Hen Carbonara - The Keep At House Chef

It’s simply too darn straightforward to like Hen Carbonara with that velvety sauce, crispy bacon, and pecorino romano cheese. Significantly, 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 while 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 easy, 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 a special day to order this at your favourite Italian restaurant when you understand how straightforward it’s to make. Take pleasure in this at your kitchen desk at any time when the craving hits! Add some hen to a traditional carbonara and it’s a complete meal prepared in half-hour. You continue to have that superb, thick-cut bacon and a velvety egg and cheese sauce. Should you don’t have pecorino romano, you’ll be able to at all times cheat and use parmesan—we gained’t inform for those who gained’t. We do it on a regular basis!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients used to make chicken carbonara.

Thick-Minimize Bacon: You possibly can at all times substitute pancetta for bacon which is the genuine ingredient. Pancetta isn’t at all times as straightforward to return by and might be costlier, so we default to bacon as the higher possibility 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 massive grade AA eggs for this recipe. You’ll use a mixture of egg whites and complete eggs for the proper silky easy sauce.
Spaghetti: Simply use from the field. Cook dinner to al dente, tender however agency.
Pecorino Romano Cheese: You possibly can simply substitute with parmesan cheese. Simply be sure it’s freshly grated as pre-grated doesn’t soften as easily and might 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 little bit extra fancy.

Hen Choices

We choose to make use of boneless skinless hen breasts, however you can at all times use hen thighs for those who choose darkish meat or a fattier minimize of hen. These boneless skinless hen thighs are at all times juicier than the breasts.

Time & Cash Saver

You possibly can simply use leftover hen or shredded rotisserie hen on this recipe. You’ll want about 2 cups or you’ll be able to 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 price to get you into the shop and hopefully purchase different issues. Which means that rotisserie hen is usually one of the best worth per pound for hen you will get. Save a little bit time, save a little bit cash.

Pasta Choices

Spaghetti is the standard alternative for pasta in a carbonara, nevertheless, you don’t must really feel tied to that. You would use virtually 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 in the course of the cooking course of emulsifies (binds) the substances collectively, making a easy sauce. No clumpy cheese right here. You possibly can at all times use a little bit 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 stuffed 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 not less than 1 1/2 cups. Then, you’ll be able to go forward and drain your pasta.