Creamy chicken and nettle — yes, stinging nettle. This recipe combines tender chicken, crisp bacon, Parmesan and a silky cream sauce with mildly flavored nettle leaves for an unexpected but delicious pasta topping.
While you can substitute spinach or kale, stinging nettle brings a nutrient-dense boost. Nettles are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C and K, iron and calcium, and they have a mild flavor that won’t overwhelm the dish. Cooking completely neutralizes the sting, so once wilted the leaves are safe and pleasant to eat.
Even if some at your table are hesitant about nettles, the combination of bacon, Parmesan and creamy sauce usually wins them over. Serve over your favorite long or short pasta and garnish with fresh parsley for brightness.
Creamy Chicken and Nettle
Creamy Chicken and Nettle
10 mins
20 mins
30 mins
4
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon, diced
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced evenly
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups stinging nettle leaves (or spinach/kale)
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pan, fry the diced bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan.
- Add the sliced chicken to the bacon drippings and cook until no pink remains. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook about 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to burn it.
- Add the nettles and diced red pepper. Cook until the nettles have wilted and the pepper has softened.
- Pour in the heavy cream, chicken broth and Italian seasoning. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in the grated Parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces and thickens to a creamy consistency.
- Return the bacon and chicken to the pan, stir to combine and heat through for about 3 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve hot over your favorite pasta, rice or roasted vegetables.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Carbohydrates: 1 g
| Protein: 29 g
| Fat: 6 g
| Sodium: 344 mg
| Fiber: 1 g
| Sugar: 1 g
| Iron: 1 mg
More Stinging Nettle Recipes & Techniques
If you enjoyed this, try other nettle preparations and techniques for harvesting and using this wild green. Nettle can be transformed into soups, biscuits, pesto and simple sautés — all of which benefit from the same basic approach: handle carefully when raw and cook thoroughly to neutralize the sting.
- How to Harvest, Freeze & Dry Stinging Nettle — tips for safely collecting and preserving nettles
- Stinging Nettle and Cheese Biscuits — a savory biscuit with tender nettle folded in
- Stinging Nettle and Potato Soup — a comforting, nourishing green soup
- Sautéed Stinging Nettle with Garlic — a quick side dish
- Stinging Nettle Pesto — an herbaceous alternative to basil pesto
Have you cooked with stinging nettle before? Would you try this recipe? I’d love to hear what you make — share photos and tag @getgettys so I can see them.
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