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Best-Ever Chicken Carbonara

A creamy, restaurant-style chicken carbonara made with eggs, Parmesan, pancetta, and tender chicken in 30 minutes — no cream required!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 610

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz spaghetti or linguine
  • 2 chicken breasts thinly sliced
  • 4 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 0.75 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 0.5 cup pasta water reserved from cooking
  • 2 tbsp parsley chopped, for garnish

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Pasta pot
  • Tongs
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk

Method
 

  1. Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve pasta water and drain.
  2. Cook pancetta in a skillet until crisp. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add olive oil and cook chicken until browned and cooked through. Set aside.
  4. Whisk together eggs, yolk, Parmesan, and black pepper in a bowl.
  5. Add drained pasta to skillet over low heat. Pour in egg mixture and toss quickly.
  6. Add splashes of pasta water until sauce is creamy.
  7. Stir in chicken and pancetta, coating well.
  8. Serve with extra Parmesan and parsley.

Notes

Work quickly when adding the egg mixture to avoid scrambling.