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:
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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.
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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.
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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
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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. 😩
OMG!!! This dish is divine, simply amazing!!!!!!
This was SO good!!! I actually used two 9 ounce pkgs of buitoni fresh fettuccine – so nearly double the pasta! Well, while I’m sure it would’ve been so much better with almost double the rest of the ingredients (our kids especially love noodles!! Ok, me to!!) it was delicious and definitely a recipe to put on a weekly rotation!
Sorry, forgot to give star ratings! Five for sure!
Well! This is a keeper. Excellent dish, will use when we have guests to impress. 🥰
I cooked this delicious pasta dish for dinner, as you say ready in 20. I had some swiss brown mushrooms which I sautéed off with the garlic before adding rest of ingredients. Also a good sprinkle of Aleppo chilli flakes.YUM.
Simply sensational! We all luv this dish…. even my extremely fussy 19 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed it! On high rotation in our household. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes xx
This was wonderful. The ingredients may seems simple but OMG! They only thing different I did, I seasoned my chicken breast with chicken spices. It was so good, some of my guests when for seconds. I will be on a rotation at my house.
Love this dish. Simple and always tastes great. Easy to add whatever veg you want as well.
Absolute favourite chicken pasta dish! The poached chicken works well with this! 🤤
Made this as a romantic meal for my partner. It was easy and tasted wonderful. I added bacon (as he loved bacon with everything)…
Absolutely delicious. Thanks Nagi for another favourite. Only thing different was I added some mushrooms that I had cooked seperately. Used the pasta water to thin out a little.
Tasty pasta dish! I used a rotisserie chicken, added mushrooms, onions and asparagus because I had no spinach. Thank you Nagi for your delicious base to a tasty pasta supper!
Lovely as always!! Very rich! But soooo yum! Perfect for a rainy Sunday night family dinner! Everyone loved it. Thanks 😊
Delicious! Loved the pops of sundried tomatoes. Very tasty. Alas no leftovers…..
This meal well and truly surpassed my expectations! Hands down, I would be exceptionally happy if I had paid for this in an Italian restaurant. The only slight difference I made was to use my leftover poached chicken. Yum! 🤤
I’m making this for the third time for tonight. It’s super easy and incredibly tasty. I substitute the sun dried tomatoes for nduja paste and will crisp up some prosciutto in olive oil to top the dish instead of the bacon – just quicker really and decadent. Yum. Everything else is per the recipe.
I’m a huge fan for all the recipes and it’s definitely my go to site for any occasion. Thanks Nagi. Your config duck legs are wow wow wow.
Made this last night for dinner and it was incredible! Accidentally forgot to add the bacon in but added the bacon when we reheated the leftovers for lunch today and it was even better
First time I made it my 25 yr old said “This is a contender for my Birthday dinner!” So it’s a winner in my house!
Even though it so hot here tonight, I happily sweated my way though a big bowl of this pasta. Totally cured my pregnancy craving. Thank you, Nagi
60+ year old male, not an experienced cook – will be coming back for more of this beauty!