One Pan Creamy Chicken Bacon Broccoli Pasta

Who doesn't love a good pasta dish? From the heart of Italy, pasta was created and has become one of the world's most accessible foods. There is an infinite number of ways you can make a pasta dish that appeals to your individual taste buds. Sweet, spicy, sour, or creamy. Which flavour appeals to you most? For me, I prefer either a spicy or creamy sauce. This preference led me to make a creamy dish that can be made in less in an hour and minimizes the number of dishes you have to make. Another great thing about pasta is that it is easy to make in bulk, so you don't have to make lunch/dinner for the rest of the week, depending on how much you make.

Reduce. This is a cooking technique typically used to create a thick sauce or concentrated flavours. Basically you are simmering the contents in the pot at low heat over long periods to prevent the sauce from burning but having enough heat to evaporate the water, which will come off as steam. You can also use high heat for a faster process but there is a good chance you will burn the desired contents at the bottom of the pan/pot.

Time to make: 45 min

1. Utensils:

2. Large (high rim) Pan or Pot.

3. Pasta Pot or large pot

4. Wooden Spatula

5. Knife

6. Cutting Board

7. Pasta Strainer (Colander) or anything that can be used to strain pasta

Ingredients:

1. 1.5 Packages of Penne Pasta

2. Water

3. Salt

4. Olive Oil

5. 5 cloves of minced garlic

6. 1 Large Onion (Thinly sliced)

7. 1 Large Broccoli Crown

8. 1 bundle of Spinach

9. 1 Package of Bacon (chopped)

10. 4-5 Chicken Breasts (cut up into bite sized pieces)

11. 1 Cup of Heavy Cream

12. 2 Cups of Milk

13. 125-250 g of Cream Cheese (Half a block or full block)

14. Dried Oregano

15. Dried Basil

16. Dried Thyme

17. Ground Pepper

18. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water. Add a touch of salt. Once your pot comes to a roaring boil, add the pasta. Cook for 8-12 minutes or until Al Dente, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Strain and then add oil so pasta does not stick together.

2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, it is a good time to quickly chop up the broccoli into smaller pieces, slice or dice the onions, mince the garlic, cut the bacon into small pieces, and cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and oregano. Don't be shy with that oregano.

3. In another large pot, cook the bacon until crispy (golden brown colour). Set aside and DO NOT throw out all the bacon grease. Keep enough bacon grease to cover the bottom of the pan.

4. Sautee the garlic and onions in that pot over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes then add the seasoned chicken along with the the other spices (basil, thyme, and oregano). Cook the chicken enough to make it slightly browned all the way. It is okay for the chicken to be slightly under-cooked in the middle because we will be cooking it for some time still and we don't want it to be dry.

5. Once there isn't any more pink on the chicken, add the broccoli and spinach. Once the spinach shrinks a bit add milk, cream, and cream cheese and bring to a slight boil (Should not be roaring boil). Keep cooking and reduce until the sauce is thick and sticky. If you need to thicken more, add a Tbsp of Corn Starch. Adjust to taste by adding more spices.

6. Once thick and sticky, add the pasta and stir in.

7. Serve warm with Chives, and Parmesan and a lime if so desired.
   

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