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. Severely, how might you not love this dish? And, including rooster to a traditional carbonara makes this meal a bit extra substantial, so it’s not simply loading up on the pasta.

However if 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 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 a special day to order this at your favourite Italian restaurant when you notice how straightforward it’s to make. Get pleasure from this at your kitchen desk at any time when the craving hits! Add some rooster to a traditional carbonara and it’s an entire 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 possibly can at all times cheat and use parmesan—we gained’t inform when you gained’t. We do it on a regular basis!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients used to make chicken carbonara.

Thick-Reduce Bacon: You may at all times substitute pancetta for bacon which is the genuine ingredient. Pancetta isn’t at all times as straightforward to return by and could 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 massive grade AA eggs for this recipe. You’ll use a mix of egg whites and complete 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 may simply substitute with parmesan cheese. Simply make certain 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 coloration. It’s non-compulsory, however makes it look a bit extra fancy.

Hen Choices

We choose to make use of boneless skinless rooster breasts, however you may at all times use rooster thighs when 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 may simply use leftover rooster or shredded rotisserie rooster on this recipe. You’ll want about 2 cups or you possibly can actually load it up with a cup or two extra. Rotisserie rooster is commonly offered as one thing known as a “loss chief” for grocery shops the place they promote the rooster at or beneath value to get you into the shop and hopefully purchase different issues. Which means that rotisserie rooster is commonly the most effective value per pound for rooster you will get. Save a bit time, save a bit cash.

Pasta Choices

Spaghetti is the standard selection for pasta in a carbonara, nevertheless, you don’t must really feel tied to that. You may 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 may at all times use a 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 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 a minimum of 1 1/2 cups. Then, you possibly can go forward and drain your pasta.