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Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless and skinless chicken (thick in size, such as chicken breasts), cut up in 1 inch strips
6 bacon strips
5 medium tomatoes, chopped in cubes
10 oz. package of fresh spinach
1 cup half and half (half heavy cream/half milk), more if runnier sauce is desired
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (more for garnish)
5 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. penne pasta
Seasoning Mixture:
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil – combined), more if desired
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
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Instructions
BACON: Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Arrange bacon strips and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined platter that will absorb extra grease. Chop into 1 inch slices.
CHICKEN: Cut raw chicken in thick 1 inch pieces, put it in a mixing bowl and rub in seasoning mixture. Add more seasoning if desired. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add chicken strips (or whole chicken breasts if they are thin) and fry on each side on high heat for a total of 3-4 minutes. Add garlic in the last minute of cooking just before the chicken is done. If chicken is still pink in the center, reduce heat to medium and cook covered for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove ½ of chicken from the pan (we want to keep it intact for later). Also, make sure that all liquid, if any, is removed after cooking the chicken (depends on the chicken you use), otherwise the dish will be too watery.
TOMATOES and SPINACH: Add chopped tomatoes to the remaining chicken and cook for 3 minutes on high until tomatoes release their juices. Add fresh spinach in 4 consecutive batches until it wilts.
CHEESY SAUCE: Add half and half and bring the mixture to boil. Reduce to simmer and slowly add grated Parmesan cheese – until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy. Remove from heat.
PASTA and ADDING BACON: In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse. Add pasta and bacon and stir until fully coated in sauce. Season with more salt if necessary.
ADDING REMOVED 1/2 OF CHICKEN: Now it’s time to add the 1/2 of chicken that we removed earlier and slightly mix it in with the rest of the ingredients (I just pushed my chicken slightly into the skillet). Cover with a lid to warm up the added chicken, until ready to serve. Serve with additional shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
