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Crispy Chicken Carbonara Pasta combines the classic Italian pasta dish with crispy fried chicken. Creamy, cheesy pasta and juicy, crispy chicken is a match made in heaven.
Making carbonara pasta from scratch is surprisingly easy and only uses one pot! Instead of making a pasta sauce separately, carbonara is made by tossing the sauce ingredients with the hot pasta to form the creamy sauce.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Chicken Carbonara
- Combination of crispy and creamy – The crispy fried chicken paired with the creamy carbonara pasta is the best match.
- Only 6 ingredients- You only need 6 simple ingredients to make the best carbonara pasta.
- Family friendly dinner – This is one of those recipes that everyone loves, both adults and kids.
- The easiest pasta sauce ever – No cooking required! You pour the eggs and some starchy water (from cooking the pasta) over the hot pasta and toss it all together. The heat from the pasta actually soft-cooks the eggs to create a creamy, luscious sauce!
Ingredients for Crispy Chicken Carbonara
- Spaghetti or Linguine – I prefer spaghetti for easy twirling, but linguine works too.
- Bacon – Use your favorite brand and cook it until it’s crispy.
- Garlic – Fresh is best, especially for this recipe. But in a pinch you can use jarred minced garlic.
- Eggs – The eggs are scrambled then added to the pasta. The hot pasta actually soft cooks the eggs to create a luscious, creamy sauce.
- Parmesan – Freshly grated is best and make sure to grate some extra for garnishing.
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make Chicken Carbonara
Carbonara pasta is a one pot meal! The sauce is made in the same pot that you cook the pasta by just tossing everything together. Doesn’t get any easier.
- Bread and fry chicken breast – Pound out chicken breasts so they aren’t too thick, then dip in flour, egg and breading.
- Cook pasta – Start by getting a big pot of water boiling and cooking the pasta to al dente. Make sure you save about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining and returning the pasta to the pot.
- Add bacon and garlic – Lower the heat to low and add the bacon and garlic to the cooked pasta and toss to combine.
- Make egg mixture – In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add egg mixture – Pour the egg mixture over the hot pasta and toss to coat while adding some of the pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time. Continue to toss until the sauce becomes creamy – you can add more pasta water as needed to loosen up the sauce.
- Top with chicken – Finally, slice up the crispy fried chicken and serve with the pasta. I love to serve it with extra grated parmesan and fresh parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carbonara is a classic Italian sauce. It is traditionally made from eggs, parmesan cheese, and pork. The sauce coats the pasta and has a creamy, silky texture.
Although eggs are the primary ingredient in carbonara sauce, it does not taste like just eggs. It has a rich, creamy flavor thanks to the parmesan and pork (bacon in this recipe). The eggs help give the sauce its silky texture that coats the pasta.
Carbonara and alfredo are both classic pasta sauces, they are different. While carbonara is made from eggs and parmesan, alfredo’s primary ingredient is cream. Carbonara has a silky texture, but Alfredo is a thicker, creamier, and heavier sauce.
Serving Suggestions
The chicken and pasta is a filling meal on its own, but I like to add some veggies to complete the dinner. You can’t go wrong with a big green salad like this classic Caesar Salad or copycat Olive Garden Salad. Or serve it with some sauteed asparagus or roasted broccoli.
Storage and Reheating
While pasta is best enjoyed right after making, leftovers can be stored for later.
Storage – Store leftover pasta and crispy chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best results store them in separate containers.
Reheating – I recommend reheating the crispy chicken in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed. For best results, warm up the pasta on the stove and add a little bit of water to help loosen up the sauce again.
Save that Pasta Water – Starchy pasta water is truly a magical thing! Using it in the sauce not only helps loosen up the sauce, but the starch also thickens it at the same time and helps it stick to the pasta.
Cook Pasta Until Al Dente – When cooking the pasta it’s important to cook it until just al dente. The pasta will continue to cook when you toss it with the sauce so you want to make sure it doesn’t end up overcooked.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
- Simple and Fast Pasta Carbonara
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Lemon Butter Pasta
Crispy Chicken Carbonara
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to even thickness
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pasta
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine about ¾ of an average package
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus more for garnish
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Chicken
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and drain most of the bacon grease from the skillet and return the empty skillet to the stove.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. If using full sized chicken breasts, pound to even thickness.
- Prepare 3 shallow containers – One with a mixture of the flour, garlic powder and a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper, a second with whisked eggs and milk, and a third with panko breadcrumbs. Coat chicken in flour, then egg, then panko. Set aside.
- Heat about ½ cup vegetable oil to the skillet over medium high heat. Carefully place chicken in the hot oil and fry for about 3-4 minutes per side, until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Pasta
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of starchy pasta water, then drain and return pasta to the pot.
- Turn the heat to low, and add the bacon and garlic and toss with the pasta.
- Whisk eggs, parmesan cheese and minced parsley in a small bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss to coat completely, adding a few tablespoons as a time of the reserved pasta water. Toss until the sauce becomes creamy, add more pasta water if needed.
- Cut the crispy chicken into strips and serve with the pasta, garnished with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
My family loves this! I recently ran out of cream, so had to find another pasta sauce to make.. I think my default will be this recipe now, hehe! I followed another commenter who added Italian seasoning and garlic, although added it to the sauce instead (I do the chicken in my own personal style lol, I’m focused on the pasta itself!). It was heavenly. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it again <3
I do have a question though.. does it matter if the eggs for the sauce are chilled or room temperature? If so, what's the difference?
Love this review Laurika! For the eggs, it’s best if they are room temperature, but not a necessity.
I made this last night for dinner. It was good. I made one addition. I added onion powder to the flour along with garlic powder. I just did it without thinking. I mean really, it’s breaded chicken cutlets. It’s the carbonara sauce that matters. This was good, but next time I’ll add more parmesan cheese and maybe some Italian seasoning to the flour. The recipe is a keeper. Even my picky 14 year old that only eats pasta with butter, parmesan and black pepper ate. That’s a recommendation all in its own.
Glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate your feedback!