CHICKEN AND BACON FETTUCCINE
Fancy a restaurant-quality pasta? Try this luxuriously creamy chicken and bacon fettuccine.
It’s not quite as indulgent as you might think either! The sauce doesn’t use any cream; rather, we make a silky smooth white sauce, then infuse it with parmesan and pesto.
Combined with smoked chicken and bacon, plus a mix of veggies including mushrooms, onion and spinach, this fettuccine is mouthwateringly good!
If the included veggies aren’t quite enough for you, or you need a bit of “freshness”, try serving with a simple side salad or some steamed broccoli.
So there you have it… restaurant-style pasta in the comfort of your own home. Don’t forget the glass of wine!
Happy cooking!
CHICKEN & BACON FETTUCCINE
Fancy a restaurant-quality pasta? Try this chicken and bacon fettuccine. It has a luxuriously creamy pesto-infused sauce, achieved without actually using any cream! Mouthwateringly good!
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 1 brown onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water (250ml)
- 1 cup milk (250ml)
- 50 g butter (1.8oz)
- 1/3 cup plain flour (50g)
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (45g)
PASTA
- 300 g boneless smoked chicken breast (10.6oz)
- 250 g button or Swiss brown mushrooms (8.8oz)
- 150 g streaky bacon (5.3oz)
- 250 g dried fettucine (8.8oz)
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 100 g baby spinach (3.5oz)
- 5 Tbsp basil pesto
- 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (23g)
Instructions
PREPARE INGREDIENTS
For the sauce, finely dice onion and crush garlic. For the pasta, roughly dice the chicken. Quarter the mushrooms and dice the bacon into small pieces.
MAKE SAUCE
Whisk chicken stock and milk together in a jug. Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat, until bubbling. Sauté onion and garlic until soft (3-4 minutes). Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the stock/milk mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly, until smooth. Continue to cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes (the consistency should be like a cheese sauce). Stir in parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
PREPARE PASTA
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add fettuccine and boil for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large frying pan on medium-high. Pan fry chicken, mushrooms and bacon until mushrooms are tender (4-5 minutes). Roughly chop spinach and add to pan, cooking until just wilted. Stir in the creamy sauce and pesto. Add lemon juice, adjusting quantity to taste.
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain fettuccine well. Add to the frying pan with some of the reserved pasta water and toss to coat with sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
SERVE
Divide pasta between warmed serving bowls and top with parmesan. Garnish with a little chopped parsley, if you have some on hand. Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: A Pinot Gris or unoaked Chardonnay.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Choose gluten-free stock cubes. Swap plain flour for plain gluten-free flour. Use dried gluten-free fettuccine.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: If you don’t want to use smoked chicken, you could use diced chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Pan fry in the oil for a few minutes until almost cooked through, before you add the butter, mushrooms and bacon. Pre-cooked shredded roast chicken is also a good option. Alternatively, leave out the chicken altogether and increase bacon to 250g / 8.8oz. Fancy some extra veggies? Serve fettuccine with a side salad or some steamed broccoli.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store individual portions in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. Add a splash of water or milk if the sauce has a dried out a little.
2 Comments
Very yummy but with lots of washing up (which was a minor downside) compared to the scrumptious ness of the pasta. Thanks for another great Y.U.M meal.
Ah yes, this one isn’t very light on dishes is it?! Glad you enjoyed the pasta though!