Creamy pesto chicken pasta is a great way to make use of delicious home-made pesto. Bacon makes it even more irresistible. I love having pesto on-hand in the freezer for an easy meal.
If you have store-bought pesto, it may be on the saltier side. If so, you may want to completely cut out the garlic salt in this recipe. Always taste your pasta sauce to see if it is too salty or not salty enough. If it is too salty, add in more heavy cream and pasta water. If it is bland, add in more pesto, Parmigiano Reggiano or salt.
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Bacon
A satisfying pesto pasta with chicken and crispy bacon
Ingredients
- 6 quarts water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1.5 cups pesto Store bought. Or use my recipe for Vegan Basil Pesto
- 3 strips bacon
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 chicken breast thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 package linguine or spaghetti
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Then add salt.
- Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium heat and place bacon on the frying pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes each side until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Toss out most of the bacon fat. When bacon is cooled, cut into small pieces.
- Season chicken with garlic salt and black pepper. In the same pan, add in chicken breast pieces and sear for 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Place pasta into boiling water. Follow package instructions and boil for approximately 10-12 minutes until softened but still has a bite. Remove from water and reserve pasta cooking water.
- In the frying pan, add in 1 tsp oil and garlic. Fry garlic until garlic is almost golden brown. Then add in pesto and heavy cream. Mix well. Then add in pasta and a splash of pasta cooking water. Saute pasta with sauce for 2-3 minutes until sauce is thickened and pasta is al dente, then add in chicken. Top with crumbled bacon and Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately.
