Chicken With Penne

Chicken with Penne is a delicious dish. It’s made by starting off with good quality chicken breast, which we then marinate. My marinade for this recipe is comprised primarily of Italian dressing and barbecue sauce, which really pairs well with the chicken. After it’s been marinating for an hour or so — the chicken gets grilled for about ten minutes on each side until it reaches an internal temperature of about 160 degrees F, or about 74 C.

Chicken penne pasta

• 20m prep
• 20m cook
• 4 servings

R

Reader Recipe

6.1

out of 10

Health Score*

MEDIUM

858 calories per serve

Allergens: Recipe may contain yeast, sulphites, celery, milk and gluten.

• 14 Ingredients
• 6 Method Steps

• 400g penne rigate
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bacon rashers, rind removed, very thinly sliced
• 600g chicken thigh fillet, excess fat trimmed, coarsely chopped
• 20g butter
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
• 75g (1 cup) sliced mushrooms
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 80ml (1/3 cup) white wine
• 1/2 tsp Massel chicken style stock powder
• 1 x 300ml ctn pouring cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
• Garlic bread, to serve
• Select all ingredients

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• Step 1Cook the pastaUnsure of the quantity needed?Click on the underlined ingredient to reveal the quantity. No need to flip back and forth!OK, GOT IT in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain.
• Step 2Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. 
• Step 3Add the chicken to the frying pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until light golden. Transfer to a plate.
• Step 4Heat the butter in the frying pan until foaming. Stir in the garlic, shallot, mushroom and mustard. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the mushroom softens slightly.
• Step 5Add the wine and stock powder. Cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid almost evaporates. Stir in the chicken and cream. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
• Step 6Stir in the pasta. Sprinkle with the bacon and parsley. Serve with garlic bread.

Chicken Penne Pasta

This chicken penne pasta recipe is easy to make and loaded with bacon, tender chicken breasts, and an amazing fresh tomato garlic parmesan cream sauce. It’s ready in about 30 minutes!

I’m extra excited about this recipe! It uses a handful of everyday ingredients and tastes like it came from a restaurant. I love how cooking the chicken in the leftover bacon fat makes it super flavorful. Chicken breasts can often end up tasteless and overcooked, but the chicken really melts in your mouth in this recipe. I coat the chicken in flour to help it get that nice golden sear, and the flour also helps thicken the sauce up quickly (the chicken will stay nice and moist because the sauce won’t be reducing for too long). 

I love adding fresh tomatoes to cream sauces. It’s a great way to brighten the sauce up a bit since this one has cream and bacon. And that sauce coats the penne perfectly… 

This creamy garlic penne with chicken is great because it’s fast to whip up on a work/school night but fancy enough for company. 

Recipe notes & tips:

• I don’t recommend substituting the heavy cream for something else (the acid from the tomato is likely to curdle something like milk or half-and-half).
• If necessary, you can replace the fresh tomato with the equivalent ounces of canned tomatoes (try petite diced ones). 
• In any recipe, I always prefer to grate my own parmesan. Here’s the awesome cheese grater I use.
• You don’t have to use penne for this recipe, but I do like the way the sauce clings so those little tubes. 

Chicken Penne Pasta

This chicken penne pasta recipe is easy to make and loaded with bacon, tender chicken breasts, and an amazing fresh tomato garlic parmesan cream sauce.

PREP TIME10 mins

COOK TIME20 mins

TOTAL TIME30 mins

COURSEMain Course

CUISINEItalian American

SERVINGS4Cook Mode

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INGREDIENTS 

• ▢4 strips bacon cut into small pieces
• ▢2 large chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
• ▢1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢Salt & pepper to taste
• ▢Flour for dredging
• ▢2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢1/4 cup chicken broth
• ▢1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• ▢5 ounces tomatoes chopped small
• ▢1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ▢8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut up the bacon (I use kitchen shears to make this job easy) and fry it in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Once it’s done, remove it to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon grease in the pan.
• Meanwhile, prep your chicken. Cut it up and sprinkle it with the garlic powder and salt & pepper. Coat each piece in flour.
• Cook the chicken over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes/side or until golden. You may need to work in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Turn the heat down a little if needed (like if it’s splattering a lot). Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.
• Stir in the garlic and chicken broth. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for about a minute or so.
• Add the cream and tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes start to lose their shape.
• Add the chicken and bacon back into the pan and let it warm through for a few minutes (let the sauce thicken a bit). Be careful not to overcook the chicken. Stir in the parmesan and toss with the drained pasta. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.

NOTES

• I used half of a 10 ounce container of little tomatoes (NatureSweet Cherubs) and cut them into quarters. You can use any tomato that looks good and just cut it up small (5 ounces is about the size of a medium tomato).
• I don’t recommend subbing the cream for anything else because the acid from the tomato is likely to curdle something like milk or half-and-half.

Parmesan Chicken Penne

PREP TIME
5 MIN

TOTAL TIME
29 MIN

SERVES
6

No need to boil or drain the pasta in this dish. Just stir the uncooked pasta right into your saucy chicken mixture and simmer away. The pasta is extra delicious from absorbing all of the fabulous flavours.  

Ingredients

MetricImperial

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can CAMPBELL’S® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• 3 cups CAMPBELL’S® No Salt Added Ready to Use Chicken Broth
• 3 cups uncooked  penne pasta
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup grated  Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the soup and broth; mix well. Stir in the penne and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. 
3. Stir in peas. Cook 3 minutes or until the penne is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Recipe Tips

• Serve with a tossed green salad or Caesar salad.
• Save time by using pre-minced garlic, available in jars or squeeze tubes, often in your produce aisle.
• Make this into One Pot Chicken Parmesan Peppercorn Pasta by mixing in 1 tsp (5 mL) coarsely cracked black pepper before you sprinkle with the cheese and basil.