Creamy Chicken Pasta

Super quick and easy, this creamy pasta can be made in advance before heating and mixing right before serving. A few little additions make this pasta a bit different and special enough to serve your guests.

what you’ll need

250g chicken breast fillets

4 rashes of bacon

Olive oil

4 finely chopped spring onions

A handful of snow peas finely sliced

250 ml cream

2 teaspoons chicken stock powder

Black pepper

Grated parmesan cheese

4 slices ready made garlic bread

250g pasta of your choice

2 tablespoons butter

Dried parmesan cheese

Method

Put a large pan of water on to boil then add pasta and cook until just al dente. Here I used penne pasta but you can use pasta of your choice. When cooked drain well, add butter and dried parmesan. Mix gently to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. The addition of the butter prevents the pasta sticking together and the parmesan seasons the pasta.

Preheat oven to 180oC. Cook garlic bread until very crispy. You actually need to over cook the bread so it becomes dry and crumbles. Remove to board and chop finely. If not serving immediately place in an air tight container.

While pasta and bread are cooking slice chicken fillets very finely. Finely chop bacon rashers.

Heat a little olive oil in a non stick pan, add chicken fillets and cook until just cooked through (they will finish cooking in the sauce). Remove from pan, lower heat and add bacon. Cook gently till crisp and brown. Remove from pan, add to the chicken. To the pan add the cream, chicken stock powder, lots of black pepper and approximately 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan. Stir well.

Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes over gentle heat. Add the chicken and bacon to the pan along with the spring onions and snow peas. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, you may need more chicken stock powder or pepper. If not serving immediately remove to a container and refrigerate , covered until ready to serve.

If serving immediately, add the cream sauce to the pasta and mix well. Add the chopped crispy garlic croutons. Serve.

If you have made this in advance you need to reheat the sauce in a pan on the stove top and reheat the pasta until piping hot in the microwave. Mix together and sprinkle with garlic croutons. Serve.