Description
Classic carbonara brings Italian comfort to your kitchen with creamy sauce and crispy pancetta. Simple ingredients combine for a restaurant-quality meal that satisfies hearty appetites and delivers authentic Roman flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 2 large chicken breasts, cubed
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 large eggs
Pasta and Cheese:
- 1 pound (454 grams) spaghetti or pasta of choice
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Seasonings and Garnish:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a generously salted pot of water to a rolling boil and cook pasta until perfectly tender, maintaining an al dente texture. Extract and preserve 1/2 cup of starchy cooking liquid before draining.
- Render bacon in a spacious skillet over medium-high heat until achieving a golden, crisp perfection. Transfer the crunchy morsels to a side plate, preserving a thin layer of rendered fat.
- Introduce cubed chicken into the same skillet, searing until thoroughly cooked and displaying no raw pink areas. Incorporate finely minced garlic, allowing it to release its aromatic essence for approximately 60 seconds.
- Whisk eggs and freshly grated Parmesan in a separate mixing bowl, seasoning with a delicate balance of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Immediately remove skillet from heat source and amalgamate cooked pasta, crispy bacon, and seared chicken. Cascade the egg and cheese mixture over the ingredients, rapidly tossing to ensure comprehensive coating, progressively incorporating reserved pasta water to craft a luxuriously smooth, silky sauce.
- Elegantly garnish with verdant chopped parsley and an additional sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serve piping hot, presenting the dish at its most sublime moment.
Notes
- Avoid scrambling eggs by removing pan from heat before adding egg mixture, ensuring smooth, silky sauce without curdling.
- Use room temperature eggs for better sauce emulsification and even coating of pasta.
- Experiment with pancetta instead of bacon for a more traditional Italian carbonara flavor profile.
- Create a gluten-free version by substituting regular pasta with zucchini noodles or gluten-free pasta alternatives.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 606 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 495 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 68 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 44 g
- Cholesterol: 177 mg