Creamy Chicken Carbonara Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my carbonara not creamy enough? ›

For an extra creamy sauce, it's best to use mostly egg yolks. The egg whites tend to make carbonara watery, but too many egg yolks can make the sauce too custardy. The solution? Five egg yolks and one whole egg.

Usually, 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.

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? The golden rule of cooking carbonara is to never cook the sauce over direct heat once the eggs are added.

Whisk Like You Mean It

You're using more egg yolks than whites here, which is what makes carbonara so rich and luxurious. But there's still two eggs-worth of whites in there. Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture.

1. Adding your eggs while the pasta is still on the heat. This is one of the most common mistakes when making carbonara. It is very easy to end up with pasta a la scrambled eggs instead.

What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.

Seriouseats has written about this in the past, preferring a 3:1 ratio. With so few ingredients, and the eggs receiving such minimal cooking, ultra fresh eggs will give the best flavor. Seek pecorino. The sheepy sharpness of pecorino is what cuts through the egg fat.

Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.

Should carbonara have cream? Typically carbonara sauce is only made of eggs, bacon, parmesan, olive oil, seasoning, and sometimes, vegetables. As for cream, Italians will tell you that is a big no no.

It's higher in fat, which gives a velvety texture and richer flavor to the carbonara. I'd rather not go overboard on the richness, so I'll use whole eggs, and typically I'll add an extra yolk to the pan.

What is the difference between alfredo sauce and carbonara sauce? ›

The difference between alfredo and carbonara is that carbonara contains an egg while alfredo sauce does not. Carbonara is usually thinner in consistency than alfredo sauce, using the egg to coat the noodles instead of relying on the cream.

Now quickly pour in the eggs and cheese. Using the tongs or a long fork, lift up the spaghetti so it mixes easily with the egg mixture, which thickens but doesn't scramble, and everything is coated. Add extra pasta cooking water to keep it saucy (several tablespoons should do it).

Traditional carbonara doesn't have any cream: it's thickened with fresh-grated cheese and raw egg. Any cream sauce can be thickened by simmering it for a while, if you're using actual cream. If you're using milk or sour cream, you'll need a starch stabilizer, like roux, beurre manie, cornstarch, potato starch, etc.

Emulsify your eggs and cheese before adding heat

To avoid the dreaded scramble, the goal is to not let your eggs get too hot too quickly.

If too thick, add pasta water 1 tbsp at a time until the correct consistency is achieved, as the sauce will thicken as it sits. Serve in a warmed plate or bowl and enjoy!

Make sure you're using either the dry pasta pan that's still hot or something pre-heated because the residual heat of the pasta and pasta water will cook the egg but not scramble it. Add a splash more of the hot pasta water if the carbonara is too dry.”