Desi's Bacon Chicken Pasta

My friend Desi made this pasta for me one night when Jim was out of town.  It was SOOOO yummy and I craved it for weeks after  eating it.  So, I finally put it on my meal plan and bought the ingredients.  I made it on a night that I had to be somewhere when Jim got home so I wasn't around when Jim ate.  When I returned Jim told me how good it was.  He said when he went to dish some up he thought it looked like a normal pasta and chicken dish, then he tasted it and thought to himself "This is really good, what is that flavor?"  Then the lightbulb when one, "Bacon!"  He was so happy that he sent me a text message telling me how good it was!  Ha ha.  This dish is definitely an indulgence with lots of naughty ingredients, but it is very much worth it!

Desi's original post is on her awesome cooking blog Oh So Delicioso and can be found here.  I just had to make a post on my cookbook so I could always have this recipe handy.

16 oz farfalle pasta (bow-tie)

4 chicken breasts

1 12 oz bottle of Lawry's Mesquite marinade with lime juice

3/4 cup butter

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP ground black pepper

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdery stuff)

1 LB bacon (previously cooked and crumbled) **must be real bacon, not "bacon bits" or "real bacon"

(Optional)

1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes 

1 cup peas

1. In crock pot cook chicken in marinade on low for 6 hours.  Remove from marinade and cut into bite sized pieces.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and return to pot

3. In a small saucepan melt butter.  Add garlic, pepper, cream, cheese, and bacon.  Whisk for 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in chicken and pour mixture over cooked pasta.  Stir to coat.  Top with a sprinkle of extra cheese.

Slow Cooker *Spicy* Curried Chicken

My bff, Jess, shared this slow cooker recipe. She raved about it and said it was her fav - so I had to give it a try. This is not for those that can't take the heat...because let me tell you - this is super spicy! We enjoyed it, and I can't wait to play around with the ingredients. I want to substitute the onions and peppers for potatoes and carrots.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped onions (I do ½-one onion)

1 medium green bell pepper chopped

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces

1 cup medium salsa

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp curry powder

¾ tsp salt

Hot cooked rice

Directions

Place onions & peppers in bottom of crockpot. Top with chicken.

Combine salsa, ginger, garlic powder & pepper flakes in small bowl & spoon over chicken

Cook on Low for 5-6 hours or High 2-3 hours

Combine cilantro, sugar, curry powder and salt in small bowl. Stir mixture into crockpot for an additional 15 min on High until hot.

Serve over rice.