Chicken Carbonara Recipe
This chicken carbonara recipe is the simplified version of the well-known classic. Though it may seem like a lot of steps, it’s genuinely so easy! The flavors of this pasta dish are unlike anything else, with layers of bacon, crispy chicken, and a rich sauce. This is a dish that is sure to impress a crowd!
Ingredients
- 10 oz spaghetti pasta
- 8 oz bacon chopped & cooked
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts boneless skinless halved (about 2 breasts)
- 2 Tbsp reserved bacon grease divided
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1/2 lb raw shrimp
chicken coating-
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground paprika
carbonara sauce-
- 1/2 large onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup tomatoes cubed
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
pasta -
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions while you prepare the sauce. Drain and set aside once it reaches al dente.
bacon -
- Chop the bacon up into small bits and add to a cold pan. Warm up the pan to medium heat and cook the bacon, rendering the fat.
- Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan, and save 2 tbsp of bacon grease and discard the rest.
chicken -
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create thin cutlets.
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken coating and dredge each cutlet in the flour.
- To the same skillet, add 1 tbsp of bacon grease and 1 tbsp of butter. Once sizzling, add the cutlets one at a time and cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. (About 4 minutes per side.)
- Remove the chicken from the heat and cut it into strips.
shrimp -
- To the same pan, add 1 tbsp of butter. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook on high for 1-2 minutes per side, being careful not to overcook the shrimp. Remove from the pan and set aside.
sauce -
- To the same pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of bacon grease. Once the butter is melted, add the finely chopped onion and cook until softened. Add minced garlic and cubed tomatoes to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
- To the pan, add chicken broth, half & half, and heat up to a light simmer. (You don’t want the sauce boiling or bubbling).
- Stir in Parmesan cheese gradually until incorporated smoothly. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
- Lightly simmer the sauce until it thickens. Add the pasta to the sauce along with chicken and bacon bits. Stir the shrimp into the pasta right before serving to prevent the shrimp from overcooking.
- Serve, and enjoy friends!
Notes
- Be organized. To master a complex dish, stay organized and prepared. Having all of your ingredients prepped and ready makes cooking much easier! Start the carbonara sauce while the pasta cooks to save time.
- Don’t burn the bacon. Yes, it seems obvious, but burnt bacon will quickly ruin your dish.
- Perfectly cooked shrimp. Shrimp cook fast and will quickly become dry and rubbery. Keep it on the pan until it is just cooked through and no longer. Once you add it back into the sauce, serve the pasta immediately to prevent the shrimp from overcooking in the warm sauce.
- Perfect sauce. When a sauce is made of dairy and fat, you want to be careful not to boil it. The sauce can separate and become unusable. Keep it at a light simmer while thickening.
- Garnish. We eat first with our eyes, so, presentation is vital. Garnish your pasta dish with lots of cheese, freshly cracked black pepper, and a dash of parsley.