Creamy Chicken Carbonara
This creamy chicken carbonara is inspired by classic Italian (Roman) Carbonara. Made with bacon, chicken, whisked egg, and hard cheese, it’s a rich and creamy dish ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized strips
- 12-14 ounces linguine
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic very finely grated
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- salt to taste
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 4 eggs 2 yolk only, 2 whole
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
- ⅓ cup heavy cream optional, if preferred
Instructions
- You’ll bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook linguine until al dente. Before you drain, scoop out ½ cup pasta water and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl you’ll whisk eggs, Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the optional cream until smooth and pale. Set the mixture aside.
- Heat a large stainless pan over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Transfer it to a plate lined with paper towel to drain, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan and pouring off the rest.
- Add chicken strips to the warm pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. In the last 1 to 2 minutes stir in garlic and a splash of olive oil until you smell its aroma.
- Turn the heat down to low and let the pan rest off the heat for 2 to 3 minutes so the eggs won’t scramble when you add them.
- Return the bacon to the pan, then add the drained linguine. Pour in the egg mixture and ¼ cup of your reserved pasta water, and toss gently until every strand is coated. Add more pasta water if it feels too thick.
- Add chopped fresh basil, then plate immediately and serve with extra Parmesan cheese on the side.
Notes
- If sauce looks dry, pour reserved 1/2 cup pasta water into skillet when mixing egg mixture with linguine after heat is lowered.
- Before cooking bacon and chicken, cut chicken into bite-sized strips and bacon into 1/2-inch pieces to speed up the 15-minute cook.
- If no protein is on hand, after straining pasta toss it with egg mixture in skillet off heat and skip bacon and chicken steps.
- If cream isn’t preferred, omit the 1/3 cup cream when whisking eggs and cheese before cooking.
- When cooking bacon, substitute pancetta or guanciale and chop into 1/2-inch pieces before cooking chicken.