Chicken Carbonara Recipe
Creamy chicken carbonara is a satisfying meal, with tender chicken breasts added to the classic pasta dish. It's an easy, delicious dinner! Classic carbonara does not contain cream; if you prefer a richer sauce, add 2-3 tablespoons cream off the heat.
Servings: 6 servings
Cost: $14
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- stockpot
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
- 1 package spaghetti or other long pasta noodle
- 4 slices thick cup bacon or 4 ounces diced prosciutto
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 5 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups grated pecorino Romano or parmesan at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup cooked peas optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon in the skillet until golden and crispy, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Remove the bacon and garlic from the skillet and transfer to a plate or platter.
- Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over medium heat until golden brown on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate or platter and keep warm.
- While the chicken cooks, boil the pasta. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Approximately 2-3 minutes.
- While the pasta cooks, whisk the eggs with the cheese, 1/2 the prosciutto, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of pasta water to the eggs to temper them. (So they don't scramble when mixed into the pasta.)
- Transfer the bacon and garlic back to the skillet over medium-low heat.
- Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet with the bacon. Mix the pasta with the bacon and then slowly add the eggs to the pasta while stirring constantly. If the pasta still seems dry add another 1/4 cup of the pasta water and stir until creamy.
- Fold in the peas, if using, and top with the cooked chicken. Serve immediately with extra cheese for topping.
Notes
- Swap in pancetta or guanciale. I call for more readily-available bacon or prosciutto in this recipe, but if you can find pancetta or guanciale (cured pork jowl), feel free to use it for a more traditional version of carbonara.
- Add vegetables. Peas are the classic addition, but feel free to try something else if you’d like. I think bite-sized pieces of asparagus, spinach, or chard would work well.
- Make it spicy. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to infuse your chicken carbonara with a bit of heat.
Nutrition
Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 243mg | Sodium: 606mg | Potassium: 593mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 341IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 2mg