One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (2024)

4.6 from 10 votes

Jump to Recipe

Creamy Chicken Carbonara a copycat signature dish from Johnny Carino’s Italian Resturant Bowtie Festival with Chicken, Bacon, Tomatoes, and Red Onion in a creamy Alfredo Sauce served with Bowtie Pasta. and PS - I LOVE IT!

Chicken Carbonara ~ Bowtie Festival

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (1)

Serves 6 | Perfect for Dinner | 6 Qt Instant Pot

This Chicken Carbonara Recipe is my favorite and I love the variations in this traditional recipe.

This is a copycat recipe from Johnny Carino’s and their signature recipe Bowtie Festival with slices of delicious chicken, crumbed bacon, tomatoes and red onion served with a creamy Alfredo sauce over bowtie pasta.

I just love all the flavors in this Chicken Carbonara Recipe.

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (2)

I’ve made this recipe easy using the Instant Pot and it speeds up the time to make and doesn’t lose any flavor that I’ve come to enjoy.

This kid approved recipe can be made in 30 minutes or less. Remember my picky eater?

Well he has had a blast rating recipes and this one came in at 9 out of 10. That’s great in my book. He didn’t like the red onions which he picked out. For me that’s a mom win!

What does Chicken Carbonara Recipe have in it?

Chicken Carbonara is an Italian recipe with chicken, pasta, bacon, tomatoes in a creamy Alfredo sauce. This recipe also has Red Onion which gives a fun extra taste too.

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (3)

What Does Chicken Carbonara Taste Like?

Chicken Carbonara Recipes takes similar to Chicken Alfredo in a creamy sauce. However the extra bacon in this recipe takes Chicken Carbonara to a new party in your mouth.

What to Serve with Chicken Carbonara?

With any Pasta Recipe, I like to serve my Easy Garlic Bread recipe. It's so easy to throw together while everything else is cooking and wonderful to have hot home baked bread with dinner too.

It's a family favorite for sure!

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (4)

How to make Chicken Carbonara?

Chicken Carbonara Recipe can be made on the stove top or in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. Both are equally as delicious!

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (5)

Instant Pot Directions

  • Heat Instant Pot to Saute. Slice chicken. Add Butter and Garlic to Instant Pot when hot. Add Chicken and stir. Cook until no longer pink
  • Add broth and heavy cream. Add Seasoning Salts and stir. Pour Pasta in Instant Pot but do not stir. Set Instant Pot to Manual for 6 minutes and Quick Release.
  • Stir Pasta to break up. Add Parmesan Cheese and stir. Add Bacon, Tomatoes and Red Onions
  • Close lid for 2 minutes allowing tomatoes and red onion to get tender. Stir to combine.
  • Garnish with additional Parmesan Cheese and serve.
One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (6)

Stove Top Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse and drain.
  • Slice Chicken thin. Add butter (or Olive Oil) and garlic to a large saute pan. Add Chicken and cook over medium/high heat stirring occasionally. Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add 2 Tbs butter, 2 Cups Heavy Cream, and 1 Cup Chicken Broth to pan and allow to come to a slow boil.
  • sprinkle grated parmesan cheese and stir
  • Add Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • Allow Sauce to simmer and melt cheese. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
  • Add Pasta, Chicken, Tomato, Red Onion and Bacon and Stir
  • Garnish with additional Parmesan Cheese and Serve

Making Bacon Quick and Easy in the Oven

I don't always like to fry up bacon on my stove. It leaves a greasy mess. However cooking bacon in the Oven is so quick and easy and the clean up is almost existent.

It also allows me to work on other items in the kitchen while it's baking too. Just head on over to my How To Cook Bacon in the Oven for more info!

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (7)

What is Bowtie Festival?

Bowtie Festival is essentially a Chicken Carbonara Recipe. An Italian Resturant Chain, Johnny Carino’s makes Bowtie Festival which is one of their signature dishes and is amazing!

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (8)

Can I make Chicken Carbonara Recipe with less fat?

Yes! You can always cut and substitute ingredients. In this recipe you can substitute the chicken broth for water and lower your sodium intake.

You can also use Evaporated Milk instead of Heavy Cream. However, do not use Evaporated Milk in the Instant Pot under pressure. It just doesn’t work right.

So add extra water or broth to replace the heavy cream for the cooking process and when it’s completed add evaporated milk and cheese. Your sauce will be a little thinner but still have a wonderful flavor.

Pin this Recipe for Later!

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (9)

Quick Tips

This Chicken Carbonara Recipe can be made with other pastas. Adjust the pressure time accordingly. Bowtie Pasta tends to take longer than others. You will want to adjust down for Penne, macaroni, etc.

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (10)

If you like what you saw, you will love these other great recipes too!

  • Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
  • Easy Chicken Fajitas
  • Fiesta Chicken Casserole
  • Chicken Taco Alfredo
  • Honey Mustard Chicken and Rice
  • BBQ Chicken Tostada
  • Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wrap
  • Chicken Chili Verde
  • Chicken Corn Chowder

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (11)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

4.60 from 10 votes

Chicken Carbonara

Chicken Carbonara made with Bowtie Pasta, a creamy parmesan cheese sauce with bacon, tomato and red onion. A favorite copycat recipe from Johnny Carino's

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Additional Time3 minutes mins

Total Time28 minutes mins

Devour Dinner

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6 Servings

Author: Devour Dinner

Ingredients

  • Instant Pot Ingredients:
  • 3 Chicken Breasts Sliced Thin
  • 2 Tbs Butter
  • 1 Tbs Garlic
  • 3 ½ Cup Chicken Broth or Water
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Tbs Lawrey's Seasoning
  • 1 lb Bowtie Pasta
  • 6-8 Slices of cooked bacon
  • ½ Cup Red Onion
  • ½ Cup Diced Roma Tomatos
  • ¾ Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • For Stove Top - Adjust the following measurements
  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth
  • 4 Tbs Butter *Divided

Instructions

  • Instant Pot Directions:

  • Slice Chicken Breasts thin.

  • Heat Instant Pot to Saute and wait until it reads "Hot"

  • Add Butter and Garlic and Stir until butter is melted

  • Add Chicken and stir. Watch Pot and stir occasionally to saute. Saute until chicken is no longer pink. Press Cancel on Instant Pot

  • Add Broth and Heavy Cream. Add Lawrey's Seasoning Salt and stir.

  • Pour Bowtie Pasta on top. Do not stir.

  • Set to Manual for 6 minutes and Quick Release the Pressure.

  • Stir pasta to break up. Add in Parmesan Cheese and Stir.

  • Gently add crumbed Bacon, tomatoes and red onion and close lid for 2 minutes.

  • Garnish with more Parmesan Cheese and serve.

  • Stove Top Directions:

  • Cook pasta according to package directions

  • Slice Chicken. Add butter (or Olive Oil) and garlic to a large saute pan. Add Chicken and cook over medium/high heat stirring occasionally. Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from pan and set aside.

  • Add 2 Tbs butter, 2 Cups Heavy Cream, and 1 Cup Chicken Broth to pan and allow to come to a slow boil.

  • sprinkle grated parmesan cheese and stir

  • Add Salt and Pepper to Taste

  • Allow Sauce to simmer and melt cheese. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

  • Add Pasta, Chicken, Tomato, Red Onion and Bacon and Stir

  • Garnish with additional Parmesan Cheese and Serve

Notes

Tips: I find that Bowtie Pasta takes a bit longer than other pastas to cook which is why I suggest a 6 minute cook time. Please note that when using other pastas cooking time will be shorter by 1 or two minutes.

I like extra sauce. I tend to add an additional ½ cup heavy cream after the cooking process when stirring in the Parmesan cheese. However, it's not necessary.

This is a copycat recipe from the Italian Resturant Johnny Carino's and one of their signature dishes. It's also my favorite.

Have you made this recipe?Mention @devourdinner or tag us #devourdinner! Please leave a comment and rating below. Thank you!

Nutrition Disclaimer

All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 885kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 39g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 2180mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g

Pin

Share

Tweet

Share

One Pot Creamy Chicken Carbonara ~ Copycat Recipe from Johnny Carino's (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken carbonara sauce made of? ›

The creamy sauce is made by tossing eggs and Parmesan with cooked pasta and its still piping hot cooking water. It's so simple but can be intimidating.

What makes carbonara so good? ›

Egg yolks and whole eggs – The egg combined with the guanciale fat is what makes the stunning creamy carbonara sauce that the world is obsessed with. There's no need for cream for a creamy sauce! See section above for why. We use a combination of whole eggs, plus egg yolks for richness.

What is in classic Italian carbonara? ›

Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions. Try this recipe if you want to make an authentic, creamy carbonara that comes straight from Italy, where I live.

Does authentic carbonara contain cream? ›

Blown. Taste.com.au Food Director, Amira Georgy, confirmed this, saying: “Traditionally, carbonara sauce contains no cream, just eggs and cheese. The eggs and cheese are added to the hot pasta and tossed together until a silky sauce forms.”

Is chicken Alfredo and carbonara the same? ›

The difference between an Alfredo and a Carbonara: Alfredo is basic – pasta, cream, parmesan, parsley. Carbonara is a little more complicated – pasta, onion, pancetta, garlic, egg yolks, cream, parmesan, parsley.

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? ›

The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.

What is the trick about carbonara sauce? ›

We have a few tips to make sure your carbonara sauce is super smooth:
  • Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! ...
  • When combining your eggs, cheese and cream, make sure it is whisked thoroughly. ...
  • Keep your heat on low when adding the egg mixture.

What should not be added to carbonara? ›

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.

Do Italians put cream in carbonara? ›

Cream is not used in most Italian recipes, with some exceptions. However, it is often employed in other countries. Similarly, garlic is found in some recipes, but mostly outside Italy.

What does authentic carbonara taste like? ›

Does Pasta Carbonara taste like eggs? No, you do not have to worry about your Spaghetti Carbonara tasting like eggs! Although the sauce contains eggs, it also boasts an almost ridiculous amount of sharp, salty, tangy, and pungent Pecorino Romano cheese and rich, salty, savory pork.

What kind of pasta is best for carbonara? ›

Carbonara is almost always served with spaghetti or linguine, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. For a more unusual take on carbonara, try spinach fettuccine tossed with warm pasta and fresh baby spinach; you'll get a vibrant, beautiful dish with some additional health benefits.

Is carbonara sauce the same as alfredo 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.

Is carbonara just alfredo sauce? ›

Alfredo is made from butter, parsley, heavy cream and minced garlic, whereas carbonara is made from pecorino romano, eggs, black pepper and guanciale (ingredients seem to vary for the sauces depending on the recipe). In Italy carbonara is made without cream, adding cream to the sauce is an American thing it seems.

What does carbonara sauce taste like? ›

It's made by tempering eggs, cheese and starchy pasta cooking water into a luscious creamy pasta sauce. The taste is rich, salty and addictive! There is absolutely no heavy cream in traditional carbonara sauce. The thing is, carbonara is really easy to mess up.

Does carbonara sauce taste like egg? ›

Does Pasta Carbonara taste like eggs? No, you do not have to worry about your Spaghetti Carbonara tasting like eggs! Although the sauce contains eggs, it also boasts an almost ridiculous amount of sharp, salty, tangy, and pungent Pecorino Romano cheese and rich, salty, savory pork.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kerri Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 5688

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kerri Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1992-10-31

Address: Suite 878 3699 Chantelle Roads, Colebury, NC 68599

Phone: +6111989609516

Job: Chief Farming Manager

Hobby: Mycology, Stone skipping, Dowsing, Whittling, Taxidermy, Sand art, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.