Chicken & Pasta alla Carbonara
Ingredients
Food Safety
Before you start, wash all surfaces and your hands with soap and warm water, and remember to wash your hands, utensils and cutting boards after they touch raw meat or eggs. Avoid cross-contamination by using a different cutting board for your meat and other ingredients. Make sure you’re cooking to safe temperatures and chilling any leftovers within two hours. For more food safety tips, visit our Food Safety at Home Section.
Steps
Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting.
Cut the sliced bacon crosswise into smaller pieces. Sauté bacon, onion, garlic and chicken in a medium sauce pan until nicely browned and chicken is fully cooked. Drain fat from pan.
Time this so the mixture finishes cooking just when the pasta is done and you are ready for the final steps of putting together the whole dish. It is critical that the pasta and the chicken mixture are very hot for the dish to be a success.
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions using plenty of boiling unsalted water until al dente. Drain well.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese and the fresh minced parsley (or basil or other fresh herb of your choice).
Drain the pasta and pour it into a large bowl. Add the hot bacon mixture and toss to coat. Then toss again with the egg mixture. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs. Serve with more Parmesan or Romano cheeses.
Helpful Tip
Making a successful carbonara can be tricky and timing is everything. The three groups of ingredients (i.e., pasta, sautéed bacon and the egg mixture) all need to be tossed together when the pasta and bacon mixture are very hot or else the eggs will not cook properly. Traditional Italian Carbonara does not contain cream as often seen in restaurants.
Nutrition Info
| Per 400 g serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 690 |
| Protein | 44 g |
| Fat | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrate | 41 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 265 mg |
| Sodium | 990 mg |
| Per 400 g serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|
| Potassium | 18 |
| Calcium | 25 |
| Iron | 25 |
| Vitamin A | 25 |
| Vitamin C | 45 |
| Vitamin B6 | 40 |
| Vitamin B12 | 79 |
| Folate | 23 |
| Zinc | 54 |
