Meet the chicken pasta recipe of your dreams! Creamy Chicken Alfredo with sun dried tomato, spinach and bacon, you’ll love how the seasoned shredded chicken acts like a mop for the alfredo sauce. A quick 20 minute dinner!
Chicken Pasta recipe – loaded!
This is the pasta you make when you’ve had a bad day and you need a pick me up.
This is the pasta you make when you’ve had a great day, and want to finish on a high note.
This is the pasta you make when you need a quick dinner that everyone will devour.
And this is the pasta that you make just because there are few things in this world that can rival the feeling of complete and utter satisfaction as you slurp down a big bowl of creamy chicken pasta!
What you need
Here’s what you need. Just a quick note on a few of the items:
Wine – the secret ingredient! Wine gives the sauce that extra little something-something that gives the creamy Alfredo Sauce a restauaranty edge. If we’re going to make a luxe creamy pasta, let’s do it right! Non alcoholic sub – more chicken broth.
Parmesan – make sure it’s either freshly grated OR use the store bought finely shredded parmesan that looks like small thin batons. Do not use the store bought sand-like parmesan, it doesn’t melt properly in the sauce.
Sun Dried Tomato – you can skip this if you want, but it does give this pasta recipe an extra little za-za-zoom! I use the healthy no-oil strips, but you can absolutely use the type sold in jars in oil.
You’ll love how the seasoned shredded chicken acts like a mop for the creamy alfredo sauce!
Shredding the chicken is not something I’ve done for pastas I’ve previously shared. It works really well for this chicken pasta because the creamy sauce kind of clings to the chicken, making the overall eating experience even juicier and more slurp-worthy (if that were possible! 😂).
Quick 20 minute chicken dinner
This is terrifically quick and easy to make with a nice flow to it. Cook the chicken while the pasta cooking water comes to the boil. Then make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
You’ll have dinner on the table in 20 minutes, and plates mopped clean minutes thereafter. How good is that??! ~ Nagi x
PS If you’re worried that this is a bit more indulgent that your usual midweek pasta, don’t let that stop you. It’s totally worth it – and you can eat air for dinner tomorrow 😉
More creamy pasta recipes
Fettuccine Alfredo – classic fettuccine with Alfredo sauce
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Pasta recipe of your dreams!
Ingredients
- 300g / 10 oz fettuccine (Note 1)
- 30g / 2 tbsp butter , separated
- 2 chicken breasts , cut in half horizontally
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine (sub more chicken broth)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock / broth , low sodium
- 1 1/4 cups (315ml) cream , thickened / heavy (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup (75g) parmesan , finely shredded (Note 3)
- 70g / 2.5oz baby spinach
- 100 g / 3oz sun dried tomato strips (Note 4)
Serving:
- 120g / 4oz bacon , cooked and crumbled
- More parmesan
- Parsley , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for time per packet minus 1 1/2 minutes.
- Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water. Then drain pasta.
Chicken:
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
- Melt half the butter in a large skillet over hig heat.
- Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side until deep golden.
- Remove chicken onto plate, rest for a few minutes then shred with 2 forks.
Alfredo Sauce:
- Turn down heat to medium high. In the same skillet, add remaining butter and garlic.
- Cook garlic for 30 seconds until golden, then add wine.
- Simmer rapidly, stirring to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Once mostly evaporated, add chicken broth, cream, parmesan and sun dried tomato.
- Simmer on medium for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring leisurely, until it reduces and thickens.
Essential Tossing:
- Add spinach, chicken and cooked pasta.
- Toss for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on the stove, until sauce thickens and coats the pasta strands (see VIDEO). Use pasta cooking water if needed if it gets too thick.
- Serve immediately with parmesan, crumbled bacon and parsley (if desired).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Another weekend of fun at Rick Stein’s Bannisters in Port Stephens! The RecipeTin Family took our mother up for a belated Mother’s Day weekend away. This photo was taken from outside her room – top floor, stunning views, huge sunny terrace and an extra large room.
In fact, everyone stayed up in the “good” rooms while I was relegated to the a ground floor room for easy pooping access to the lawn for Dozer. 😩
An absolute winner and will become a family favourite!
Thank-you for this delicious recipe.
Another winner with the family! Even the 5 year old who refuses tomatoes was conned into eating some!
Wahoo!!! That’s great!
This Chicken and Bacon Pasta of your dreams will be tried and tested tonight by all of my family from South Africa tonight. Thank you for posting the most amazing recipes!!!
I hope it’s a hit Chane!
Nagi, what can I say! This is simply THE BEST chicken pasta dish I have had. We usually rate a dish by whether we would have it again. My husband said he would have it again tomorrow! For breakfast! I always enjoy reading your recipes, they are so easy to follow. I also like the way it is possible to reduce the recipe down to 2 which takes the guesswork out of it. Thank you and keep on doing what you do.
Thanks so much Sheila, that’s so great to hear!!
PS. can you tell me how to save the recipes from your website? At the moment I save them individually to my home screen which is not very practical. Is there a recipe folder that I haven’t seen?
I’m going to try it next time with pan fried salmon and tiger prawns for a special treat
Hi Nagi. I created a new way to make Maca cheese last night and it works. Make your recipe or any recipe and boil the macaroni then drain it all except a little of the water, add the butter, stir then add the cheese and milk, pour into an ovenproof dish and decorate with crumbs or your usual topping and grill until brown. Serve. It saves the milk sticking to pots. 🙂
Hi Nagi, thanks for your reply, but it looks as though I will never able to save your recipes. Like me my iPad 2 is getting old, thanks to Apple they no longer let you update this old model. How bad is that! 👎
Let me look into it Jane, that doesn’t sound right! – N xx
I want to make this for my wife without any chicken Will this still work just fine if I just skip over that part?
Was so pleased about being able to save your recipes, but I am unable to see the ❤️or the 🔎
anywhere on the recipes.
Does it work on iPads I am wondering now. Look forward to hearing from you. Regards Jane
Hi Jane, yes it should work – you might need to update your browser! Send me an email if you’re still having issues ❤️
I love this cream sauce with anything. Awesome recepie.
Nagi and Dozer, evry day in my kitchen.
Thank you very much. Wish you the best.
It’s so good I could drink it on tap!! – N x
Hi, Nagi,
I know I will lose some flavor, but I think I am going to try this with rotisserie chicken. We buy the ones from Costco and they are HUGE, and I am always looking for ways to use them up!
Thanks!
Donna
It will be great Donna!!
I cut the recipe in half because there’s only 2 of us & that was ample. I added some fried smoked streaky bacon, a finely cut red pepper & button mushrooms cut into 4 and let me tell you all it was yum yum
Sounds divine Colin! – N xx
This was a huge hit tonight. I have made many of your recipes everyone of them being recipe box keepers. Thank you for the recipe I will be making this again.
Thanks so much for the feedback Kimberly!
Made this last night, and it was amazing! Entire family loved it, picky eater kid and almost-vegetarian kid both wanted seconds which never happens unless I’m making one of your dishes, Nagi! Thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Woah, sounds like you nailed it Kate!
It’s Nagi night tonight!! We’re making this again, along with your rocket salad (Me making salad? Unbelievable!!) and following with the butterscotch self saucing pud – YUM to all three. x
Perfect combo Alimak!
LOVED IT!
Wahoo! That’s great Claudia!
Hiii I was wondering is there a way this could be prepped in the slow cooker for very shredded chicken?
I really don’t have words for the deliciousness this dish contains. It’s the kind of pasta you know you want in your head but can never execute in real life. But thanks to you Nagi, now I can! Even the leftovers were divine! Thank you!
That’s so wonderful to read Holly!!!
Such a simple and tasty recipe!!!
I’m so glad you love it Lynne!!
It was delicious, definitely adding this into my recipe rotation. Didn’t take long to make either, thank you!
Woot!!! That’s great Matthew!
This looks so yummy!! I’m going to attempt tonight but I honestly hate cooked spinach. I am into the idea of switching it out for another veggie though – what would you suggest as a swap?
Hi Claire, just leave it out!
I made this last night for my fussy family and it was a huge hit!
They had always screwed their faces up just at the thought of sun dried tomatoes, but I was salivating at this recipe and was determined to make it. So I strategically chopped the sun dried tomatoes up really small so they didn’t know what the red bits were. They gobbled it up and kept commenting on the amazing flavour 😂.
Thank you for your amazing recipes
I love it Karen! 😂