Ingredients:
1 lb boneless chicken breast, trimmed
1 lb lean back bacon (irish or english bacon, preferably black pepper cured).
1 lb plain cream cheese
1 lb italian hard cheese, finely grated (parmagiano, romano, asiago)
1/2 cup white wine (optional, substitiute 2 tbsp cider vinegar)
4 cups whole milk (half and half if you want a heart attack)
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp olive oil
Seasonings:
1 clove garlic (optional)
1/2 tblsp fresh cracked black pepper (1 tblsp if you dont use pepper bacon)
1/2 tblsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp paprika
More in the extended entry...
Preparation:
Cube the bacon, and chicken into appx 1/2" cubes.
heat the oil in a large skillet, and melt the butter into a low bubble, then crush and finely mince the garlic, and incorporate it into the butter. If minced properly the garlic will dissolve.
Add the bacon to the heated butter and oil, and saute til fully coocked, but not crisp.
Add the chicken, and rosemary, and saute till lightly browned. Add the wine or vinegar now, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, then cut the cream cheese up into small chunks, and add them to the mix, stirring constantly until the cheese is fully melted and incorporated.
Turn the heat up 'til the cheese is on a low bubble, and incorporate the milk, stirring constantly to avoid scalding or fat separation.
Slowly sprinkle the grated cheeses into the mix, stirring constantly until fully incorporated. Add the black pepper at this point.
You may need to add more milk, depending on the exact fat and solid content of the cheeses used. Before you simmer it down it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not so thick as to have visible wrinkles or ripples on the surface, or so be gluey or stiff.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes, and stir occaisonally to avoid fat separation.
Add the paprika in, stir, and let stand for 5 minutes off the heat before incorporating into pasta.
This is best served with a ziti rigata or something similar. Drain the pasta, and toss with a very little red wine vinegar, then pour the sauce into the pot and stir through throughly. Let stand for 5 minutes then serve with crusty bread, or cheese toast, and sliced tomatos.