Chicken Carbonara

Did you guys know that the Pixar’s headquarters is in Emeryville? That’s literally a ten minute drive from my apartment. I found this out the first month that I moved up here and became a giddy child. As if you don’t already know, I adore Pixar. I watched this documentary on their building a while ago with my jaw on the floor the entire time because I was in awe of the amenities provided in their work space. They have secret passageways that lead to bars/little lounge areas! Just a quick google of “pixar building” and you can see what I mean.

Ever since then, I’ve been trying to see if there’s any way I would be able to tour it. It’s pretty exclusive, so unless you work there or know someone that does, there’s not really a chance of you being able to get in there (like Disney’s Club 33). So I did what any normal person would do: I looked to see if they had any job openings. Unfortunately for me, they were not in search of a baker, just plain ol’ graphic designers. What a bummer.

Until then, I’ll be filling the void in my life with precious carbs. This dish will do the trick to zap you out of your sorrows. I’ve never made anything with pasta besides using pre-made sauce, so this dish was a step up for me. Little did I know it would be so easy! Making a cream based pasta is not as hard as it looks. The next time you’re reaching for that jar of Prego, give yourself 15 more minutes to make this dish instead. I promise you won’t regret it!

From Return of the Yummy

Chicken Carbonara
Click here for a printable recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 8oz dried spaghetti (I used fettuccine)
• 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
• 2 slices of strip bacon, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup regular or heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• pinch of black pepper
• salt to taste

Method

1. Cook pasta in boiling water with a bit of salt as per directions on package. Let it cook until just before al dente — it will continue cooking a little more in the sauce, so you don’t want to overcook or it’ll become too soft.
2. In a pan, cook the chopped bacon. When almost crisp, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and save for later.
3. Whisk together the egg yolks. Stir in the whipping cream, milk, and cheese.
4. Just when the pasta is almost before al dente, put the bacon and garlic back on low heat and add in the chicken.
5. Using tongs, carefully add the cooked pasta over the chicken (without straining). The pasta water that comes over will help thicken the sauce because of the starch.
6. Take the cream mixture and pour on top of the pasta. Gently toss everything together, until the sauce has thickened. Add black pepper. Do NOT heat so high that the sauce boils; this will cause the sauce to separate.
7. Taste it, add more salt if necessary.