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Crispy, golden chicken fillets soak up a carbonara inspired sauce to make this Creamy Parmesan Carbonara Chicken that’s sure to be a total family favorite- just like my classic Creamy Chicken with Herbs.
A traditional carbonara sauce is made with reserved pasta water, eggs and Parmesan cheese, all mixed through cooked/warm pasta to create a creamy sauce. Even though this recipe contains no egg, I’ve tried my best to recreate all of your favourite Carbonara flavors for when the cravings hit!
It’s foolproof, easy to make and perfect to serve with your a Pull Apart Garlic Bread, over rice or even with some vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli or zucchini noodles) if you’re looking for a low-carb version.
Why This Recipe Works
With 10 minutes of prep time and just under 20 minutes of cook time, this chicken carbonara is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or on occasions when you’re hosting and want to make an impression without spending too long in the kitchen.
The recipe is simple yet delicious and the sauce is velvety and creamy with deep savory and smoky flavors.
And if you’re looking to try something slightly less indulgent and low fat, try my Lightened Up Chicken Carbonara recipe.
What Goes into this Recipe
- Chicken breasts: I used large boneless chicken breasts, slit into halves horizontally.
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic and onion, to build that savory, flavorful base.
- Flour: Some all purpose flour, to coat the chicken and make it nice and crispy.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated, for the sauce and chicken.
- Bacon: For that smoky, salty flavor.
- Half and half: For the sauce. You can also use reduced fat cream or evaporated milk if you want to.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.
- Seasonings: Just some salt and pepper.
- Olive oil + butter: To fry the chicken, and for the sauce.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How To Make
- Prep chicken: Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper, and set it aside. Combine Parmesan cheese and flour in a shallow bowl, and dredge the chicken in the mixture, shaking off the excess.
- Sear chicken: Heat oil and butter in a pan or a skillet over medium heat, and sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes on both sides, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Brown bacon: Add bacon to the same pan and fry until crispy. Drain the excess fat, leaving just a bit remaining, and add the onions and garlic.
- Make the sauce: Cook for a minute until soft, then turn down the heat and add the half and half. Bring this to a simmer, season and add Parmesan cheese.
- Thicken sauce: Once the Parmesan has melted, gently pour in the cornstarch slurry, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.
- Finish up and serve: Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce over it. Serve immediately.
You can serve the creamy Parmesan chicken carbonara with spaghetti or fettuccine, or even with zucchini noodles if you want to keep it low carb. I love making my Zucchini Carbonara with this crispy chicken added in!
Don’t forget a nice grilled or roasted veggie side like Cheesy Roasted Green Beans, classic Roasted Cauliflower or some Parmesan Roasted Carrots. I love serving it with my Cheesy Garlic Roasted Asparagus.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- If you can, use Parmesan cheese from the block! Freshly grated cheese always tastes way better than the pre-shredded, packaged variant.
- You can keep it simple or add veggies into the dish if you want to bulk it up. Baby spinach, sweet peas and zucchini are good choices.
- Roasted bell peppers and eggplants also make great additions to the dish. Add them in towards the end, right before you serve.
- Don’t have Parmesan? Pecorino Romano is your next best alternative. It has that nice robust cheesy flavor that works beautifully in this dish.
- You can also experiment with shrimp instead of chicken, and try making Carbonara Shrimp Alfredo with Bacon.
Recipe FAQ’s
Dredging the chicken in flour is optional. To make a LOW CARB version, dredge chicken in Parmesan cheese before searing, leaving out the flour. Alternatively, coat with an almond flour/Parmesan cheese mixture, using the same measurements in the recipe.
To make a low calorie + low carb version, simply sear the chicken without coating. I use half and half to cut calories in creamy sauces. Half and Half is an American product blending equal parts whole milk and light cream. If you don’t have access to half and half, you can make your own with 3/4 cup full fat milk and 3/4 cup reduced fat cream.
Ran out of bacon? Use diced pancetta or prosciutto instead. It may lend a slightly different flavor, but it’ll still taste amazing.
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Creamy Parmesan Carbonara Chicken
Ingredients
For The Chicken:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts large, halved horizontally to make 4 filets
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or plain, heaped
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cracked pepper
For The Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons butter or sub with oil
- 8 ounces bacon trimmed of fat and cut into strips (I use shortcut bacon in Australia)
- 1 onion small, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic large, minced or finely chopped
- 1-1/2 cups half and half or use reduced fat cream or evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated fresh
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch cornflour mixed with 2 teaspoons of water
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and parmesan cheese. Dredge seasoned chicken in the flour mixture; shake off excess and set aside.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large non stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted and pan is hot. Fry the chicken until golden on each side, cooked through and no longer pink (about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer onto a warm plate.
- Add the bacon strips to the pan and fry until crispy. Drain off some excess fat, keeping about 1 teaspoons worth in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until onion is transparent (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low heat, and add the half and half (or cream). Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer; season with a little salt and pepper to your taste. Add in the parmesan cheese, and allow the sauce to simmer until the parmesan cheese has melted slightly. (If the sauce is too runny for your liking, add the cornstarch/water mixture into the centre of the pan and mix through fast to combine into the sauce. It will begin to thicken immediately).
- Add the chicken back into the pan to serve.
- Serve with steamed vegetables (broccoli and/or cauliflower work best), over zucchini noodles, your favourite pasta, or rice.
Notes
For a LOW CALORIE + LOW CARB version, sear the chicken without coating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe was great. The only thing is that I used the wrong parm cheese. I used the fresh stuff at the deli but it was grated “Shavings” rather than grated cheese. It came out a little lumpy/grainy and I think I could’ve done without the cornstarch to thicken it. But, it tasted good. Served over Angel hair pasta.
Once it is ready, can I put it in oven if not ready to eat immediately?
Dear God!! Made this tonight for the family….I followed the recipe exactly as written, no substitutions except I doubled the sauce recipe (prolly more like tripled it!). Served it over fettuccini noodles and Italian bread. All 5 family members proclaimed it a “definite do-over!” I have a recipe notebook that is sacred to my family. A recipe only gets written in the notebook if it’s been tried and given very high marks. I’m telling you right now, this recipe is going into the notebook! Thank you for this little gem. Do yourself a favor and make this dish…..you won’t be disappointed!!
Robin, I too have a book that I write recipes in if they pass our taste test. We always ask “is this redbook worthy?”… Have to try this and see for myself.
my mother made it last night but the sauce was not saucy it came out clumpy and I don’t know if that’s because we ended up using grated Parmesan cheese like the stuff you put on top of spaghetti instead of the actual grated fresh cheese. So I’m hoping next time I do try this I will use the actual cheese from a block or in the tub.
This was amazing. Made with heavy cream to be keto friendly. Will totally make this again and again. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!!! Can’t wait to try more!!!!
Great recipe. Have made it a few times. I make my Homemade Garlic, Basil Fettucine noodles and Homemade Italian Bread with it and it is spectacular. Definitely makes an impression. I have had nothing but compliments every time. And they all still brag to others at gatherings and such about this dish..
That’s awesome to hear! Thank you so much, I’m glad to hear that everyone loves this recipe!
OMG! I can’t say that enough. It was a super easy and delicious recipe. The only thing I would do different is use thinner chicken breast. They were thicker than I expected so it took a bit longer to cook. I’m going to try mashed potatoes the next go round. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Tamika! It’s all trial and error with new recipes! I’m so happy you liked it. This is one of our family favourites and most requested dinners. Hopefully it turns into the same for you!
yes it turned out great thanks again
i just wanted to say i had to use leg quarters for this recipe im hopeing it turns out ok chicken breast are exspenvie i 1ill let u know how it turns out
Yes, please do let me know! Enjoy your chicken! XO
i just wanted to say it tuned out very good
Thank you for a very delicious recipe, i cooked this tonight, i used crumbed chicken as that is what i had. I also added Mushroom to the sauce that was great.. We had your Garlic Butter Smashed Sweet Potato with Parmesan as a side dish and everyone loved it. Thanks for all the Great Recipes.. Cheers
This looks devine!! Have you tried air frying the chicken? Wondering if that would turn out ok instead of pan frying…thanks!