This creamy, indulgent Cream Cheese Bacon Chicken Pasta is a skillet full of comfort. It’s easy, only calls for handful of ingredients, and is the perfect recipe for those busy weeknights.
I often refer to easy, quick weeknight meals like this Cream Cheese Bacon Chicken Pasta as the type of recipe that’s perfect for busy weeknights when the kids are in school and we’re all running in a hundred different directions. The thing is, though, it’s not just when school is in session that we’re looking for easy recipes – at least at our house. We’re pretty much always looking for things that we can get on the table without a lot of fuss and with ingredients we already have in the house. You’d think that as a recipe developer that wouldn’t be the case. But I think it’s one of those “cobbler’s children have no shoes” things. When I’m in the kitchen all day, I rarely want to spend tons of time cooking supper.
And this summer is a bit different for us as Jack’s at home all summer. In the past, he’s been at some kind of summer camp – usually out swimming, hiking, kayaking. But this summer, since my test kitchen and office is right in the backyard now, we’ve allowed him to stay home with us.
Now, I don’t know when the last time you’ve tried to feed a 13-year-old boy was, but let me tell you… The phrase “Eating us out of house and home” is 100% correct! This kid is ravenous.
When we were testing this recipe, we had barely started cooking the bacon when he popped his head in the door to see what was cooking. And who blames him? Folks come a-runnin’ when they smell bacon. And that’s just what’s going to happen when you make this dish.
We start with thick cut, smoked bacon. It gives the sauce a noticeable smokiness and tons of flavor. Regular cut bacon will work, as well. You just might need a few more pieces to get enough fat to cook everything else. You’ll need 2 to 3 tablespoons of bacon grease/fat.
Using the rendered fat to sear the chicken also helps us carry that flavor throughout the dish. Just be sure not to crowd that pan. You want to get a nice sear on the chicken and get it golden brown to add even more flavor.
For the pasta, it’s important to remember to only cook the pasta to al dente. It will continue to cook a bit once it’s out of the boiling water and can soften even more once it’s added to the sauce. And be sure to not rinse your pasta in this recipe. Keeping the starch on the pasta will help the sauce to stick to the spaghetti.
And while I know how much some of y’all hate the vagueness of the phrase “add salt and pepper to taste,” it’s really the only way to do it. Different cheeses will have different salt amounts and based on the amount of salt and pepper you put on the chicken, you might not need any more at all. Just taste it.
Recipe Card
Cream Cheese Bacon Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti
- 5 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package instructions, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels, keeping the bacon drippings in the pan. Crumble and set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear in the bacon grease over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 2 to 4 minutes on each side or until brown. Work in batches if necessary to prevent crowding the pan. Remove chicken from pan using tongs or a slotted spoon to allow bacon grease to remain in the pan. Place chicken on a plate. Set aside.
- Lower the heat to low and add the minced garlic. Cook in the bacon grease until fragrant – just about 1 minute – being cautious not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth and milk. Stir to combine. Add the cream cheese and cover the pan. Cook for a few minutes or until cream cheese is nearly melted. Use a whisk to combine the sauce. Finally, add parmesan cheese to the pan and whisk together. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat until sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken and crumbled bacon to the pan along with the pasta and toss together. Serve immediately.
Yummmmm. I added quarter cup of chopped onions sautéed with the garlic, and about 2 table spoons of lemon juice with red pepper flakes and at the last 2 minutes I added 1 cup of frozen peas. DELICIOUS
Glad you enjoyed it!
I added some rosemary and thyme to the chicken when I cooked it. I also added broccoli to the final product. Yum
Sounds great!
My son hates cream cheese. I’m wondering could this.be made with 8oz sour cream instead?
I think it would work, the flavor will be quite different though.
I came across this recipe while searching for a new chicken dish. So happy I did! It was delicious. My 12 year old son loved it so much he had it for dinner, then ate the leftovers the next day and asked for me to make it again the following night! Thank you!
That’s awesome, Jen! I’m so glad to hear your son liked it so much!
It was very easy I used garlic salt & pepper ,onion powder , cayenne powder, for the chicken and the sauce . It was a hit !
Glad to hear it turned out great for you!
Recipe seems simple enough but the sauce is taking sooo long to thicken. I hope it does so I can try it out. I’m practically boiling it and still nothing.
I agree with you. The sauce took much much longer to thicken than this recipe recommends.
So sorry Melanie! How did it turn out?
Quick and easy for a dad to cook after work thank you tastes great will make again
Thank you so much Kelly!
Easy, delicious pasta recipe. I substituted almond milk because that’s what was in the fridge. Added about 1/3 cup more parmesan because the milk was not thickening as I think dairy milk would have. Otherwise, followed recipe as written. It was yummy and satisfying. I will add this to my family favorites recipe collection. Thanks!
Can never go wrong with more cheese!
This sounds delicious. We don’t keep milk in the house, do you think I could use half and half instead?
It might be a little rich, but I think it would work just fine!
Oddly enough, my teen does not like pasta- do you think I could substitute and combine with rice instead?
I don’t see why not!
I made this about a week ago, delicious! I will fit this into my rotation for pasta recipes, my husband LOVED this dish. Thank you for the recipe!
Joanna, so glad he loved it! Hope it was enjoyable for you to make as well!
Made this two days ago. Very tasty. Going to have the leftovers tonight (we don’t have a 13-year old boy to feed, but oh, I do remember those days). Made it pretty much just the way you shared it, except that I was out of spaghetti so I used rotini instead. Worked well, as the spirals collected the sauce very nicely. I will be adding this to my keeper notebook for sure!
Heather and I LOVE thick, short pasta but Jack prefers thin. I bet this was great with rotini!
The flavor of the bacon is permeated through the whole dish. I could eat this all day!
Perfect! Glad it turned out great for you!
Devine! I didn’t change a thing. Took longer than 25 minutes, though.
Awesome! So glad to hear that! About how long did it take for you?
Made this spaghetti recipe last Sunday, love it and can’t wait till I go to my daughters in October to make it for her, she is allergic to tomatoes, will be perfect for her.
Oh I’m so glad you liked it!
I’m making this for dinner guests Friday. Can you recommend any sides or salads that would complement the dish?
A fresh salad, roasted green beans, or another fresh green side are usually what we serve it with.
Pretty good recipe. I made some adjustments to mines due to food allergies. I use turkey bacon and gluten free fettuccine pasta. I use chicken thighs cause that what I had in refrigerator. I also add spinach. I just wish my sauce came out a little more thick but again good recipe.
Thank you
I’m so happy I found you and your recipes. Can’t wait to try it😇
We’re so glad you’re here!
Hello Stacey,
My son is diabetic and has lost 95 pounds since finding out and he does not eat sugar and carbs at all. Do you have any recipes for chicken without carbs? He loves Chicken and could eat it every day, but I have run out of thoughts for making chicken recipes. Sounds so bland to me to not have carbs.
Really enjoy all your recipes.
Hi Stacey……just curious, have you sent out an email with pics of your new home and test kitchen? If so, I guess I missed the email (don’t do Facebook or any other social media). By the way, this recipe sounds delicious.
Sylvia from Monroeville
Hi Sylvia! I was actually just working on photos of the house today! I hope to have them out next week to share.
No you haven’t missed it! We actually just finished photos this weekend and will hopefully have them out this week!
This looks good. My daughter would make it for supper one night. I am more of a red sauce kind of girl,but this just sounds delicious! Missing Sunday Supper. When will you start it again? I am so happy you are moved in to your lovely new home and test kitchen. I think everyone should have a test kitchen. I think of it as a summer kitchen. God bless you and yours.
Thanks so much, Charleen! As we’re finally getting settled in the new space, I do hope to start Sunday Supper back up very soon!
I wished the recipes had the calorie counts. I know they are high, not complaining, just trying to fit in how much & often to fix & eat.😊
This is a GREAT nutritional calculator. You can simply drop the web address in and it will calculate it for you… https://my.whisk.com/nutrition-calculator
I don’t see the amount of parmesan cheese to add at the end. Can’t wait to try this one.
Oh no! So sorry! I’m not sure how we missed that. I’ve updated the recipe. It’s 1/2 cup of grated parmesan.
Use a keto-friendly pasta and change the milk for heavy cream and you’ve got the perfect keto pasta recipe. Trying it tonight.
Absolutely! Hope it turned out great for you!