dish. If you wanted to extend the corn flavor – you could makes some cornbread to serve on the side.
Tools that may make this recipe easier:
You gotta have a pan large enough for the whole meal. But its important to not just use a big stock pot. The meal won’t cook right if it’s too deep. You want a large wide pan with 2-3 inch sides that has a lid. This allows things to spread out and cook evenly. I like a 14 inch everyday pan for this.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Confetti Chicken & Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ lb Bacon chopped
- 1½ lb Chicken Thigh, boneless skinless cut in 1-inch chunks
- 4 tbsp Oil divided
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced
- ½ White Onion diced
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 15oz can Corn drained
- 1½ qt Chicken Broth
- 1 lb Pasta Shells
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 3 stalks Green Onions chopped
Instructions
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add chopped bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove to a paper towel covered plate. Reserve all bacon grease in the pan.
- Combine salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley. Spinkle half of the mixture over the chicken.
- In the same pan with the bacon grease, add half of the oil. Saute chicken until you no long see pink (do not cook all the way through at this stage.) Push chicken to one side of pan and reduce heat to medium.
- Add remaining oil to pan along with bell pepper, onions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes then push to side with chicken.
- Add butter to pan and let melt. Whisk in flour and let cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, corn, ground mustard and remaining seasoning mixture. Stir vegetables and chicken into the liquid.
- Add pasta to pan and work it around until the pasta is completely submerged. (add some water or more broth if you need to). Cover pan with lid and let cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in heavy cream and cooked bacon. Once fully incorporated, add in cheese. Stir until melted in. Let cook another 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with green onions.
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Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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