Smoky Capsicum, Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti

Name: Smoky Capsicum, Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 4 very large red capsicums, halved and deseeded; 1 very large chicken breast, thinly sliced; 200g rindless smoked bacon, diced; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 brown onion, finely diced; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 200ml chicken stock; 125ml cooking cream; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to finish; 400g spaghetti, to serve (or cooked rice)

A creamy roasted red capsicum sauce with smoky bacon and thinly sliced chicken, tossed through spaghetti. The peppers are roasted and blended into the base, so the sauce carries real depth from just one chicken breast. It is hearty enough to stretch across several nights, over pasta or a bowl of rice.

Spaghetti in a creamy roasted red capsicum sauce with smoky bacon and chicken.

Roasted red capsicum has a sweetness that only comes out once the skins have blistered and slipped away, and it is the whole heart of this dish. The peppers cook down into a sauce the colour of deep coral, smoky from the rendered bacon and rounded with just enough cream to soften the edges. A single chicken breast, sliced thin and folded through, feeds far more than it should, which is the quiet cleverness of building a meal on peppers rather than meat. I leave mine rustic, the sauce a little chunky so there are pieces of pepper and bacon to catch in every forkful. Tossed through spaghetti one night and spooned over rice the next, it is the sauce I now reach for when one chicken breast has to feed a whole week, and it never feels like less.

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 45 min · Serves: 4 · Cuisine: Mediterranean · Category: Dinner

Ingredients

Smoky Capsicum, Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti

4 very large red capsicums, halved and deseeded
1 very large chicken breast, thinly sliced
200g rindless smoked bacon, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
200ml chicken stock
125ml cooking cream
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to finish
400g spaghetti, to serve (or cooked rice)

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C. Place the capsicum halves cut side down on a lined tray and roast until the skins blister and char in patches, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with cling film, then leave to steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Peel away the skins and discard.
In a large deep pan or casserole over medium heat, warm the olive oil and cook the bacon until golden and the fat has rendered. Lift out with a slotted spoon, leaving the smoky fat behind.
Season the sliced chicken with salt and pepper. Sear in the bacon fat until just golden and cooked through, then remove and set aside with the bacon.
Lower the heat and soften the onion in the same pan until translucent, seasoning as you go. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant.
Tear a couple of the roasted capsicums into strips and set aside. Blend the rest with the chicken stock, smooth or roughly for a chunkier sauce. Pour into the pan and simmer gently until slightly thickened, seasoning again to taste.
Stir the cream through, then return the bacon, chicken and reserved capsicum strips. Warm through gently without letting it boil hard, and adjust the seasoning a final time.
Cook the spaghetti in well-salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving a little pasta water, and toss through the sauce, loosening with a splash of the water if needed. Scatter with parsley to serve.

Serving Suggestion

This is a full plate on its own, though it takes well to a few simple companions. Serve it with warm Simple Rosemary Focaccia for mopping the sauce, or a side of Garlic Green Beans with Olive Oil & Lemon to keep things fresh against the richness. A crisp Greek Style Salad with Feta, Olives & Garlic rounds it into a generous family dinner.

Storage Notes

The sauce stores in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days and reheats beautifully. For the best results across several nights, store the sauce and cooked spaghetti separately and cook fresh pasta each time, as it softens on reheating. Reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop, loosened with a splash of stock or water if it has thickened.

Make Ahead Notes

The capsicums can be roasted, peeled and refrigerated up to two days ahead, which makes the sauce quick to bring together on the night. The full sauce can also be made a day in advance and gently reheated, and the flavour settles and deepens overnight.

Notes

Rendering the bacon first and searing the chicken in that fat is where most of the depth comes from, so it is worth not rushing it or draining the pan.

Season lightly at each layer rather than all at the end. Built in gradually, the salt rounds the sauce out instead of sitting sharp on top.

Blend the sauce as smooth or as rustic as you like. A rougher blend leaves pieces of pepper and bacon in every forkful, while a smooth one feels more elegant.

One very large chicken breast is enough here because the roasted capsicum carries the body of the dish. For a bigger table, a second breast folds in without needing more sauce.

The Grace Table Tip

Toss the drained spaghetti through the sauce off the heat with a splash of the reserved pasta water rather than plating the sauce on top. The starch in the water helps it cling, so every strand is coated rather than sitting in a pool.

This works just as well spooned over rice instead of tossed through pasta, which is a good way to stretch it further across the week. A drained tin of cannellini beans stirred through at the end adds body and an extra serving.