Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara

This Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara is the best copycat Olive Garden recipe ever! It's perfectly creamy, cheesy, and delicious.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 739kcal

Author Dina

Chop 8 slices of bacon and place them into a large cold skillet. Now turn the heat to medium-high and stir the bacon pieces around until crispy to your liking. Then remove and save for later. Tip: having the skillet cold, will help render that fat better.
Season 1 lb. of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides. Then cook the chicken in the bacon fat over medium-high heat. Once they’re fully cooked, remove and cover with foil. Then chop into cubes once it’s cooled.
Now in the same skillet, cook 1 lb. of large shrimp (peeled and deveined). Add olive oil as needed. Once they’re cooked, remove and set them aside.
Next, cook 1/2 diced onion, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 1 sliced red bell pepper.
Now cook lb. spaghetti pasta in a pot of boiling salted water. Make sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan 4 egg yolks, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 cup pasta water.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Then turn off the heat and add back the bacon, chicken, shrimp, and pasta. Serve hot.

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.