Creamy Chicken and Pancetta Pasta

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

11 ounces penne

4 ounces pancetta

2 large chicken filets

½ tsp salt (divided)

½ tsp black pepper (divided)

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp sweet paprika

4 garlic cloves (minced)

5 ounces cherry tomatoes (halved)

½ tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste

4 ounces baby spinach

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (more for serving)

chili flakes (for serving)

Directions

Get your prep done before you start cooking. Set a large pot with salted water over high heat.

Mince the garlic, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and grate the Parmesan.

Season both sides of the chicken fillets with paprika, garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Set aside.

Heat a large non stick skillet or pan over medium high. Add pancetta and cook until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet leaving as much pancetta grease as possible in the skillet.

Add chicken fillets and cook for 5-8 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through. This can vary with the size of your fillets. Remove from skillet and transfer the chicken onto a clean plate.

While your chicken is cooking, drop the penne into the pot of boiling water, cooking it until al dente. Once it's done, drain.

To the skillet, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute over medium. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, and the remaining salt and pepper. Next stir in tomato paste and add spinach. Simmer until slightly wilted.

Pour in cream and bring everything to a slight simmer. Add Parmesan, stir until incorporated and let the sauce simmer over medium low until it starts to thicken.

In the meantime, cut the chicken fillets into thin slices.

Add pasta and pancetta to the sauce, toss to combine. Top with chicken slices and sprinkle with chili flakes. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 732 kcal
• Total Fat: 45 g
• Saturated Fat: 25 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
• Trans Fat: 0.04 g
• Cholesterol: 120 mg
• Sodium: 534 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 65 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 18 g