While visiting my parents this past spring, my mom made a delicious pasta dish from a recipe she found in the February 2018 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.  Of course, I had to copy it and make it for my husband as soon as I got back.  Since then, I’ve tinkered with the recipe to suit our tastes, increasing the volume of the creamy sauce and adding chicken.  It is so good!

6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

16 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/3 cup chives, finely chopped

12 oz orecchiette pasta, cooked according to package directions

1.  In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add the chicken to the skillet and sauté it in the bacon drippings until cooked through, about 6 minutes.  Remove the chicken to the same plate holding the bacon.

3. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the skillet and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.  Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to taste.

4. Add the cream and chicken broth to the skillet, stirring to combine the ingredients.  Allow the sauce to simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.   Add the bacon and the chicken to the sauce; stir until they are evenly distributed throughout.

5. Add the pasta, vinegar, and chives to the sauce.  Stir to evenly coat the pasta.  Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Retrieved from: “Creamy Mushroom and Bacon Pasta.” Better Homes and a Gardens. New York: Meredith Corporation, February, 2018.  https://www.bhg.com/recipe/creamy-mushroom-and-bacon-pasta/#page=1