Creamy Italian Chicken Carbonara (Printable)

Creamy pasta with shredded chicken, crispy bacon, and silky Parmesan-egg sauce. Ready in 35 minutes. Serves 4.

# What you'll need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz spaghetti or fettuccine

→ Proteins

02 - 7 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded
03 - 5 oz bacon or pancetta, diced

→ Sauce

04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1/4 cup heavy cream, optional
07 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Aromatics

08 - 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

→ Garnish

09 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese
10 - Fresh parsley, chopped, optional

# Preparation steps:

01 - Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon or pancetta and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in shredded chicken to warm through. Remove from heat.
03 - In a bowl, whisk together eggs, grated Parmesan, cream if using, and a generous amount of black pepper.
04 - Add drained pasta to the skillet with bacon, garlic, and chicken, tossing to combine.
05 - Pour egg-Parmesan mixture over pasta, tossing quickly and continuously off the heat to create a creamy sauce. Add reserved pasta water gradually until sauce reaches desired consistency.
06 - Serve immediately, topped with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley if desired.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but you will be sitting down to eat in thirty-five minutes flat.
  • The egg and Parmesan coat every strand of pasta in a creamy sauce without a single drop of heavy cream if you prefer it traditional.
  • Leftover rotisserie chicken turns this into a weeknight miracle, no poaching or grilling required.
  • Crispy bacon adds a salty crunch that makes each bite feel indulgent and balanced at the same time.
02 -
  • Take the skillet off the heat before adding the egg mixture, or you will end up with sweet scrambled eggs instead of a creamy sauce.
  • Toss the pasta constantly and quickly when adding the eggs, the motion and the heat from the pasta cook the eggs gently into a luscious coating.
  • If the sauce looks too thick or clumpy, add pasta water one tablespoon at a time while tossing, it loosens everything beautifully without diluting the flavor.
  • Room temperature eggs blend more smoothly and are less likely to seize when they hit the hot pasta.
03 -
  • Always reserve more pasta water than you think you need, you can always skip using it, but you can't get it back once the pot is drained.
  • Grate your Parmesan just before whisking it into the eggs, freshly grated cheese melts smoother and tastes sharper.
  • Use tongs instead of a spoon for tossing, they grab the pasta better and help you coat every strand evenly with the sauce.
  • If you are nervous about scrambling the eggs, whisk in a tablespoon of the hot pasta water to temper them before adding the mixture to the skillet.
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