Leftover Roast Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Looking for ways to use up leftover roast chicken? Look no further than this quick, easy and dang right delicious Chicken and Bacon Pasta!

Leftover Chicken Pasta

I don’t know about you, but if there’s not leftover rotisserie chicken in my fridge somewhere then something is seriously wrong. A lot of the time I’ll just get a chicken and pop in straight in the fridge to distribute out in meals throughout the week. Meals JUST like this one. Because who doesn’t love a good chicken and bacon pasta!?

I’ve been meaning to put this recipe on my blog for so so long now, but always held back. Everyone has a signature quirky/’unconventional’ meal right? Okay cool, well yeah. This is one of them.

I literally make it all the time, it was only the other day my partner turned to me and asked if I’ve uploaded this before, to which I replied ‘I’m not sure if it’s blogworthy, is it?’. Pasta fell down his face and he stared blankly. That was my answer.

First things first, let’s see just how easy it is to make.

How to make Leftover Chicken and Bacon Pasta

1. Fry up bacon until it just begins to crisp.
2. Add onion and fry until it softens.
3. Add leftover chicken and garlic, fry for a minute or so longer.
4. Pour in sour cream and double/heavy cream.
5. Stir through sweet chilli sauce and chilli flakes.
6. Add cooked pasta & thin out with pasta water as needed.

Sweet Chilli Pasta

Sweet chilli is the one ingredient that throws people with this recipe, but it totally works. The sweet chilli sauce not only helps create the gorgeous combo that is cream and spice, but also adds a nice bit of sweetness too, which in turn is balanced out nicely by the salty bacon/parmesan.

Can I make this with fresh chicken?

Absolutely! The way I recommend doing it is seasoning and frying up a chicken breast over medium-high heat until it’s JUST cooked through, then let it rest. Cook the bacon, onions and garlic, pour in the sauce ingredients, then slice your chicken into strips and add it in. This will ensure your chicken is flavoursome and doesn’t taste dried out. You could of course slice the chicken into bite sized chunks or even shred it with two forks.

And there we have it! Easy right? Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?

Leftover Chicken Recipes

• Leftover Chicken Salad
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
• Chicken Waldorf Salad Bites
• Mega Chicken Pesto Grilled Cheese
• Shredded Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Chicken Pasta Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
• Spicy Chicken Pasta

Alrighty, let’s tuck into this leftover chicken and bacon pasta recipe shall we?!

How to make Leftover Chicken and Bacon Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)

Leftover Roast Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Looking for ways to use up leftover roast chicken? Look no further than this quick, easy and dang right delicious Chicken and Bacon Pasta!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Lunch / Main Course

Cuisine: Italian / Original / Thai

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 2

Calories: 778kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £3 / $4

Equipment:

• Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Large Pot & Colander
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Fine Cheese Grater

Ingredients (check list):

• 7oz / 200g Penne Pasta (or pasta of choice)
• 4 rashers Streaky Bacon
• 1 small Onion, finely diced
• 1 clove Garlic, finely diced
• 1 cup / 150g Leftover Chicken, sliced
• 1/2 cup / 125ml Double/Heavy Cream
• 1/4 cup / 60ml Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup / 60ml Sweet Chilli Sauce
• 1/4 cup / 20g Parmesan, plus extra to serve
• pinch of Chilli Flakes (optional)
• Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
• Olive Oil

Instructions:

• Pop 7oz/200g pasta in salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Retain a cup of pasta water just before draining.
• Meanwhile, fry 4 diced rashers of bacon in a drizzle of olive oil until it just begins to crisp, then add 1 small finely diced onion. Fry until the onion begins to soften, then add 1 finely diced garlic and fry for a minute or so longer.
• Add 1cup/150g leftover chicken just to heat it through, then add 1/4cup/60ml sour cream, 1/2cup/125ml double/heavy cream, 1/4cup/60ml sweet chilli sauce, chilli flakes and seasoning to taste.
• Drain and stir through your pasta, then add 1/4cup/20g parmesan and give it a final stir. Thin out with pasta water as needed. Serve with an extra helping of parmesan and chilli flakes.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Leftover Chicken - I recommend using breast if you have it, but dark meat (i.e. thighs) would still work great. If you actually don't have leftover chicken, feel free to fry up a breast and chop. I recommend frying over medium/high heat until just cooked through, then start from frying bacon. Once you've stirred through the pasta, slice the chicken and combine. 

b) Bacon Fat - Only drain the fat away if there's more than about 1 tbsp worth, it adds gorgeous flavour to the sauce.

c) Calories - Based on using 1 tsp olive oil for frying and 1 tbsp extra to serve between 2 people.

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Leftover Roast Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 778 Calories from Fat 425

% Daily Value*

Fat 47.23g73%

Saturated Fat 19.717g99%

Trans Fat 0.185g

Polyunsaturated Fat 5.997g

Monounsaturated Fat 18.11g

Cholesterol 195mg65%

Sodium 959mg40%

Potassium 570mg16%

Carbohydrates 48.79g16%

Fiber 3.1g12%

Sugar 2.96g3%

Protein 38.64g77%

Vitamin A 1650IU33%

Vitamin C 4.1mg5%

Calcium 200mg20%

Iron 2.9mg16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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