Chicken Carbonara (The Best Authentic OR Creamy Recipe!)

Let’s settle the great carbonara debate, shall we?

For years, a culinary war has been waged over this iconic dish. In one corner, you have the Italian purists who insist (quite loudly, and for good reason!) that authentic carbonara never contains cream. It gets its silken magic from a glossy emulsion of egg yolk, Pecorino Romano cheese, and starchy pasta water. In the other corner, you have millions of people who—like my own family!—adore the rich, luscious, cream-based version they’ve fallen in love with at restaurants like Olive Garden.

Who’s right?

After 30 years of making this dish, I’m here to tell you: they both are. And I’m going to show you how to master both. And I’ll let you in on a secret: both paths are surprisingly simple, and I’ll make sure you nail them on the first try. But we’re going to do it with a twist that, frankly, makes it better. We’re building all that deep, savory flavor without any bacon or pancetta.

That’s right. The secret to a spectacular, deeply flavorful chicken carbonara isn’t about the pork. That’s right. The secret to a spectacular, deeply flavorful chicken carbonara isn’t about the pork—it’s all about technique. Instead of bacon, our flavor is forged by creating a beautiful golden-brown sear on the chicken to build a rich pan sauce. That foundation is then amplified by using high-quality cheese and a little kitchen chemistry to create a sauce so good, you’ll never miss the bacon. I promise.

Whether you’re craving authentic simplicity or decadent creaminess, this is the only guide you’ll ever need.

Why This Recipe Works

• Two Foolproof Methods in One: You get two expertly tested recipes in a single post—an authentic, silky Italian carbonara (no cream!) and a luxuriously creamy restaurant-style version. You choose your own adventure.
• Spectacular Flavor, No Pork Needed: We ditch the bacon and instead build a deeper, more complex flavor by perfectly searing the chicken to create a rich fond (that’s the fancy name for the delicious brown bits) in the pan. It’s a technique that makes this dish unforgettable.
• No More Scrambled Eggs. Ever. The biggest fear with carbonara is accidentally scrambling your eggs. I’ll walk you through my simple, can’t-fail technique for combining the eggs and hot pasta to create a velvety, glossy sauce—never a grainy scramble. It’s a guarantee.

The Best Ingredients for Chicken Carbonara

The magic of a truly great carbonara is its simplicity. With just a few high-quality ingredients, you can create something spectacular. Because we’re not using pork, the quality of our chicken and, most importantly, our cheeses, is what will make this dish sing.

The Authentic Italian Way (No Cream)

• 1 pound (450 g) spaghetti
• 1 pound (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin, bite-sized cutlets
• 3 large egg yolks plus 1 whole large egg
• ¾ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter: I strongly prefer using unsalted butter for this recipe. It contributes to a richer, more velvety pan sauce that complements the sharp cheeses perfectly and helps create that golden-brown crust on the chicken.
• Kosher salt, for the pasta water and to season the chicken
• 1 cup reserved starchy pasta water: This is liquid gold! It’s the key to creating a creamy sauce without any cream. We’ll start with about half of this.

The Creamy Restaurant-Style Way

For this richer version, you will use all the ingredients for the Authentic Method, plus:

• ½ cup heavy cream

Our Star Ingredients: The Cheeses for Carbonara

When you’re making carbonara without cured pork, the cheese has to do the heavy lifting for that signature savory, salty flavor. Using the right combination is the secret.

• Pecorino Romano: This is the soul of authentic carbonara. It’s a hard, salty cheese made from sheep’s milk, and it packs a powerful, tangy punch. It’s sharp and unapologetically bold. In our recipe, it provides that essential, zesty flavor that brightens up the whole dish.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano: This is the undisputed king of Italian cheeses. Made from cow’s milk and aged longer than Pecorino, it has a deeper, nuttier, more complex flavor with those amazing little salt crystals. While Pecorino brings the punch, Parmesan brings the depth. Using both is my professional secret; you get that sharp, traditional tang from the Pecorino, balanced perfectly by the rich, savory notes of the Parmesan. It’s this one-two combo that builds a flavor so complete, you’ll never notice the bacon is gone.

Smart Substitutions

Ingredient	Best Substitute & How to Use It
Chicken Breast	Boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They’ll add even more flavor, just add an extra minute or two to the cook time.
Spaghetti	Bucatini (my personal favorite!), Fettuccine, or Linguine. Any long pasta that loves a clinging sauce will work beautifully.
Pecorino Romano	Use an equal amount of additional Parmigiano-Reggiano. The final sauce will be a bit nuttier and less tangy, but still delicious.

Essential Equipment for a Flawless Carbonara

Good news. You don’t need any wild, professional-grade gadgets to pull this off. This is a simple dish at heart. But having the right tools for the job makes the key steps—like building our flavor base and creating that scramble-free egg sauce—completely foolproof. Think of these as your insurance policy for deliciousness.

A Large, Heavy-Bottomed Skillet (12-inch is perfect):

This is the single most important tool for this recipe. To get that gorgeous, flavor-packed golden sear on the chicken, you need space. If you crowd the pan, the chicken will steam, and you’ll lose the entire flavor base we’re working so hard to build without the pork. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s the foundation of our flavor. My go-to is a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet for an unbeatable crust, but any heavy stainless steel pan will work beautifully.

A Large, Heatproof Mixing Bowl:

This is your command center for creating that beautiful, velvety sauce. You need a big bowl—bigger than you think!—to give you plenty of room to whisk the eggs and cheese into a paste and, later, to toss the hot pasta vigorously. This is a critical part of my no-scramble method: the large surface area allows you to combine the pasta and egg mixture quickly, creating that silky sauce before the residual heat can concentrate and overcook the eggs. Using a glass, ceramic, or metal bowl is key, as it won’t react to the heat when you temper the eggs with the hot pasta water.

A Large Pot for Pasta:

This isn’t just for cooking your spaghetti; it’s for manufacturing one of our key ingredients: starchy pasta water. A big pot allows the pasta to swim freely in lots of boiling, well-salted water. This not only cooks the pasta perfectly but also releases all that glorious starch into the water, which is what we’ll use to turn our egg-and-cheese mixture into a glossy, creamy sauce.

A whisk and a good pair of tongs:

A whisk is non-negotiable for whipping the eggs, cheese, and black pepper into a smooth, emulsified paste. It’s the only way to get a lump-free start. And a sturdy pair of tongs is the absolute best tool for grabbing the cooked spaghetti from the pot and for lifting, tossing, and coating every single strand in that golden sauce. They give you the control you just can’t get with a spoon.

Expert Answers to Your Carbonara Questions

After making this dish for 30 years, I’ve seen it all. These are the three questions I get asked the most, and my answers are your guarantee for a perfect result the very first time.

Help! My Carbonara Sauce Always Scrambles. How Do I Stop It?

This is the number one fear, but the fix is a simple, two-part technique that makes failure almost impossible.

First, you are going to get the eggs ready by tempering them in a separate bowl. Whisk your egg yolks, whole egg, cheeses, and black pepper into a thick paste in your large, heatproof bowl. Just before the pasta is cooked, ladle in about a half-cup of that boiling, starchy pasta water while constantly whisking. This gently raises the egg temperature, stabilizing them so they can’t scramble.

Second, you are going to create the final sauce entirely off the heat. This is the golden rule. After you’ve cooked your chicken and garlic in the skillet, you MUST turn the burner off. The skillet and the pasta itself will have plenty of residual heat to cook the sauce perfectly. Just add the drained, hot pasta to the skillet, pour in your pre-tempered egg mixture, and toss everything vigorously. By controlling the heat, you eliminate the risk and guarantee a silky sauce. While our method is designed for a perfectly safe and delicious result, it’s always wise to follow the FDA’s official egg safety guidelines when preparing any dish with gently cooked eggs.

How Can I Get Deep Flavor Without Bacon?

Since we aren’t using bacon or pancetta, our deep, savory flavor has to come from somewhere else. It comes from the pan. More specifically, it comes from the rich, golden-brown crust we’re going to build on the chicken. In cooking, this is called a fond, and it is pure flavor.

To get it, you must give the chicken room. Heat your large skillet, add the butter, and lay the thin chicken cutlets in a single layer. Don’t touch them. Let them sizzle and sear until they are deeply golden-brown on the first side. This is where patience pays off. Once you flip it, that beautiful brown stuff left in the pan is the savory foundation of our entire sauce. Later, when you sauté the garlic and then toss the pasta in, you will scrape up every last bit of that fond, infusing the entire dish with a rich, roasted flavor bacon could only dream of.

My Sauce Is Too Thick or Too Thin! How Do I Fix It?

This is where your reserved starchy pasta water becomes your secret weapon. It gives you complete control over the final texture of your sauce. Never, ever just dump it all down the drain!

• If your sauce seems too thick, tight, or clumpy: That’s an easy fix! While tossing the pasta in the skillet (off the heat, remember!), just add another splash of the reserved pasta water. The starches in the water will help loosen the sauce. Keep tossing and adding a little water at a time until it glides and coats the pasta in a perfectly glossy sheen.
• If your sauce seems too thin or watery: Don’t panic! This just means the emulsion needs another minute to come together. Simply keep tossing the pasta and sauce together vigorously for another 30-60 seconds off the heat. The starches from the pasta and the water will continue to thicken, and the constant motion will create that beautiful, clinging sauce you’re looking for.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Get your ingredients measured and your equipment ready. We’re going to move with purpose here, but don’t worry, every step is designed for a flawless result. Read through the instructions for your chosen path once before you start. Let’s cook!

Path 1: The Authentic Italian Way (No Cream)

This method is all about capturing the heat from the pasta and its water to create a sauce that’s shockingly silky and pure.

Prep Your Station:

Get a large pot of water on the boil. While it heats up, grab your large, heatproof bowl. Add the 3 egg yolks, the 1 whole egg, both grated cheeses (Pecorino and Parmesan), and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Whisk it all together until it forms a thick, uniform paste. Set it aside.

Sear the Chicken Perfectly:

Season your thin chicken cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the butter to your large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, carefully lay the chicken in the skillet in a single layer. Do not crowd the pan! Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, without moving it, until it’s a deep golden-brown. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving all those amazing brown bits (our fond!) in the skillet.

Cook the Pasta:

Salt your boiling water generously—it should taste like the sea! Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente (firm to the bite). This is important! The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce. Before you drain it, reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.

Wake Up the Skillet:

About two minutes before the pasta is done, turn the heat on your skillet down to low. Add the minced garlic and sauté for just 30-60 seconds, stirring constantly until the whole kitchen smells amazing. You are just waking the garlic up in that flavorful chicken fond, not browning it. Now, turn the heat completely off.

The Magic Moment (Temper & Toss):

This is where it all comes together. Ladle about a half-cup of the hot, starchy pasta water into your egg-and-cheese paste while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Now, use tongs to immediately transfer the hot pasta from the pot right into the skillet with the garlic. Add the seared chicken back in. Pour the tempered egg sauce all over the pasta.

Create the Sauce:

Toss everything together vigorously and continuously for about 1-2 minutes. The residual heat from the pasta and the pan will melt the cheese and cook the eggs into a glorious, creamy sauce that clings to every strand. If it looks too thick, add a splash of your reserved pasta water until it reaches a perfect, glossy consistency. Serve immediately in warm bowls, with another crack of black pepper and more grated cheese on top.

Path 2: The Creamy Restaurant-Style Way

This version uses heavy cream for an extra layer of richness and an even more foolproof, velvety sauce.

1. Create the Richer Sauce Base: While your pasta water comes to a boil, whisk together the 3 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, both cheeses, a generous amount of black pepper, AND the ½ cup of heavy cream in your large, heatproof bowl. You’re aiming for a smooth, pale yellow, liquid sauce.
2. Follow the Core Technique: Follow steps 2, 3, and 4 from the Authentic Path above. This means you will still sear the chicken to create a fond, cook your pasta al dente (reserving the water!), and wake up the garlic in the skillet before turning the heat completely off.
3. Bringing It All Together (The Easy Way): Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet. Now add the hot, drained pasta. Pour the creamy egg mixture directly over the top. The cream in this recipe acts as a fantastic stabilizer, making the sauce far less likely to curdle. Toss everything vigorously with your tongs for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick, luscious, and clinging to the chicken and pasta. Use a splash of reserved pasta water only if needed to achieve that perfect glossy finish. Serve immediately.

What to Serve With This Dish

Once you’ve mastered the original recipe (which you will!), it’s incredibly fun to play with. This isn’t about just randomly throwing things in; it’s about adding ingredients that complement the rich sauce and perfectly seared chicken. These are three of my favorite tested, foolproof twists.

Bright & Lemony Chicken Carbonara

This is my go-to when I want to cut through the richness of the carbonara and add a vibrant, fresh finish. It feels sophisticated and bright.

• How to Do It Perfectly: When you are making your egg and cheese mixture in the large bowl (Step 1 of the Authentic Path), simply add the zest of one large lemon. Whisk it in with the cheese and black pepper. The oils from the zest will perfume the entire sauce. That’s it!
• Why It Works: Carbonara is beautifully rich and savory. The sharp, aromatic acidity from the lemon zest cuts directly through that fat and richness, cleansing the palate and making the entire dish taste lighter and more dynamic. It’s a simple trick that adds a layer of brightness without altering the core technique.

Rich & Earthy Mushroom Carbonara

For a version that doubles down on deep, savory flavors, adding perfectly browned mushrooms is the answer. This creates an incredibly satisfying, umami-rich dish.

• How to Do It Perfectly: After you sear your chicken and remove it from the skillet (Step 2 of the main recipe), add 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms to the hot pan. You may need another pat of butter. Sauté the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, letting them get deeply browned and caramelized. Then, proceed with the recipe as written, adding your garlic to the pan with the mushrooms before turning off the heat.
• Why It Works: This is how we build even more flavor without pork. Searing the mushrooms hard creates its own delicious fond in the pan, building another layer of deep, savory, umami flavor. This technique infuses the final dish with a complex, meaty character that makes it feel even more robust and satisfying.

The Ultimate Surf & Turf (Adding Shrimp)

This feels incredibly fancy and indulgent, turning a weeknight staple into a meal that’s worthy of a special occasion. It’s a classic restaurant-style upgrade for a reason.

• How to Do It Perfectly: You’ll need a half-pound of large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. Pat them completely dry. After you sear your chicken and remove it from the skillet, add the shrimp to the hot pan in a single layer. Cook for just 60-90 seconds per side until they are pink and opaque—don’t overcook them! Transfer them to the plate with the chicken. Add both the chicken and the shrimp back into the pan during the final toss (Step 5).
• Why It Works: The natural sweetness of the shrimp provides a perfect counterpoint to the salty, savory notes of the cheese and chicken. The contrast makes both the “surf” and the “turf” elements stand out more, creating a truly decadent, special-occasion meal that feels impressively luxurious.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions I get asked all the time about this recipe. I’m here to give you the clear, simple answers so you can cook with complete confidence.

Will this still taste like carbonara without bacon or pancetta?

This is a fantastic question. The honest answer is that it won’t taste exactly like a pork-based carbonara—it will taste different, and in my opinion, just as delicious with a cleaner, more refined flavor. Traditional carbonara gets its signature taste from cured pork. Our version builds its own spectacular flavor from a different source: superior technique. By searing the chicken to create a deep golden crust, we build a rich, roasted fond (those amazing brown bits) in the bottom of the pan. That becomes the savory soul of our sauce, which is then amplified by the sharp, nutty duo of Pecorino and Parmesan cheese and plenty of sharp black pepper. You don’t get a smoky flavor; you get a pure, rich, chicken-and-cheese flavor that is absolutely incredible on its own merits.

Why did my eggs scramble, and how can I fix it?

It’s the most common carbonara catastrophe, and it always comes down to one thing: too much direct heat. Unfortunately, once the eggs have scrambled, there’s no real way to fix the texture. But I can guarantee it will never happen to you again if you follow my two-part prevention method:

1. Temper the eggs in a separate bowl FIRST. By whisking a little of the hot, starchy pasta water into your egg-and-cheese mixture, you gently raise its temperature before it ever sees the pan.
2. Toss everything together OFF THE HEAT. The residual heat in the pan and the hot pasta is more than enough to cook the sauce to a perfectly safe and creamy consistency. If you combine everything over an active burner, you’re making scrambled eggs. Turn the stove off, and you’re making carbonara.

Is it authentic to use cream in carbonara?

No, a truly authentic Italian carbonara, originating from the Lazio region of Italy, never, ever contains cream. Its famous creaminess comes solely from the emulsification of egg yolks, Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh black pepper, the rendered fat from guanciale (cured pork jowl), and starchy pasta water. However, the creamy, restaurant-style version became popular worldwide because it’s extra rich, decadent, and more stable in a busy kitchen. I believe there’s room for both! This recipe honors both traditions by teaching you to do each one perfectly.

What’s the best cheese for carbonara?

The traditional cheese is 100% Pecorino Romano—a sharp, salty, sheep’s-milk cheese. For this pork-free version, however, I am convinced that a 50/50 blend of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano is far superior. The Pecorino brings that classic sharp, tangy bite, while the Parmigiano adds a deeper, nuttier, more complex savory flavor. Using both gives you a sauce with incredible depth that makes you never miss the pork. The most important tip, regardless of your choice, is to buy it in a wedge and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking starches that will result in a grainy sauce every time.

I’d Love to Hear From You!

I am so thrilled you’re making this recipe! A great pasta dish is more than just food; it’s about creating memories and enjoying a moment of pure comfort. I’d love to know how your chicken carbonara turned out! Did you try the Authentic or the Creamy version?

Please leave a star rating and a comment below—it’s not only the best way to say thanks, but it also helps other home cooks find and trust this recipe.

Your Next Pasta Adventure

Now that you’ve mastered this iconic dish, let me point you toward your next delicious project.

If you loved the rich, indulgent sauce in the creamy version of this recipe, your next stop has to be my Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta for a bright and zesty twist.

And if cracking the code on restaurant classics is your thing, you’ll be obsessed with my foolproof copycat of the Four Cheese Pasta from Cheesecake Factory.

For even more ideas, explore our full collection of Crave-Worthy Chicken Pasta recipes!

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About Kate Thompson

Kate Thompson created Kitchenslovers.com to simplify dinner for real-life families. She develops easy, flavor-packed chicken pasta recipes tested dozens of times to guarantee results. Her motto: ‘Easy Pasta, Every Time.’

The Science of Silky Carbonara: Understanding the Emulsion

Have you ever wondered why the carbonara method actually works? It’s not magic, it’s food science. And understanding it is the key to mastering the dish forever. The beautiful, glossy sauce on an authentic carbonara is a classic emulsion—the skillful blending of fat and water, two things that famously don’t like to mix.

Here are the key players and the roles they perform in our specific pork-free version:

The Fat:

In our recipe, the fat comes from the unsalted butter we used to sear the chicken. As we cooked, tiny microscopic droplets of this fat rendered out and mixed with the delicious chicken fond in the pan. When you add the hot pasta, these fats coat every single strand, which is the first step.

The Emulsifier:

This is the job of the egg yolks. Yolks are a powerhouse of lecithin, a special protein that acts as a connector. One end of the lecithin molecule loves to grab onto fat, and the other end loves to grab onto water. By whisking them into our cheese paste, we’re getting them ready for action.

The Water & Starch:

This is your hot, starchy pasta water. It does two jobs. First, its heat is just enough to gently cook the eggs without scrambling them. Second, and more importantly, it’s full of starch molecules. These starch particles act as stabilizers, swarming around the droplets of fat and helping suspend them evenly throughout the water. This prevents the sauce from breaking and gives it that beautiful body and clinging texture.

When you add the tempered egg mixture to the hot pasta in the skillet (off the heat!) and begin tossing vigorously, you’re creating the final reaction. The energy from tossing breaks the fat into even smaller droplets while the lecithin in the egg yolks grabs onto both the fat and the water. The starch from the pasta water swoops in to stabilize the entire structure. The result? A perfectly stable, silky, creamy sauce that’s bound together on a microscopic level.

It’s not just a recipe—it’s a delicious science experiment you get to eat.

This recipe was last tested and updated in July 2025 to ensure perfect results.