Fresh & Hearty Bow Tie Pasta

Cut slices of bacon into a medium dice (about 1/2 inch pieces) before frying. Heat a deep skillet to medium heat. Fry diced bacon until crisp. Remove from skillet and set aside; leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the skillet. Fry the diced yellow onion in the leftover bacon grease until soft and translucent; set aside.

Season the diced chicken breast with 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic powder, salt and pepper, and the Italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in the same skillet that was used to fry the bacon and the onion, around medium-high heat; when the skillet is good and warm, add the seasoned chicken breast. Do not disturb the chicken breast for about 1 minute; then, turn the chicken over and brown the other side. Chicken should be almost cooked through, but not quite. Remove the chicken breast from the skillet and set aside.

At this time, add water to a large stock pot and bring it to a boil. Cook the bow tie pasta according to the directions, until it is al dente. After it has cooked, drain off the excess pasta water.

While you are waiting on the pasta water to boil, make the garlic cream sauce. Use the chicken broth to deglaze the pan that was used to prepare the bacon, onions, and chicken. Whisking constantly, slowly add the heavy cream, the butter, the Parmesan cheese, the rest of the garlic powder, and a bit of salt and pepper for extra seasoning. Whisk constantly over medium high heat until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken.

When the sauce is ready, add in the cooked and drained bow tie pasta. Add back to the pan the bacon, onions, and chicken, as well as the diced sun-dried tomatoes and the frozen peas. Cook on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the frozen peas are thawed. Serve with a garnishing of fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.