Hen Carbonara - The Keep At Dwelling Chef

It’s simply too darn simple to like Hen Carbonara with that velvety sauce, crispy bacon, and pecorino romano cheese. Critically, how might you not love this dish? And, including hen to a traditional carbonara makes this meal a bit extra substantial, so it’s not simply loading up on the pasta.

However whenever you just do need to load up on the pasta, go for our Authentic Pasta Carbonara.

Why Our Recipe

Prepared in simply half-hour which is ideal for weeknight dinners.
Deliciously juicy hen provides to the traditional pasta to make it extra filling.
The sauce is velvety clean, made with eggs, pasta water, and pecorino romano cheese.

Closeup shot of tongs picking up chicken carbonara in cast iron pot.

No want to attend for an important day to order this at your favourite Italian restaurant when you understand how simple it’s to make. Get pleasure from this at your kitchen desk every time the craving hits! Add some hen to a traditional carbonara and it’s an entire meal prepared in half-hour. You continue to have that superb, thick-cut bacon and a velvety egg and cheese sauce. In the event you don’t have pecorino romano, you may at all times cheat and use parmesan—we gained’t inform should you gained’t. We do it on a regular basis!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients used to make chicken carbonara.

Thick-Reduce Bacon: You’ll be able to at all times substitute pancetta for bacon which is the genuine ingredient. Pancetta isn’t at all times as simple to return by and might be dearer, so we default to bacon as the higher choice for many of our viewers.
Hen Breasts: Boneless, skinless hen breasts are nice for this recipe. Cube into bite-sized items.
Eggs: You’ll need giant grade AA eggs for this recipe. You’ll use a mixture of egg whites and complete eggs for the proper silky clean sauce.
Spaghetti: Simply use from the field. Prepare dinner to al dente, tender however agency.
Pecorino Romano Cheese: You’ll be able to simply substitute with parmesan cheese. Simply be sure that it’s freshly grated as pre-grated doesn’t soften as easily and may make the sauce gritty.
Parsley: It’s simply there so as to add a pop of shade. It’s non-obligatory, however makes it look a bit of extra fancy.

Hen Choices

We desire to make use of boneless skinless hen breasts, however you can at all times use hen thighs should you desire darkish meat or a fattier lower of hen. These boneless skinless hen thighs are at all times juicier than the breasts.

Time & Cash Saver

You’ll be able to simply use leftover hen or shredded rotisserie hen on this recipe. You’ll want about 2 cups or you may actually load it up with a cup or two extra. Rotisserie hen is usually bought as one thing referred to as a “loss chief” for grocery shops the place they promote the hen at or under value to get you into the shop and hopefully purchase different issues. Which means rotisserie hen is usually the most effective worth per pound for hen you will get. Save a bit of time, save a bit of cash.

Pasta Choices

Spaghetti is the normal selection for pasta in a carbonara, nonetheless, you don’t have to really feel tied to that. You might use nearly any lengthy, skinny pasta form. Different favorites are linguine, fettuccine, and bucatini.

Overhead shot of chicken carbonara in cast iron pot.

Pasta Water

Pasta water is the key weapon when combining pasta and cheese. The starch that’s pulled from the pasta through the cooking course of emulsifies (binds) the components collectively, making a clean sauce. No clumpy cheese right here. You’ll be able to at all times use a bit of extra pasta water to regulate the thickness of your sauce as wanted.

Wait till the final minute to get your pasta water in order that the water is filled with starch. Dip the sting of a glass 2-cup measuring cup into the pot of pasta water and fill the cup, ensuring you get no less than 1 1/2 cups. Then, you may go forward and drain your pasta.