How about a warm and inviting Chicken Carbonara for a quick weeknight dinner? It’s a classic Italian dish with a creamy sauce and pasta. I used rotisserie chicken to speed up the preparation. A traditional carbonara is made with pancetta, a salt-cured pork. If it’s difficult to find, bacon slices work well.
Here’s my very shortened version with the essence of carbonara but not the long cooking time.
HELPFUL HINTS:
- Linguine or other pasta can be used instead of fettuccine.
- Any type of pre-cooked chicken breast can be used.
- Diced onion can be used instead of frozen onion.
- 2 crushed garlic cloves can be used instead of minced garlic.
Chicken Carbonara
Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
1/4 pound fettuccine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ounce pancetta or 1 bacon slice
1/2 cup frozen diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup rotisserie chicken breast, skin and bones removed, cut into 1/2-to-1-inch pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup packed basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan 3/4 filled with water to a boil. Stir in the pasta and boil for 10 minutes, taste to make sure the pasta is cooked but firm; add 2 more minutes if necessary. Remove 1/2 cup of cooking water to a bowl and set that aside. Drain the rest of the pasta. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the pancetta. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes and add the onion and garlic. Saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss well. Stir in the chicken. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and cream together. Pour into the skillet and toss again. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to make a smooth sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide between two dinner plates and sprinkle basil and parmesan on top.
Per serving: 650 calories (39 percent from fat), 28.1 g fat (12.0 g saturated, 7.2 g monounsaturated), 246 cholesterol, 53.5 g protein, 49.1 g carbohydrates, 2.6 g fiber, 434 mg sodium.
