Chicken Caesar Pasta
This recipe for Chicken Caesar Pasta is SO GOOD. Served over angel hair pasta with a side of buttery garlic bread, it might just be my new favorite meal. And before I go any further I should just point out how hard it is to write the word Caesar. Like seriously, my brain just doesn’t want to spell it that way. Hopefully by the end of this post I will be able to spell the word Caesar without any difficulty at all. Or maybe not. It doesn’t matter though. All that matters is how GOOD this dish is. And trust me, it’s good. I’m not really sure how anything with bacon and Caesar could be bad, but on the off chance it can, this is not that. I promise.
Pasta and I weren’t friends.
That’s right, pasta and I weren’t friends. For a long time I wouldn’t eat ANYTHING that had pasta in it, and I certainly wouldn’t have cooked with it myself. Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money and with 5 kids my parents cooked a lot of pasta. I mean we ate A LOT of pasta and I HATED IT! If there was any pasta left over from the week my mom would even throw it into a garbage soup.
Now I know it sounds gross but garbage soup was actually one of my favorite meals! It always had ground beef, chicken broth, and corn but everything else changed week to week. My mom would just dump all our leftovers from the week into the pot and let it simmer. I loved that soup. Truthfully I love all soup but that’s a story for a different day.
The point is I hated pasta. I swore to myself that I would never make my kids eat it when I grew up, and for a long time I didn’t. I have to admit that after a 20 year fast on pasta I’ve warmed up to it. We definitely weren’t eating Chicken Caesar Pasta either. I might not have complained so much if we were. My kids pretty much have it made. Anyway pasta and I are kinda friends again. Especially angel hair pasta. ITS SO GOOD!! It’s like the perfect proportion of pasta to sauce and for whatever reason it just tastes better. Like how grated cheese always tastes better than the brick? I know it’s weird, but you know it’s true.
Tips for making Chicken Caesar Pasta
This Chicken Caesar Pasta MUST be served over angel hair pasta. At least for the first time you make it. If you want to go ahead and switch it out for something else next time go right ahead but you’ve got to at least try it like this first. Trust me, you will thank me. If you can’t find angel hair pasta you could also use spaghettini which is a thinner version of spaghetti. The point here is, thinner is better!
Another thing you will want to do is use ONE PAN. Again. You’re welcome. Honestly though, all the flavors just make the sauce so yummy and I can’t imagine it turning out the same if you didn’t. I fried my bacon in a large pan and then drained the fat saving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan for my chicken. Then I seasoned my chicken with salt, pepper, and Montreal chicken spice and cooked it in the same pan.
TIP- When pan frying chicken always place a lid on it. You want to trap the moisture in the pan and save all the yummy broth. The alternative will be a dry chicken and nobody wants that!
While your chicken is cooking you can steam your broccoli and boil the water for your pasta. For the broccoli, I just used a bag of the eat smart microwavable broccoli. It’s super easy and who needs to add more work in the kitchen?
A couple things. DO use REAL LEMON JUICE from a squeezed lemon. And secondly, USE REAL BACON. I am all for convenience in the kitchen and cut corners when I can, but for this recipe to be as good as I say it is, you will want to use the good stuff here.
Serve this Chicken Caesar Pasta with a side of my cheesy garlic butter crescent rolls and you’re living the dream.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Recipe
Chicken Caesar Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz angel hair pasta or spaghettini or any other thin pasta
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 6 slices bacon cooked, chopped
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1-2 tbsp Montreal chicken seasoning
- 2 cups Renees mighty Caesar salad dressing
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1.5 cups steamed broccoli 12 oz
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice freshly squeezed
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Fill large pot with water and add in your olive oil and some salt. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add in your angel hair pasta and cook (about 7 min) drain, and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, cook your bacon and set aside on a paper towel. Drain bacon fat from the pan, reserving about 2 tablespoons.
- Season your chicken breast with salt pepper and the Montreal chicken seasoning and fry in the same pan with your reserved bacon grease.
- Remove cooked chicken and set aside. Do not drain the pan!
- Add garlic and fry for 1 minute or until fragrant on medium heat
- Add chicken broth and cook on medium high for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Stir in Renee's Caesar dressing and simmer for a few minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering chop your bacon and slice your chicken breast into bite sized strips. Add in steamed broccoli, chopped bacon, sliced chicken breast, pasta and lemon juice to the sauce and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Toss with fresh Parmesan cheese and parsley just before serving
ENJOY!
Serve this dish with a side of buttery garlic bread and a big glass of wine!
NEED A LITTLE DINNER INSPIRATION?
Try these Turkey Meatballs Stuffed With Cheese!
You might also like these Healthy Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers or my favorite Smoky Meatballs
Need some dessert inspiration? TRY THESE Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies or Milk Chocolate M&M Cookies
Laila
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