Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pasta with Bacon

Published: Oct 31, 2021 · Modified: Apr 23, 2023 by Sarah Baumeister · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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This Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pasta with Bacon could have an alternate name-- Date Night Pasta. This chicken with spinach and pasta dish is just the right amount of special featuring penne pasta, bacon, caramelized onions, and chicken in a delicious spinach cream sauce. Chicken Spinach Pasta feels like a "date night" meal, without an overwhelming amount of work or need for a culinary degree.

chicken spinach alfredo completed in a large pot

I know a lot of people are spending date night at home these days, and I'm so glad to see that effort being made! Even before this year with safety precautions and a new baby in our family, Michael and I were always big fans of at home date night.

Looking for other delicious pasta recipes to make at home? Try one of the following.

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Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Copycat
Orecchiette with Mini Meatballs The first recipe I ever posted, and still one of my very favorites!
Spicy Chicken Pasta Use red pepper flakes and hot sauce to cater this to your preferred heat level!

Why is this creamy chicken spinach pasta alfredo perfect for date night?

Time-saving. You can work ahead and this helps save a lot of time in the kitchen the night of. Personally, I made the bacon and pasta ahead of time. Tailor this to how long you want to be spending in the kitchen, being in the kitchen together can be half the fun! There are several steps that you can do ahead of time, like frying up the bacon, caramelizing the onions, even cooking the pasta.
Low Risk-High Reward. When I think of a nice date, I think of pasta. And this Chicken Spinach Alfredo fits the bill perfectly. It feels special, but it's all one dish. While it takes some time, nothing is too difficult or requires special cooking skills. It feels fancy, though!
It's delicious! That one's self- explanatory. What could be better than a deliciously creamy alfredo with baby spinach, sweet caramelized onions, and crispy bacon?

Creamy Spinach Alfredo Ingredients

boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
butter
onion
garlic
fresh spinach
heavy cream
bacon
penne pasta
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese
salt
whole milk

ingredients for spinach alfredo in a pot, unmixed

Instructions for Chicken Spinach Alfredo

Heat a olive oil in large deep skillet over medium heat. Place chicken breasts in skillet and brown on both sides until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side.
While chicken is cooking, in a large pot, cook your pasta according to the packaging instructions.
Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool. Once cooled, dice into bite-sized pieces.
Add in 1 tbsp. butter, along with sliced onions and minced garlic and reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook onions and garlic until caramelized and deep brown. This may take about 30 minutes.
In a separate pan, cook bacon until crispy. Once cooked, remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and drain off some of the fat.
In pan with caramelized onions, add in another tbs. butter, whole milk, heavy cream, cheese, chopped spinach, red pepper flakes, and salt and stir to combine.
Add in cooked pasta, chopped chicken, and crumbled bacon. Gently stir to coat with sauce.

Variations

I love the way this creamy chicken and spinach alfredo pasta comes together, but there are some great ways to switch up the recipe as well!

Make it vegetarian. Although alfredo with bacon is hard to argue with, this recipe can easily be made vegetarian! Simply remove the chicken and bacon and you are set. There are so many other good flavors (cream, spinach, caramelized onions) that it will definitely stand up as a delicious pasta dish!
Add in different veggies. I LOVE alfredo with peas. Zucchini or broccoli would also be lovely!
Use rotisserie chicken. Want to make things even more easy on yourself? Shred up ½ of a rotisserie chicken and use that instead of baked chicken breasts.
Substitute cream cheese. Did you know that truly traditional alfredo sauce doesn't have heavy cream? It is just butter and cheese. Although that is delicious as well, I wanted this creamy chicken alfredo to be extra creamy-- hence the heavy cream. A lot of people like to use cream cheese in their sauce-- I would give it a try! Start with 6 oz., and go from there to see if you need the full block.

Storage

Keep this chicken bacon spinach alfredo pasta in the fridge for a few days after making. It reheats well in the microwave for some delicious leftovers.

You can freeze it, but a lot of the sauce will be absorbed when you reheat it from frozen-- so it is better fresh.

pasta on a plate with a fork to the side

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