Crispy Parmesan Chicken & Bacon Linguine

• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper. • Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Evenly spread tops with sour cream. Mound coated sides with panko mixture, pressing to adhere (no need to coat the undersides). • Roast on middle rack until crust is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 18-22 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.

• Once water is boiling, add linguine to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1 ½ cups for 4 servings), then drain.

• Meanwhile, heat a large dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon*; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. • Remove from heat; transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop. • Discard all but a thin layer of bacon fat from pan; remove any burned bits from pan if necessary (leave the browned bits for flavor!).

• Heat pan with reserved bacon fat over low heat (if there is not enough bacon fat, add a drizzle of oil). Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. • Add ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (¾ cup for 4 servings). Stir in tomato, marinara, cream cheese, remaining Italian seasoning, and a pinch of sugar. Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.

• To pan with sauce, add drained linguine, chopped bacon, remaining Parmesan, and 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4 servings). Toss until butter has melted and pasta is evenly coated in a creamy sauce (if needed, stir in additional reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in sauce). Season with salt and pepper to taste.