Chicken Carbonara with Peas & Bread Crumbs

By mblandry503

Ingredients

• COOK:
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 ⁄2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. minced lemon zest
• Salt to taste
• 1 ⁄2 lb. thick-sliced bacon, diced
• SAUTÉ:
• 1 lb. chicken tenders, seasoned with salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• DEGLAZE:
• 1 ⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• COOK:
• 3 ⁄4 lb. dry spaghetti
• WHISK:
• 3 eggs
• 1 ⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 ⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Preparation

Step 1

Toast crumbs and walnuts in oil in a nonstick skillet until golden, 3–4 minutes. Toss mixture with parsley and zest; season with salt and set it aside.

Cook bacon in a large sauté pan until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Drain all but 1 Tbsp. of drippings from pan.

Sauté chicken in two batches in the drippings over medium-high heat until browned, 3 minutes per side. Return all chicken to pan and add garlic; cook for 1 minute.

Deglaze the pan with wine and lemon juice. Reduce until liquid is nearly evaporated, 3–4 minutes.

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain, reserving some of the pasta water.

Whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and cream in a large bowl. Stir in frozen peas. Add cooked chicken, reserved bacon, and spaghetti. Toss mixture to coat all ingredients. Add reserved pasta water as needed to thin sauce. Sprinkle carbonara with bread crumb topping before serving

Using Raw Eggs

If you’re squeamish about raw eggs in pasta sauce, like that in the Chicken Carbonara, here’s the scoop: It’s important that you add the drained pasta to the egg mixture while it’s still hot. The heat from the pasta will cook the raw eggs. You can also use pasteurized eggs they’ve been heated just below the “scrambling point,” killing any salmonella that may have been present. Use ½ cup Egg Beaters brand for the two eggs used in the Carbonara recipe.