Here’s another one to add to the lists of recipes you never thought would be healthy: pasta with chicken and bacon in cream sauce! With a little Paleo ingenuity, the whole thing gets transformed into a dairy-free, vegetable-heavy treat that still tastes great (in fact, you might even prefer it).
If you’re an old hand at the Paleo game, you can already guess how this works: spaghetti squash stands in for the pasta, and coconut milk adds a completely dairy-free creamy effect.
And don’t worry about accidentally making a tropical fusion chicken bacon pasta with coconut milk: it doesn’t have that strong of a flavor, and it works very well here to add some richness without being overwhelmingly coconutty.
If you don’t have any pre-cooked bacon, you could easily cook the bacon while the squash is cooling between Step 7 and Step 8 of the directions.
Then just continue with everything else as directed. This could make a complete meal all by itself, so you don’t even need to worry about a side dish unless you specifically want something else; just serve and enjoy!
Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta Recipe
SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 min COOK: 45 min
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded;
- 1 lb. chicken breast, boneless and skinless;
- 2 cups broccoli florets, cooked;
- 6 bacon strips, cooked;
- 1 onion, minced;
- 3 cloves garlic, minced;
- 1 ½ cups full-fat coconut milk;
- 1 tbsp. olive oil;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Lightly oil the spaghetti squash with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until the flesh is soft.
- Heat some cooking fat over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken breast to taste.
- Cook the chicken breast for 6 to 7 minutes on each side until browned and no longer pink.
- Let the chicken rest, and cut it into thin slices.
- Remove the squash from the oven and set aside until cool enough to be easily handled.
- Use a large fork or spoon to scoop the stringy flesh from the squash and place it in a bowl.
- Add minced garlic and onion to the skillet and cook until soft and fragrant. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and lower the heat.
- Add the squash, bacon, broccoli, and chicken to the sauce. Stir well to combine, and cook until warmed through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 lb. chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 2 cups broccoli florets cooked
- 6 bacon strips cooked
- 1 onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups full fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Lightly oil the spaghetti squash with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.1 spaghetti squash, 1 tbsp. olive oil, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until the flesh is soft.
- Heat some cooking fat over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken breast to taste.1 lb. chicken breast
- Cook the chicken breast for 6 to 7 minutes on each side until browned and no longer pink.
- Let the chicken rest, and cut it into thin slices.
- Remove the squash from the oven and set aside until cool enough to be easily handled.
- Use a large fork or spoon to scoop the stringy flesh from the squash and place it in a bowl.
- Add minced garlic and onion to the skillet and cook until soft and fragrant. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and lower the heat.1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 ½ cups full fat coconut milk
- Add the squash, bacon, broccoli, and chicken to the sauce. Stir well to combine, and cook until warmed through.1 spaghetti squash, 6 bacon strips, 2 cups broccoli florets
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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