CHICKEN & BACON WITH PENNE IN CREAMY GARLIC SAUCE

Chicken & Bacon with Penne in Creamy Garlic Sauce image

This grilled chicken and bacon with pasta in a creamy garlic sauce was a meal fit for a king. Just perfect for a father's day meal. I wanted a special dish and this was a hit! Inspired from Plain Chicken Blog

Provided by Diane Atherton

Categories Pasta

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

3 to 4 boneless chicken breast
1 lb bacon, fried and crumbled
1 lb penne, cooked to directions
MARINATE
1 c white wine
1/4 c olive oil, extra virgin
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp herbes de provence
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
CREAMY GARLIC SAUCE
1 c heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
2 large egg yolks
1 to 2 tsp chives, dried
1 to 2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tsp red pepper flakes

Steps:

1. Combine ingredients for marinate in a ziploc bag or marinate container; add boneless chicken breast. Make sure chicken is coated well. Refrigerate over night or at least a couple of hours prior to grilling. You can grill the chicken outside over charcoal, on a gas grill or in a cast iron stove top grill. For this recipe I used my cast iron stove top grill.
2. Put water on stove to boil for pasta; add salt. Once water boils add pasta and cook according to directions on package.
3. Fry bacon. I cut up the bacon before frying.
4. Cut cream cheese up into small piece. Combine cream cheese and heavy cream in a small pan, simmer over low heat, stirring occassionally until cream cheese has melted.
5. Heat grill over medium high heat. Once good and hot, drain marinate off chicken and add chicken to hot grill, reduce heat to medium. Cook 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done with no pink showing.
6. Once chicken is done, remove from pan and slice into bite size pieces. Return to pan, cover and keep warm over a low heat until ready to add to pasta.
7. Once cream cheese has melted; whisk in parmesan cheese, egg yolks, chives, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. NOTE: Don't worry about the raw egg yolk, it will cook in between this warm mixture and the hot pasta.
8. When pasta is done, drain reserving 1/2 cup of the hot liquid. Return pasta to pot and immediately add cream cheese mixture. Add some of the reserved water to loosen the sauce. Add chicken and bacon, toss to combine. Sprinkle top with some dried chives or fresh parsley and serve with a green salad and a roll. NOTE: if you feel you have too much chicken, store some in ziploc bag in the fridge to use in a salad for another day.
9. NOTE: I had four pots and pans on the stove all at one time. This dish goes fast once it gets going. I started heating the cast iron grill first and then I started my water for pasta, started melting the cream cheese in the heavy cream, started frying the bacon and added chicken to hot stove top grill. It seemed to all come together nicely in the end.