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Loaded Carbonara

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on June 13, 2013

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Loaded Carbonara

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)Salt and pepper 6 slices bacon, chopped3 large eggs 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated3 garlic cloves, minced½ cup white wine 1 pound spaghetti 2 cups frozen peas

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons fat.
  2. Cook chicken in 1 tablespoon fat in now-empty skillet until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice thin crosswise and reserve.
  3. Whisk eggs and cheese in medium bowl. Heat remaining fat in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk wine mixture into egg mixture.
  4. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1⁄2 cup cooking water. Place peas in colander, drain pasta, and transfer pasta and peas to pot. Stir in chicken, egg-wine mixture, and bacon, adding reserved water as needed. Serve.
Loaded Carbonara

Loaded Carbonara

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
Salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups frozen peas

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
Salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups frozen peas

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
Salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups frozen peas

Why This Recipe Works

Browning the chicken breasts in bacon fat built a strong backbone of flavor for our Loaded Carbonara recipe. We had trouble chopping the bacon at first, but hardening it briefly in the freezer made it easier to work with. We tested a number of pasta varieties and found that any long-strand pasta worked equally well.

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons fat.
  2. Cook chicken in 1 tablespoon fat in now-empty skillet until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice thin crosswise and reserve.
  3. Whisk eggs and cheese in medium bowl. Heat remaining fat in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk wine mixture into egg mixture.
  4. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1⁄2 cup cooking water. Place peas in colander, drain pasta, and transfer pasta and peas to pot. Stir in chicken, egg-wine mixture, and bacon, adding reserved water as needed. Serve.

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