Thursdays Are For Cooking!
Chicken & Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients:
1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup whipping (heavy) cream
Preparation:
Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.
While spaghetti is cooking, cook bacon in 3-quart saucepan over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon from saucepan with slotted spoon; drain. Drain fat from saucepan, reserving 1 tablespoon in saucepan.
Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, cheese and whipping cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Toss with bacon.
Note: pasta carbonara is usually made with beaten eggs and sometimes includes cream, and pancetta is used instead of bacon. Pancetta is cured like bacon but much leaner, and has a slightly different flavor. The use of the term “carbonara” is related to the use of coarse-ground black pepper in this dish.
This will take about 20 minutes to fix, making it a nice, hearty but not over-done dish for the evening meal.
Add a salad and some fresh, thick-sliced bread on the side, and a plateful of cut veggies like tomatoes, radishes and zucchini strips, and a nice dessert.
Category: Economy
Not enough bacon. There is never enough bacon.
I used to cook this dish frequently. It was one of the few things my father-in-law and I agreed on. It is also probably why I am on statins now.
I never use less than half a pound of bacon in a pasta carbonara dish. It’s the whole point to fixing it.
Do you use Pancetta or regular bacon?
After the vegs are done, de-glaze the pan with a splash of white vino, scraping up all the tasty bits. Then add pasta, etc.
Thanks, Ex!
As always Ex, your food always makes me drool!
I can’t wait to try this out??
Take care,
Willy
Last night, I came home from work and discovered that I needed to get my pup to the vet. When I got home, it was after 1900 and I was out of leftovers.
I defrosted a 2 lb package of chicken tenders, seasoned them with S&P, and browned them in olive oil in a 12″ skillet. I took them out and put half an onion, chopped, and two tsp minced garlic in the skillet. When they were soft, I added a can of mushroom pieces and a can of small artichoke hearts, halved. I sprinkled that with 2 tsp Herbes de Provence, waited a minute, and added two cans of seasoned diced tomatoes. While that heated, I cooked 8oz of wide noodles. When they were done, I drained them and mixed them in with the tomato mixture. Then I returned the chicken to the skillet to warm back up. It was good. Not bad for something done on the fly. Also, I’ve got leftovers through the weekend.
Whoops, meant to be a new post!
New post? Not necessary!
Quick meals are sometimes better than something that takes hours to fix.
You forgot the can of pitted black olives.
Improvise, adapt, overcome- a good home chef can come up with a meal on the fly using what’s in the cupboard and freezer. Well done, SD.
Got some Kalamatas in the fridge. They get added tonight.
Studies have shown that eating 2 strips of bacon at breakfast everyday reduces your chance of becoming a suicide bomber by 100%.
Ha! I heard the same about drinking 2 beers a day.
^WORD^
Molto delizioso!!
Yep! You had my attention when the list of ingredients listed bacon. ‘Cause we all know that on the 8th day God created bacon! EVERYTHING goes better with bacon…including bacon.
Not sure if this is deja vu all over again or Clair being voiant, but seems like I’ve used the recipe from an way yonder earlier post. Maybe back in the fall? Or possibly when there was a separate tabby thingy for recipes on the TAH header bar. I do remember making it cause I had some orphan chicken left over from a crocked pot full that I had made for some chicken and dumplins. Vaguely remember scratching my watch and winding my butt trying to figure the 1 pak/ 7 oz of pasta. I usually buy the 16 -32 oz Mueller’s pasta at the K Roger. Finally dug around and got my old school counterbalance scale that measured in grams and converted it to oz. Since then I’ve bought me a coupla digital kitchen scales. Having those impressed some of the Ladies.
Had to google foo the pancetta. Had forgotten pancetta is eye talian for bacon. K Roger doesn’t carry it, but I think Publix does. Gonna check with them just to try that whole “different” flavor. Same for the eye talian ham.
Tanks Ex! Gone do this one again very soon. Got me a deal on chicken thighs yesterday, and as everyone knows, I keep plenty of bacon in stock.
Bacon, butter and biscuit flour are essential ingredients for anyone who wishes to create awesome food.
Butter is great because it’s Butter than nothing.
Ex, if you want a slightly different flavor/aroma for this dish, add some freshly chopped cilantro. It blends nicely with the other ingredients in your recipe. I might also throw in some finely chopped red and green bell pepper.
But then, I’m a “kitchen sink” kind of cook–if it seems like it will enhance the flavor of a dish, I just toss in a handful. Since I’ve been cooking this way for so long, I have a pretty good idea what will work for Miz Poe and me and what won’t. We’re West Texans so we tend to like robust flavors.
Just as with my writing and my thinking, subtle ain’t my style.
“…subtle ain’t my style.”
No shit. Just ask his TAH editor.
NBL, buddy.*grin*
Carbonara without peas? Inconceivable!
How about ham and peas in a serious cream sauce on a bed of pasta?