Creamy Chicken Carbonara Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken carbonara sauce made of? ›

Usually, a traditional carbonara sauce is made with reserved pasta water, eggs and parmesan cheese, all mixed through cooked/warm pasta to create a creamy sauce.

The difference between alfredo and carbonara is that carbonara contains an egg while alfredo sauce does not. Carbonara is usually thinner in consistency than alfredo sauce, using the egg to coat the noodles instead of relying on the cream.

The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.

In traditional Italian carbonara, cream is the ingredient that should never be used. Authentic carbonara is made with eggs, hard cheese (like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano), pancetta or guanciale (cured pork cheek), and black pepper.

Pecorino Romano: This aged sheep's cheese is always traditionally used in the Roman pastas, and its salty, grassy, earthy flavor is absolutely delicious in carbonara. That said, if Pecorino is unavailable at your local grocery store, you can use Parmesan as a non-traditional substitute.

Classic Italian carbonara sauce is typically made with just 4 ingredients: eggs, black pepper, pecorino Romano (or parmesan), and guanciale (or pancetta). Of course, you can play around with the ingredients to your liking (we added cream and garlic to this one and often use bacon or ham instead of pancetta!)

Carbonara is almost always served with spaghetti or linguine, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. For a more unusual take on carbonara, try spinach fettuccine tossed with warm pasta and fresh baby spinach; you'll get a vibrant, beautiful dish with some additional health benefits.

Like we suggest in most of our pasta recipes, pre-shredded cheese just won't give you the same flavor or texture. If you can't find Pecorino Romano, you can substitute Parmesan Reggiano or Piave.

Cacio e uova is essentially Naples' meatless version of carbonara. Its silky sauce is made of eggs—two whole eggs plus an extra yolk keeps everything creamy—and a mixture of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano.

In a large, metal heatproof mixing bowl, whisk together whole eggs and yolks, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and black pepper. Using tongs and/or a strainer, transfer pasta to skillet with crisped guanciale and its fat; be sure not to drain boiling pasta water.

Does the egg stay raw in carbonara? ›

There's always a risk with raw eggs, but eggs in carbonara will be fully cooked by the time it reaches your fork...if and only if the dish comes together the second the pasta is drained.

I always use 1 egg yolk for every egg I add. This makes the carbonara perfectly creamy. The argument against using egg whites is that they cook quicker than egg yolks. I prefer it, but you have to maintain control over the heat of the pan.

Those who use cream in their carbonara, and those who don't (and feel very strongly about it). In fact, there's a valid reason why 'no cream carbonara' advocates are so passionate about their stance… because traditional Italian carbonara doesn't actually consist of any cream. Yep, that's right, no cream, whatsoever.

Based on the results, it should be advisable the use of thermo-processed eggs to ensure the safety of this preparation.

Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions. Try this recipe if you want to make an authentic, creamy carbonara that comes straight from Italy, where I live.

The egg and cheese emulsify into a deceptively light and creamy sauce to coat your pasta. Flavor: Adding pancetta to the carbonara recipe gives the dish its sharp, salty taste and cuts through the creaminess. Alternatively, Alfredo sauce is creamier and richer, without the textural and flavor variation of pancetta.

Traditional Carbonara is a pasta sauce that gets its famously smooth, silky texture from the special way eggs (with extra egg yolks added) are cooked in the hot pasta itself. There is also the addition of hard Italian cheeses like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano that add to the smoothness.

Another kind of heavy white sauce is carbonara. The carbonara sauce incorporates eggs beaten with parmesan and tossed with freshly boiled, hot pasta.