Wow! It’s been awhile, huh? With all the cooking then eating then cleaning up – I’ve neglected hooking you guys up with recipes. This one for Chicken Carbonara is simple and it’s one of my all time favorite comfort foods, so you know it tastes scrumptioulescent. You now have permission to add ’scrumptioulescent’ to your vocabulary. And the garlic bread? You are going to want to make it every night of the week and then schedule an angioplasty.
*TT – to taste ie: how you like it

Chicken Carbonara & Garlic Bread
serves: 4 (easily)
prep: 25 minutes
cook: 35-45 minutes

For the Carbonara:
1.5 – 2 pounds chicken breast
1/2 pound bacon (obviously more is better! and use pancetta if you can)
1 pint heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (with cheese, more is always better)
salt,pepper,onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil (TT)

1 pound of penne pasta (or what ever you want)

For the garlic bread:
1 loaf Italian bread
1 stick of room temperature butter
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
salt/pepper (TT)

Wash your hands! Grab a chef knife, a bread knife and a cutting board. Use bread knife to slice 90% through the bread how ever thick you want your pieces. Peel garlic cloves. I like to use a microplane to turn the garlic into a paste. Chop parsley. Mix garlic paste and chopped parsley in with butter. Add salt and pepper, mix. Use a brush (a butter knife will suffice) to spread the butter mixture between the sliced bread. Press the bread together and using a large piece of aluminum foil (or two) wrap the entire loaf of bread. Pre-heat oven to 375. Add bread when the oven is ready. Cook for 20 minutes. Uncover the top portion of the bread, turn oven down to 250 and cook for 5 – 10 minutes more. When you take it out of the oven be sure to cover it back up with foil.

Gather a pot large enough to cook pasta. Add salted water, cover and bring to boil. I almost always add a hit of olive oil of butter to the water.

Using a clean cutting board, dice bacon; set aside. Cube chicken and season with salt,pepper,onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano and dried basil; set aside. In a large skillet over med high heat add diced bacon and stir occasionally. It should cook in 10 minutes or so and will continue to crisp as it cools. Drain off fat and set aside the cooked bacon. Add bacon fat to skillet and cook chicken in bacon fat stirring occasionally. Yummy. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the pasta to the water when the chicken is halfway cooked (about 5-7 minutes depending on size of chicken). Slowly add the the cream to the chicken and allow it to reduce and thicken, about 5 minutes. By now your pasta should be done. Drain pasta, and if your skillet is large enough fold it into the chicken and cream sauce. I like to use the pot I boiled the pasta in, it’s big enough for everything. I just pile the chicken, sauce and pasta in and it makes it very easy to mix. Once the pasta is coated, fold in the the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Then fold in the egg yolks. Lastly, add the cooked bacon.

Once you plate this up, its always nice to sprinkle some bacon and cheese on top, along with a little fresh parsley. If all went according to plan the bread should be cooling on the counter while you are putting the finishing touches on the Carbonara. This goes great with a nice, light salad.

I hope you make this, eat it and come back to leave me a comment on how it turned out!