Chicken Spaghetti with White Sauce

This cheesy white sauce is perfect for any pasta but works best with spaghetti or cavatappi. I favor butcher bacon as it's the best bacon on the planet! Kids attacked the leftover pasta and ate the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes before I was able to get a photo!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 490 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 slices bacon
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or more as needed
• ½ (8 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and a liberal amount of salt to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

Step 2

While pasta is cooking, coat chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken and chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Step 4

Add bacon to the same pan and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and cut into small pieces.

Step 5

Add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes to the bacon fat and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken and bacon and reduce heat to just above a simmer. Stir in milk and cornstarch. Add chicken broth, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese; stir and simmer until well mixed and cheeses have melted.

Step 6

Slowly add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce; stir and allow the sauce to thicken up to desired consistency, adding more pasta water as needed. Pour sauce over pasta to serve.