This quick and easy chicken bacon pesto pasta is sure to satisfy those carb cravings! Whether you want an easy dinner, or to meal prep lunches for the week, this recipe is one to make.
With the fusion of succulent chicken thighs, tender bacon, complimented by a vibrant pesto, this pasta is sure to impress! Forget the days of dry pesto pasta, this pasta is juicy with a light, creamy, herby sauce. With just a small amount of cream, it does not feel heavy, and it helps to alleviate the oiliness of the pesto.
Fun fact about pesto pasta: The pasta originated in the Liguria region of Italy. Pesto originates from the word ‘pestare’ which means to crush or to pound. Pesto sauce is traditionally made by pounding and grinding the fresh ingredients together in a mortar and pestle.
Why choose this chicken, bacon, and pesto pasta?
- Flavour: the combination of the juicy chicken thighs, salty bacon, and aromatic pesto creates a flavour explosion in every bite. All these ingredients compliment each other to create a perfect balance.
- Quick and Effortless: whilst this chicken, bacon, and pesto pasta sure does taste gourmet, it is super easy to make in the comfort of your own home. Using pre-made pesto and simple ingredients, you can enjoy a quality meal without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Healthy: whilst it may not be the absolute healthiest recipe out there, this is not a dish to feel guilty about. Lean chicken and bacon provide protein, as well as pasta providing carbs that are important in any meal. The chicken, bacon, and pasta balance each other out – meaning the dish is not super carb heavy, or too meat heavy. Plus, pesto is a great healthy sauce.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: I use boneless chicken thighs because I find them to be the most tender cut of chicken. However, any choice of chicken cut will work
- Bacon: bacon adds a great smoky flavour to this pasta dish. Any type of bacon will work, if you prefer bacon bits or strips. Strips are most common in New Zealand so that is what I chose. Either way, you will be cooking out the fat and covering it in pesto!
- Pesto: speaking of pesto, you can opt to make your own if you’d like. This would involve blending fresh basil, olive oil, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, and salt to taste. For convenience and cost, I use premade pesto which is just as delicious.
- Pasta: you can use whatever pasta you would like. It could be you have a preferred shape, or just whatever is in your kitchen pantry. I would recommend bite size shapes, personally penne or spirals are my favourite. These let the pasta get in the nooks and crannies, giving optimal flavour per bite. Spaghetti would work great as well, it’s just a bit more effort.
How to make this chicken, bacon, and pesto pasta:
Boil the pasta:
To start, bring a pot of salted water with olive oil to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook as per package instructions.
Fry the bacon.
Add chopped bacon to an oiled pan on high heat. Cook until fat has rendered out and it has started to crisp.
Brown the chicken thighs.
Cut the chicken thighs into bite size pieces. Add the chicken thighs to the pan with the bacon. Let these start to brown in the bacon fat.
Add onion.
After the chicken has started to gain some colour, dice your onion. Add the diced onion to the chicken and bacon, cook this until it turns translucent.
Mix in the pesto.
To the pan, add your desired amount of pesto. I used about 5 tablespoons, but if you prefer a strong pesto flavour feel free to add more. Leave the pesto to cook off for a bit to enhance its flavour.
Pour in the cream.
To your pesto coated ingredients, add the cream. Mix until combined, then simmer to let the cream thicken in the sauce.
Combine to make the chicken bacon pesto pasta.
The final step, drain the cooked pasta. Then fold the pasta into the pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle the pasta with the desired amount of parmesan cheese and you’re done.
Variations:
This recipe is made with the traditional basil pesto, but if you were looking to switch it up a bit you could use a variation. There are multiple different kinds of pestos out there, such as sun-dried tomato, arugula pesto, and spinach pesto.
Can I add vegetables to the chicken bacon pesto pasta?
Sure can! I think spinach would blend in the best with a pasta dish like this. Or you could use any leafy green you prefer.
Dietary substitutions:
I used gluten free pasta when making this, so that is an easy substitution for fellow coeliacs. For going dairy free, I would recommend coconut cream. It will add a nice subtle flavour, it will also blend in and enhance the herbiness of the pesto.
Storing this chicken, bacon, and pesto pasta.
This is a great meal prep dish. However, I would only keep it in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days, for taste and freshness. Keep in airtight containers.
More recipes for carb lovers:
- Rosé Pasta
- Sausage Tomato Pasta
- Japchae
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Steak Sandwiches
- French Onion Gnocchi
- Leek and Feta Ravioli
If you’re looking for the perfect easy and quick meal, you’re in the right place. This pesto pasta is perfect for when you want a simple dinner that’s packed with flavour. Ready to give it a try? Don’t miss out on this delicious experience.
If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d love to know!
Chicken Bacon Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 350 g pasta
- 4 chicken thighs
- 250 g bacon
- 1 brown onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 tbsp pesto
- 150 ml cream
- Parmesan (amount dependent on personal preference)
Instructions
- Add pasta to salted boiling water, and cook per packet instructions.
- In a medium heat pot, fry the bacon until it starts to brown.
- After bacon starts to brown, add chopped chicken thighs, now let the chicken start to cook.
- When the chicken has some colour, add diced onion and sauté until translucent.
- Now add in your pesto. I used about 5 tablespoons but you can adjust this to your preferred strength of pesto.
- Mix the pesto so that it coats the chicken, bacon, and onion. Let this mix simmer for a few minutes to cook the pesto slightly.
- Pour in the cream, and mix until combined.
- Let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken and heat through the cream.
- Now fold in cooked and drained pasta to the pot, so that it is coated in the sauce.
- Top with desired amount of parmesan cheese.
