Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara

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This Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara is creamy and cheesy, with lots of juicy chicken, tender shrimp, and smoky bacon. This Olive Garden copycat recipe is delicious!

If you love carbonara, try this classic spaghetti carbonara with some Focaccia Bread.

Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara on a white plate with a fork nearby

Table Of Contents

Recipe Details
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
Add-ins and Substitutions
How to Make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
Recipe Tips
FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Make This Recipe in Advance
More Yummy Pasta Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions

Recipe Details

This Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara is not the “authentic” way of making carbonara, but it’s still seriously delish. This is a copycat recipe of how Olive Garden makes it, so if you love eating it there, now you can enjoy it at home, too.

TASTE: Savory chicken and bacon are tossed with shrimp and pasta in a cheesy, rich sauce that has plenty of garlic, onion, and pepper.
TEXTURE: The egg yolks and heavy cream give the sauce a smooth, creamy texture with bits of crisp bacon. And the meats are cooked to tender perfection.
TIME: This Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara recipe takes just 45 minutes.
EASE: Carbonara takes some work, but it’s well worth it. I’ll walk you through how to plate up perfect Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara every time with step-by-step photos and instructions.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: spaghetti, chicken, shrimp, parmesan, bell pepper, salt, pepper, egg yolks, garlic, heavy cream, onion, and bacon.

Ingredient Notes

Chicken- Boneless and skinless chicken breast cutlets are best for this recipe. They are thin enough to cook quickly while still remaining juicy, and they add great savory flavor.
Shrimp- Look for large shrimp that are deveined and peeled, with the tails off. This will save you a lot of time doing it yourself. If you’re using frozen shrimp, thaw them beforehand.
Bacon- This ingredient adds wonderful salty, smoky flavor that’s a cornerstone of carbonara.
Egg yolks- The egg yolks will make the sauce creamy and silky. These are a foundation for this recipe.
Pasta- Carbonara is typically made with long noodles. I used spaghetti, but you could use linguine, fettucine, or bucatini pasta instead.

Add-ins and Substitutions

Substitute breaded chicken- Try this Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara with breaded chicken tenders for some added crunch.
Skip the cream- You can make this with a couple of eggs and skip the heavy cream to make it more traditional. The eggs will give the sauce creaminess in its place.
Add other vegetables- You can add veggies like diced portobello mushrooms, brussels sprouts, or asparagus.
Substitute the bacon- You can make this with pancetta or guanciale, or for a lighter version, you can use turkey bacon (though this will have little fat to render).

How to Make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara

Cook the bacon. Chop the bacon and place it into a large cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir the bacon pieces around until crispy, Remove the bacon and set it aside.

Pro Tip: When you cook the bacon, start with a cold skillet because this will help render the fat better.

Steps to make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: cooking the bacon in a skillet.

Cook the chicken. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides. Then cook them in the bacon fat over medium-high heat. Once they’re fully cooked, remove and cover with foil. Let them cool, then chop them into cubes or slices.
Cook the shrimp. Again in the same skillet, cook the shrimp, adding olive oil as needed. Once they’re cooked, remove and set them aside.

Steps to make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: cooking the chicken and shrimp in a skillet.

Saute the vegetables. Next, cook the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper.

Steps to make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: sauteing the onion, pepper, and garlic in the skillet, mixing with a wooden spoon.

Cook the pasta. Now cook the spaghetti in a pot of salted boiling water. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.
Combine the sauce ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, and pasta water. Then pour it into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the bacon, chicken, and shrimp back in.

Steps to make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: making the carbonara sauce in a saucepan while the pasta cooks and water is reserved, then combining the sauce with the veggies and chicken and shrimp.

Serve. Now add the pasta, stir, and serve hot with a garnish of chopped parsley.

Steps to make Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: adding the spaghetti to the carbonara and mixing.

Recipe Tips

Use the same skillet throughout- Not only is this saving dishes, but it adds tons of flavor. The residue from the bacon, chicken, and shrimp will infuse the vegetables and sauce.
Wrap the chicken in foil after cooking- This will keep the chicken from getting cold and hard because it traps moisture inside. Letting it rest will also help the juices reabsorb into the meat before cutting.
Reserve pasta water for the sauce- The starch in the pasta water helps thicken the sauce along with the egg. Also, do not rinse the pasta because this same starch helps the sauce stick to the noodles.
Combine the sauce before heating it- By combining the sauce ingredients, including the pasta water and egg yolks, you will make it harder for the eggs to scramble while simmering.

FAQs

What does adding egg to carbonara do?

Eggs are a big part of carbonara sauce. The whites thicken the sauce when they combine with the starchy pasta water, and the yolks emulsify with the fats in the bacon (and cream) to create a silky smooth sauce.

Does cream go in carbonara?

In the classic version of carbonara, there is only eggs, pork, cheese, and pepper. But in this Olive Garden copycat version of Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, there is heavy cream. So it depends on the recipe and type of sauce you want to create.

Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara in a white bowl with parsley nearby

Serving Suggestions

This Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara makes an amazing dinner and you can serve it with so many other dishes. Here are some ideas.

Appetizers: Start the meal with these Eggplant Roll-ups, Caprese Salad, Antipasto Salad, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, or Mushroom Puff Pastry Pinwheels.
Breads: Pair your Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara with warm Focaccia Bread, toasted Rustic Bread, Garlic Cheese Bread, or Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks.
Vegetables: Serve it alongside some Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, Roasted Air Fryer Vegetables, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.
Desserts: End your meal with a tasty Italian dessert, like this Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO), Zeppoles (Italian Donuts), Amaretti Cookies (VIDEO), and Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: You can prep this dish ahead of time by cooking the bacon, chicken, and shrimp, then storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the rest. But you might want to set aside some bacon fat for the sauce, as well as warm the proteins up before adding them to the sauce and pasta.

Storing: You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat it on the stove, adding some heavy cream when necessary to reincorporate the sauce.

Freeze: I wouldn’t advise freezing this carbonara because the sauce will not thaw to the right consistency because of the eggs and heavy cream. So try to only make what can be eaten in a few days.

More Yummy Pasta Dishes!

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Dina

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!