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. Significantly, how may you not love this dish? And, including rooster to a basic 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 rooster provides to the basic 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 a special day to order this at your favourite Italian restaurant when you notice how simple it’s to make. Get pleasure from this at your kitchen desk each time the craving hits! Add some rooster to a basic carbonara and it’s a complete meal prepared in half-hour. You continue to have that wonderful, thick-cut bacon and a velvety egg and cheese sauce. In case you don’t have pecorino romano, you’ll be able to at all times cheat and use parmesan—we received’t inform in the event you received’t. We do it on a regular basis!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients used to make chicken carbonara.

Thick-Reduce Bacon: You possibly can at all times substitute pancetta for bacon which is the genuine ingredient. Pancetta isn’t at all times as simple to come back by and will be costlier, so we default to bacon as the higher choice for many of our viewers.
Hen Breasts: Boneless, skinless rooster 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 mix of egg whites and entire eggs for the proper silky clean 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 certain 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 bit of extra fancy.

Hen Choices

We choose to make use of boneless skinless rooster breasts, however you may at all times use rooster thighs in the event you choose darkish meat or a fattier minimize of rooster. These boneless skinless rooster thighs are at all times juicier than the breasts.

Time & Cash Saver

You possibly can simply use leftover rooster or shredded rotisserie rooster 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 rooster is usually bought as one thing known as a “loss chief” for grocery shops the place they promote the rooster at or under price to get you into the shop and hopefully purchase different issues. Which means rotisserie rooster is usually the perfect value per pound for rooster you may get. Save a bit of time, save a bit of cash.

Pasta Choices

Spaghetti is the normal alternative for pasta in a carbonara, nonetheless, you don’t must really feel tied to that. You could possibly 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 elements collectively, making a clean sauce. No clumpy cheese right here. You possibly can 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 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.