This 20 minute creamy one pot chicken bacon and mushroom pasta for one person is bursting with flavor. Toss dry pasta and water into your pan after cooking the bacon and mushrooms for an easier clean up and creamy pasta.
[This chicken bacon and mushroom pasta recipe was originally posted in May 2021. It has been updated with cooking instructions, expert tips, FAQ, related recipes and ways to repurpose/use up ingredients]
This chicken bacon and mushroom pasta is comfort food made in one pan. That’s the magic with cooking for one: you can fit a whole serving of food in a pan and save dishes.
I have a secret for the velvetiest pasta. This pasta is so creamy and velvety-
Cooking pasta in the same pot as your other ingredients saves a bit of water and leads to a super creamy pasta because you’re keeping that starchy water that helps sauce cling to your pasta. Plus you’ve got one (or more!) less pot to wash.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the chicken bacon and mushroom pasta recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here’s a quick visual + description of what’s in this recipe.
Bacon: Crispy bacon adds lots of salty and savory flavors to this simple pasta.
Chicken Tender: I like to use chicken tenders because they’re a great size for one serving (for me at least!), but use a whole chicken breast or what you have/prefer.
Olive Oil: use it to cook the mushrooms and onions. The bacon doesn’t render enough fat to cook the mushrooms in.
Mushrooms: Slice them thin.
Onion: This may be the first ingredient to skip if you don’ have it, but it adds a nice sweet flavor to the pasta.
Italian Seasoning: Traditional Italian seasonings add lots of flavor to this pasta, without much effort.
Chicken Bouillon Paste: I’m a devotee to Better than Bouillon paste. I don’t have to deal with a cup here and there of leftover chicken broth, and it lasts for a while in the fridge. Plus it’s delish.
Garlic
Milk: I use milk + flour to easily create thick, silky, sauce for your chicken bacon and mushroom pasta. But you can use cream if you regularly have it.
Flour
Butter
Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Scroll down to the chicken bacon and mushroom pasta recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here’s a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.
Start making your chicken bacon and mushroom pasta by slicing washed and dried white button mushrooms and roughly chop white onion.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken tender, bacon, olive oil, sliced mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and salt over mushrooms.
Cook until bacon is cooked through (flip halfway through cooking) and mushrooms have shrunk and are crispy on the edges. It’ll take about 5-8 minutes.
Remove meat and vegetables from the pan, and pour water, spaghetti, chicken bouillon paste, and minced garlic in pan. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente. Add more water if necessary. By now, most of the water should be gone.
Chop chicken and bacon, and then mix flour into milk. Add milk/flour mixture into pasta plus butter and grated parmesan cheese. Stir together. Add meat and vegetables back into pasta, stir until pasta is coated and sauce is desired thickness.
Transfer chicken bacon and mushroom pasta to serving dish and top with chopped parsley and red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy.
Storage/Reheating Tips
Store any leftover creamy chicken bacon and mushroom pasta in an air tight container in the fridge for about a week.
To reheat, add a sprinkle of water to the pasta, and microwave until warm. The bacon won’t be crispy, if that’s an issue, separate it and pan fry it.
I usually don’t want to spend the extra effort for crispy bacon, it’s fine enough for me. Do what’s best for you though.
This easy chicken bacon and mushroom pasta dish probably won’t freeze well for leftovers.
Substitutions/Tips
Cook bacon in between chicken and mushrooms. The little fat that’s rendered can transfer to chicken and the mushrooms this way. You’ll still need to add some oil to the mushrooms though.
You can use white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms in this chicken bacon and mushroom pasta. Whatever you like/can find.
Use spaghetti, or your favorite pasta to make this chicken bacon and mushroom pasta. You may need to adjust the water based on the pasta you use.
You can double this delicious chicken bacon and mushroom pasta recipe for leftovers. Just sprinkle a teaspoon or so water on the pasta before microwaving it.
Swap Italian seasoning for Herbs de Provence or similar herbs.
Other great add-ins: heavy cream (or other cream), cream cheese (instead of flour), frozen vegetables, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice, would all be good added to chicken bacon and mushroom pasta.
FAQ
What can I add to pasta if I have no sauce? I like making a cheesy sauce with pasta water, butter, and parmesan cheese. It’s simple and uses ingredients that I always have on hand. You can also just use butter and cheese. Or lemon and butter. Or olive oil and lemon. Do you rinse pasta after cooking? Definitely don’t rinse wheat based pastas. Some others may include that step in the instructions. You don’t want to wash away any extra starch that comes off the pasta while cooking it. That starch helps sauce/cheese stick to your pasta.
What to do with leftover ingredients
When you’re cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It’ll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.
Did you make this One Pot Chicken Bacon and Mushroom Pasta? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!
Print
Pin
]]>
Chicken Bacon and Mushroom Pasta for One
Combine the best salty, earthy, and meaty flavors in this 20 minute creamy one pot chicken bacon and mushroom pasta. Quickly cook your pasta while preparing your mushrooms then add it back after cooking the meat and mushrooms for a super easy one pot dinner for one.
Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes Cook Time 20 minutes minutes Total Time 20 minutes minutes
Author Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN
Ingredientscooking spray1 slice bacon1 2-3 oz chicken tender thawed1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 cup mushrooms washed and dried¼ whole white onion1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning¼ teaspoon salt3 oz spaghetti1 ¼ cup water1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste¼ teaspoon minced garlic¼ cup milk1 teaspoon all purpose flour1 teaspoon unsalted butter2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheeseoptional: parsley and red pepper flakes for garnish
InstructionsSlice 1 cup white button mushrooms into about ¼ inch slices. Roughly chop ¼ white onion. Spray large frying pan with cooking spray, heat over medium-high heat. Place slice of bacon and chicken tender on one side of the frying pan, then pour 1 teaspoon oil on other side and spread mushrooms and onion out. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and ¼ teaspoon salt over mushrooms. Cook until bacon is crispy and mushrooms have shurnk and are crispy on the edges, about 5-8 minutes. Remove bacon, chicken, and mushrooms from pan when done. Pour 1 ¼ cup water, 3 oz spaghetti pasta, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon minced garlic into pot. Stir so all pasta is covered with water. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Add more water if needed.Chop chicken and bacon into bite sized pieces while pasta is cooking. Once pasta is done and most of the water is gone, turn burner down to low. Mix 1 teaspoon flour into ¼ c milk and pour into pasta. Add 1 teaspoon butter and 2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese to pasta. Return chicken, bacon, and mushrooms to pasta. Toss with tongs until all pasta is coated by the sauce. Cook it down to a thick sauce if needed, season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped parsley and red pepper flakes if desired.
Notes
Cook bacon in between chicken and mushrooms. The little fat that’s rendered can transfer to chicken and the mushrooms this way.
You can use white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms. Whatever you like/can find.
You can double this recipe for leftovers. Just sprinkle a teaspoon or so water in the pasta before microwaving it for leftovers.
Want time saving tips to make recipes like this chicken bacon and mushroom pasta delivered to your inbox? Click here to download my Cooking for One Time Saving Tips.
Recipes are great, but you’ll need a simple 3 step process to create a meal plan that make cooking easy & helps you stop wasting food. Check out this expertly developed meal planning guide to get started.
