Bruschetta Chicken and Bacon Pasta
Totally restaurant-worthy, this bruschetta chicken and bacon pasta is amazing! Like, really, really amazing. Loaded with layers of flavor, it is unbelievably delicious.
I’m probably being pretty obvious about my rush to get you (and me) to industriously use up the last of the fresh garden produce before the weather changes, but I can’t bring myself to apologize for it.
This anxious push has recently given us these delightful lemon poppy seed zucchini muffins as well as this home-canned spaghetti sauce and this amazingly delish grilled chicken and veggie orzo salad.
And those are all recipes to be unapologetic about.
But today’s recipe, this ridiculously pretty bruschetta chicken and bacon pasta, well, it might take the cake, so to speak, in wow-factor for those late-summer garden tomatoes.
It’s difficult for me to adequately express my genuine adoration for life-changing recipes day after day as I type up these posts.
I mean, how many times can I say “this {fill in the blank} recipe is the best thing I’ve ever eaten” or “it was so delicious I could cry” without you kind of rolling your eyes and thinking “yeah, yeah, Mel, you say that all.the.time; enough with the exaggeration”
And I get it. I really do. Blogger hyperbole across the internet is as rampant as my nonstop pantry visits to sneak chocolate chips by the handful.
But you just have to trust me when I really declare a recipe Best of the Best. After all, if it rightfully earns a place in The Best Recipe section, who am I to deny the recipe its just-deserved accolades?
No question, this bruschetta chicken and bacon pasta has skyrocketed to my personal list of favorite meals of all time. It has every flavor I adore: fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella + a balsamic glaze that is drinkable in its deliciousness.
Not to mention that flavorful and tender marinated chicken and piled high pasta.
If you hoard fresh basil like I hoard fresh basil, believe me that this bruschetta chicken and bacon pasta is worthy of the tasty herb. In fact, it relies on the fresh basil for amped up flavor.
Also, don’t be dismayed by all that’s going on in the recipe. Yes, there are several components that need to be prepped to come together at the end, but I’ve made a note in every instance where things can be prepped in advance, and I promise that in the end, it comes together quickly.
It’s not a 30-minute super speedy meal, but I can guarantee the reward is totally and absolutely worth it. I’m declaring this one of the best things I’ve made all year. And that is not an exaggeration (my family would agree – we were all exclaiming over this one).
Last note (I promise): the flavors of the pasta/tomato portion are so other-worldly delicious, I think you could easily nix the chicken and make the rest of this recipe as a stand-alone pasta salad for a potluck or simple meatless meal.
Divine breadsticks or Asiago dinner rolls
Perfect corn on the cob or roasted broccoli
One Year Ago: Whole Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
Two Years Ago: Roasted Garlic and White Bean Chili
Three Years Ago: Oatmeal Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Four Years Ago: Monster Cookie Bars
Five Years Ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chicken: I use thin-sliced chicken breasts for this recipe. If the chicken breasts you are using are thicker than 1/4-inch or so, slice them in half lengthwise (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner chicken cutlets. How to Serve: this pasta dish isn't meant to be served hot. It's more of a room-temperature/slightly warm-type meal.The flavors are so delicious, Make it Meatless: I think you could easily nix the chicken and make the rest of this recipe as a stand-alone pasta salad for a potluck or simple meatless meal. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Bruschetta Chicken and Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
Chicken + Marinade:
Balsamic Glaze/Dressing:
Pasta + Tomatoes:
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
This was a hit in my home! I made a few substitutions (had things to use up) but it worked out really well. Gluten free rotini, dried basil instead of fresh, garlic powder instead of fresh, used chopped tomato, reg mozz, added parsley. I also had to make an extra batch of the glaze. Not sure if it was because I used GF pasta or because the sauce was SO delicious but it definitely needed more. I will make it again using the correct ingredients!
This chicken pasta salad was incredibly delicious! We loved it. The balsamic glaze was particularly scrumptious!
Made this recipe for dinner on Friday. It. Is. DELICIOUS!! I’ll be making this one again, for sure!
well this is the best pasta dish i have ever had in my life.
I feel the same way.
This was delicious! I served half with the pasta and half with steamed cauliflower to cut a few carbs for my hubby. It was delicious both ways!
Made this last night and it was amazing! A lot of my cherry tomatoes are still green so I substituted some medium sized tomatoes instead, was delicious. My girlfriend stole the leftovers for lunch today, will be using this marinade for the chicken again!
Thanks for the review, Jeremy!
Excellent dish!!! I loved how the flavors blended together! Perfect meal for a hot summer evening, thank you for such a delicious recipe!! Definitely a keeper!!!
Great recipe! Thank you, Mel 🙂
We made this for our Valentine’s Day family dinner. It was really good, but the glaze is sweeter than our family likes, I think. Actually, I’ve made a very similar glaze for pork roast and we usually gobble it up. But on the pasta, we were all wishing it wasn’t quite so sweet. But it looked super fancy and was festive and fun. Thanks! I always enjoy trying something new. 🙂
This was delicious! Should not have tackled it in one night. But nothing was terribly difficult. Just plan on making a ton of it in advance. My husband saw me getting overwhelmed and tried to suggest just to have the chicken. Glad I pushed through because it was amazing. I tried not to eat all the leftovers in one sitting…but I failed. Really yummy warm, or cold.
Would this be easy enough to make for 20+ when I’ve never made it and really need to impres this weekend! Or can you steer me to another one of your gems? is it not as good with garden tomatoes? Aka-winter
Yes, I think you could easily make this for 20 people. It’s packed with flavor but not a terribly hard recipe.
I made this for my family the other night and it was definitely a keeper! I doubled the recipe for my large family and served the chicken chopped and mixed in. I didn’t have any fresh mozzarella so I used shredded; Still worked wonderfully! This is definitely be making an appearance again!
This was fantastic. Beautiful and delicious! The balsamic glaze gets an A+!
Thanks, Angela!
It was amazing!! Thanks so much for this one, it’s going to become a regular!
We had all of these ingredients and had to make it! It was a hit. I put the glaze on the pasta as well as the chicken but didn’t use it all. Leftovers were great cold too, and I sent some home with our son. He was thrilled and added feta cheese on top.
I loved the leftovers cold too!
This just jumped to the top of my food-to-take-to-a-potluck-to-try-to-impress-people list (not that I have such a list . . . ahem). All of my favorite flavors! Thanks, Mel!
This was to die for! So, so good! I used assorted kinds of tomatoes from my garden, only a few cherry tomatoes, and it was still amazing. I will grow tomatoes and basil every year for this recipe alone! Also, I didn’t splurge on fresh mozzarella and just used regular part-skim mozzarella that I already had on hand. Still awesome, though I do love fresh mozzarella and will try it another time with that! I didn’t feel like it needed much of the glaze because I didn’t want it to overpower the other delicious flavors, so had a lot of that leftover, and next time will half the recipe for that. I ate leftovers of this all week and never tired of it! It was such a treat and a dish I would pay good money for to eat at a restaurant! It was a bit time-consuming, but I prepped different parts of it during the day and that helped! Worth every minute I spent on it!
Thanks so much for the review, Jana!!
So flavorful!! We enjoyed this recipe, grilled the chicken and topped with the glaze on both the pasta and chicken. Delicious!! Thank you Mel for another praise worthy meal!!
Yay! Thank you!!
Thanks, Elisabeth!
This was so, so yummy! All plates were devoured Next time I will reduce the sugar in the glaz a little bit so it’s a little more zippy. But I also loved it as is. Yum!
Thanks, Kat!
WOW!!!!! You weren’t joking. This is the best thing I have made for a while. Four of the five of us gobbled it right up and to be fair, the fifth literally couldn’t keep his eyes open…so I didn’t take it personally. This is one I am going to fight with my husband for leftovers tomorrow. I almost never want leftovers, but this was too good. You have outdone yourself with this one Mel!
This makes me SO happy…I seriously never know after I’ve waxed poetic about a recipe if I’m going to be the only one who feels that way. Thanks for checking in to let me know! Yay!
This was too good! One of the best pastas I’ve even in a long time!!! I definitely hoarded all the leftovers to myself. No regrets.
Eaten**
Haha, no regrets!
Made this last night for my family and it was a hit! Even my picky eaters loved it. Planning ahead and letting the chicken marinate all day was totally worth- it was so flavorful and delicious. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Side note: I made this without the bacon because we didn’t have any on hand and it was still so tasty.
Thanks, Rachel!
Once again you make me look good! I know a meal is good when my husband makes yummy sounds while eating. This was definitely a yummy meal!
Haha…glad he (and you!) loved it!
We did! I tried to give five stars but the fifth star was cut in half and wouldn’t let me.
No worries – I’ll fix it. 🙂
I am never let down with your recipes, and this was no exception. O-M-G these flavors are everything. My dinner guests loved this as well! Will definitely be in the rotation.
Thanks, Jessica!!
The only problem with this meal was that we didn’t have any leftovers but the glaze. I may or may have no have used said glaze to dip popcorn in, because it was just that good. Any time I need a new recipe for company or just to try something new, I head to your site. It is awesome that I can try a new recipe for company and know that it will be delicious. Thank you!
Haha, you sound like me with that leftover glaze! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you loved this recipe…appreciate it so much!
I followed the recipe exactly. Absolutely loved the chicken and marinade and will definitely use it again. I thought the pasta sauce was too sweet and didn’t taste right with the other ingredients. Love this site! I may have just had my hopes high because I tried your other summer salad with Orzo and it was heavenly
Thanks for letting me know what you thought, Liz!
My husband raved over the flavors in this dish. I forgot to buy the mozzarella so topped each plate with shredded Asiago and it was great! Yet another recipe that my husband said tasted like it came from a restaurant. Just delicious!
Asiago sounds delicious! Glad you and your husband loved this one. Thank you!
I just made this and my super picky kids gobbled it down. (Disclaimer, two had plain noodles and chicken, but in this house that is still a win.) This was a fantastic Sunday dinner !
Hey, that is TOTALLY a win! yay!
Oh. My. Delicious. Goodness!!! This is my new favorite recipe! I could seriously make this at least once a week! I hope my family doesn’t get sick of it! The dressing totally makes it. I didn’t have fresh basil on hand so I used fresh parsley from my garden and it was great! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thanks for the feedback, Angie! So happy you loved it (makes me so excited because it is one of my favorite meals ever).
Make this last night and invited my girlfriend over for some wine and it came together pretty quickly. I had made the bacon earlier so it made it easy. Love this dish and I used Rachel Ray’s Drizzle Reduction w/Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and that made it super quick to make!! You never fail me Mel!!
So happy to hear this. Thanks, Cathy!
This was SO yummy! Thank you!!
Yay! Thanks, Kristi!
My family loves all your recipes that we try, Mel – but this one is probably in our top 3 favorite! Tried it this week and all five in our family LOVED it. It makes a lot of food which is great for leftovers. The leftovers are just as good if not better. Great flavors! Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Rachelle! That makes me so happy because you know I already waxed poetic about how I feel about this recipe. SO happy you loved it! Thanks for letting me know!
Okay, I get it! I was looking for bread!!! I love this recipe – I don’t even need the chicken!!!
Made this tonight and it is delicious! I don’t normally care for uncooked tomatoes but these are so yummy with the glaze and pasta.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know, Amber!
I am going to make this tomorrow! Sorry to ask a dumb question, but where is the note about the 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled ?
Thank you for your many, many recipes that I use regularly!
Sorry about that! There isn’t a note for the bacon – I must have added that by mistake. 🙂
Thank you! This was perfect timing to use the fresh basil and the last of my tomatoes. I even had the marinated mozzarella balls from Costco. I am making this for dinner tonight.
I hope you like it, Kami!
Oh gosh, if I wasn’t avoiding the grocery store like the plague right now, I would go get bacon (I know, who am I for not having a stash of bacon in the freezer for important times like this?!) and we would have this TONIGHT. I’m pretty sure even my pasta-loathing child would go for this! Looks and sounds delicious!
Haha, glad I’m not the only one avoiding the grocery store!