Alfredo Smothered Chicken

Do you like bacon? How about Pesto? And Alfredo? If you said yes to all three, this is a dish for you. Alfredo Sauce all on its own over chicken is delicious. Add to that the creamy herbs of pesto and the smoky crunch of bacon bits, and you are talking beyond delicious.

This dish is so pretty, so flavorful, that it’s fit for company. Yeah, now that the world is returning to normal, it’s time to start thinking about small gathering of friends and family breaking bread together. At the same time, we’d like to keep it simple. Less time in the kitchen means more time for catching up with one another. What can be more simple than a half a dozen ingredients and almost no prep work? You can even visit while putting the finishing touches on the dish.

And what a dish. Our guests could not stop raving about this simple yet so flavorful chicken dish. Yeah, I’d make this again and again.

Alfredo Smothered Chicken
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper
4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 teaspoon Ground Pepper
1/4 cup Basil Pesto or more to taste
1 (15 oz) jar Alfredo Sauce

Heat oven to 350-degrees.

Stack the bacon strips, chop then fry in skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving drippings in skillet.

While the bacon is frying, core; seed and dice the bell pepper. Set aside.

In the now empty skillet, cook the bell pepper in bacon drippings over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp-tender and just beginning to blister. Remove peppers from the skillet with a slotted spoon.

Season the chicken breasts with black pepper. If the breasts are large, cut in half to make 8 breasts. This will also help the chicken cook faster without drying out.

In same skillet with bacon drippings, cook chicken breasts over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes per side, until brown. Place chicken breasts in ungreased 11-inch by 7-inch (2-quart) baking dish. Set aside.

In medium bowl, stir bell pepper, Basil Pesto and Alfredo sauce until well blended. Pour sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil.

Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and juice of the chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165-degrees).

Remove from oven. Sprinkle chicken with chopped bacon. Serve with crusty French loaf, a Simple Garlic Linguine and toss salad for a complete meal.

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