When I was pregnant with my second baby, my homecooking took a nosedive. I was so tired or nauseous that most of the time standing in the kitchen for 20 minutes seemed impossible. So we ate a fair amount of take out which didn't make me super happy. The one shining star in our food arsenal though was the Whole Foods and Central Market prepared food departments.
We relied a lot on picking up dinners from Central Market. Often times, Whole Foods was just too busy and overwhelming for me with my exhaustion and my toddler, so off to Central Market we went and Thank Goodness! They make the most amazing casseroles that you can just take home and pop in the oven: the cowboy casserole, the king ranch chicken and the chicken carbonara.
They are all delicious, but the chicken carbonara really takes the cake. Its creamy, small enough to be eaten without having to cut anything up for a toddler, it has veggies, proteins and some pasta. It was a life saver when I was pregnant - but now almost two years later, that is not the case and I always love a challenge.
I prefer to make anything myself because I know what is going into it and I can have more creativity with ingredients and flavor so this week I decided to take on the Chicken Carbonara casserole.
Now a traditional carbonara uses proscuitto, but you could easily substitute bacon for a kicked up flavor and I would absolutely recommend it that way too. And the stand out factor in a carbonara is that the rich sauce is made rich with egg yolks rather than all cream. Don't be intimidated by this, its really easy and really is tasty.
Lastly, the way I make the chicken for this pasta is a great tool to hang on to for lots of other recipes - it produces really soft, juicy chicken, with a nice crisp outside, without the time of a slow cooker.
Quick Chicken
To cook 1 package of chicken breast tenders, season one side of the tenders with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbs of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken tenders, seasoned side down and turn the heat up to give the skin a good brown, just a couple of minutes. Season the other side of the chicken, and turn over to brown the other side. Add enough chicken broth to cover the bottom half of the chicken and bring the broth to a simmer. Turn the chicken over and cover the skillet. Let the chicken simmer for 3-5 minutes, then turn the chicken one more time and recover. Simmer until the chicken is soft and cooked through, another 3-5 minutes.
This method will work with whole chicken breasts as well, but you will need to simmer them for longer to ensure they are cooked through. Covering the skillet traps the moisture of the broth inside and acts like a rapid slow cooker which keeps the chicken tender and soft - browning the chicken first produces more flavor and helps avoid that yucky boiled chicken look.
Easy Chicken Carbonara
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. (about 8) chicken tenders, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 lb of bacon or 1/4 lb of proscuitto, diced
- 1 lb. orrichette pasta, cooked and drained
- 1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbs. minced garlic
- 1/4 white onion, minced or 2 shallots, minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
In a large pan or braiser, heat 1 tbs. of oil over medium high heat. Add the bacon or proscuitto and cook until just crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper-towel lined plate. Drain the excess fat from the pan, but do not wipe clean.
Add another tablespoon of oil or butter to the pan, add the garlic and onion or shallots and saute for a few minutes until tender. Add back in the bacon and the chicken. Stir and cook for a few minutes more. Add the broccoli and peas, stir to combine.
Add the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat down to low and allow to cook while you prepare the sauce. In bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, cream and Parmesan. Whisk together until smooth and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Turn the heat down to low, it is important not to let the cream mixture boil or you will have scrambled eggs, then add the pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add the cream mixture, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and coating the pasta. If you want a creamier sauce you can add more cream and Parmesan, or if you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add a bit more chicken broth. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Make it a casserole!
You can easily make this dish into a bubbly casserole with just a few extra steps.
Preheat your oven to 350° and butter or grease an oval baking dish or 9 x 12 rectangle.
Pour the prepared pasta into the dish. In a separate bowl, toss together 1 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 stick melted butter, 1 tbs. grated parmesean, 2 tsp. dried basil. Set aside.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded Italian cheese on the top of the pasta (any Italian will be fine, mozzarella, provolone, an Italian blend). Top with the bread crumb mixture.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.