Chicken and Corn Pasta
Our Chicken and Corn Pasta is a hearty, flavorful, simple dish packed with tender chicken breast, corn, and smoky bacon in a rich, creamy sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s so easy to make and so hard to stop eating!
I’m Italian, and after years of being married to me, my husband is practically Italian. So, it should come as no surprise that pasta dishes are some of our favorite main meals.
They can be authentic Italian dishes like homemade pasta sauce and meatballs with sausage or creamy, creative recipes like these chicken broccoli alfredo stuffed shells. If you come to our house for dinner, you’re likely to find a plate of noodles in front of you!
We’ve now added this chicken and corn pasta recipe to our rotation, and it’s absolutely delicious. Tender chicken breast, bright corn, smoky bacon, and bowtie pasta in a creamy sauce is a combination everyone in our family is hooked on!
Pair it with homemade garlic breadsticks and this copycat Chick-fil-A kale salad for a full meal that satisfies everyone at the table.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This recipe is made with a handful of simple ingredients, most of which are likely already in your kitchen. Anything else is easily found at your local grocery store.
- Super Easy: This pasta dish is quick and easy to make, requiring only a few simple steps and approximately 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Tons of Flavor: Every bite is packed with chicken, corn, and bacon in a bold, creamy sauce.
- Customizable: You can easily tweak this recipe to make it your own.
- Versatile: This dish is both hearty and easy, making it perfect for weeknight meals and parties.
Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
The great thing about this recipe is that you really only need to hit one or two aisles if you do any amount of cooking at all. Even if you don’t, you can still be in and out of the store in about 20 minutes tops.
Variations
- Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a richer flavor, if you prefer.
- Other Proteins: Protein options, such as smoked sausage, ground Italian sausage, ground beef, or seafood like shrimp, work well with the flavors in this dish.
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes for an even hotter kick.
- Mild: Omit the chili powder for a mild version of this recipe.
- Corn: Use fresh corn during the summer and frozen corn in the winter to enjoy this dish year-round.
- Add More Veggies: Sweat diced onions in the seasonings when cooking them, and add mushrooms for more flavor and texture.
- Pasta: We love using bowtie pasta, but any short, textured noodle will work.
How to Make Chicken and Corn Pasta
This is a quick overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the pastas to al dente. Mix the chicken chunks and seasonings in a medium bowl while the pasta cooks.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the chicken in oil until cooked through. Then, transfer it to a plate.
- Add the frozen corn, more oil, and more seasonings to the pan and cook on low heat until fragrant.
- Transfer half the corn to a plate. Then, add the cream to the pan and bring to a gentle boil. Add the Parmesan and stir until melted.
- Add the chicken and pasta to the pan and gently stir them together.
- Top with the other half of the corn and chopped bacon. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Be sure to cook the pasta only to al dente. Overcooked pasta is too soft to hold its shape when stirred into the sauce.
- Use a high-sided pan to minimize spatter while cooking the chicken.
- Bring your sauce to a gentle boil, nothing more. A hard boil will break the sauce.
- We used microwave bacon, but if you fry your own, you can use the grease in place of oil to cook the chicken.
- Use a gentle folding motion to stir your pasta and chicken into the sauce. This helps reduce the chance of the pasta breaking up.
- Don’t try to freeze this dish. The cream sauce will break when defrosted.
Chicken and Corn Pasta FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Chicken and corn pasta is a creamy dish made with chopped chicken breasts, corn, and bacon in a seasoned Alfredo sauce.
Chicken and corn pasta is made with a cream-based sauce. It should only be brought to a gentle boil or a hard simmer, nothing more. Boiling it too hard will break the sauce.
No, you can’t. Chicken and corn pasta is made with a cream sauce. These sauces break when frozen and reheated.
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📖Recipe
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Chicken and Corn Pasta
Equipment
- medium size pot
- large pot with high sides
Ingredients
- 10 ounces bow tie pasta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 chicken breasts chopped into chunks
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 strips of bacon cooked (chopped)
- Parsley is optional to top
Instructions
- In a medium size pot add the pasta and begin cooking it until done. Drain once done. While the pasta is cooking, add the chicken breast chunks into a medium size bowl and add 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and stir until everything is coated.
- In a large, high sided pan add 2 tbsp oil and the chicken and cook on a medium to high heat until the chicken is cooked through. Once done remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the frozen corn, 1 tbsp of oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp chili powder. Stir and cook on a low heat for around 3 minutes.
- Remove about half the corn kernels to a plate. Add 1 cup of heavy cream to the pan with half the corn, bring to a gentle boil. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Add the cooked and drained pasta into the pan. Add the chicken and stir to mix everything together.
- Top with the chopped cooked bacon and the other half of the corn kernels that were set aside. You can top with parsley here or skip that step. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- If you want it spicy, you can add some red pepper flakes.
- You can top with more grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
- You can use shredded Parmesan cheese instead.
- Microwave bacon is what I used! So easy.
- You can use whatever pasta shape you like.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
