Lazy Man’s Blackened Chicken Carbonara

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I did NOT feel like making a chicken carbonara, but I do want to upload more on my website. I’m broke ash, I’m lazy ash, so I was sitting there wondering “what the hell should I make”.

I had bacon, spaghetti, chicken, spices, and a dream. Surprisingly, this is was waaaay better than I thought. Mainly because I decided to lower my expectations 10 fold, but if someone served this to me at a restaurant, I wouldn’t complain. Also, I used protein spaghetti as seen in the picture below, so the macronutrients may be a little off if you’re using regular spaghetti noodles.

Any who, I hope you enjoy!

Macronutrients:

• Calories: 850 ~ 1,145
• Protein: 104 ~ 129 Grams
• Fat: Roughly 35 ~ 40 grams
• Carbs: Roughly 70 ~ 80 grams

Ingredients:

Chicken Brine:

• 2 Chicken breasts, cut into 4’s
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp roughly chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Carbonara Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon (preferably thick cut)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano (just use parmesan cheese if you don’t have it. Again, we’re lazy here)
• 1 serving of spaghetti noodles
• Blackened Chicken Seasonings (I kept it simple with Old Bay and added salt to taste)

Tips:

• The marinade is completely optional, and it adds a lot of depth to this dish. I’d recommend it, or even using your own brine instead, but it’s not a necessity.
• Incase you’re wondering, I brined my chicken for around 2-3 hours. Before adding your chicken, make sure to taste and see how good the brine is. If you want to add an extra bay leaf, go for it. If you don’t really want dried basil, feel free. Free style as much as you want, but just remember to at least have lemon juice/apple cider vinegar and salt in the mixture.
• If you’re wondering if you can use the green cap Kraft bottle of grated cheese, I would REALLY try and use anything else. That being said, money is tight and at this point do whatever you can bro bro I don’t blame you.
• We’ll be cooking the chicken using the reserved bacon fat, so be mindful when salting the chicken when it comes to adding the “blackening” seasonings.

Steps:

Chicken Brine:

• Step 1: In a small bowl with 3 cups of water, combine all the ingredients in the brine except for the chicken. Whisk together to make sure it’s all combined.
• Step 2: Add in your chicken and mix it around. Seal the top off with some plastic film and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Step 3: Remove excess brine from the chicken and lightly pat it with a paper towel.

Chicken and Bacon

Step 1: Apply your “blackened” seasonings to your chicken and make sure each end of the chicken is coated. Set aside on a small plate.

Step 2: In a pan over medium heat, cook your bacon until crispy. Once done, put it on a plate with a paper towel.

Step 3: Scrape out of the pan, and filter out as much of the blackened bacon residue as you can using a mesh filter or paper towel into a bowl.

Step 4: Adding in half of the bacon fat, back to the pan over medium heat, cook until the chicken is done. Set aside the chicken pieces in a small plate when finished.

Carbonara:

• Step 1: In a pot over medium heat, add in some water with a couple pinches of salt. Wait for it to bubble a little bit, and then cook until al dente.
• Step 2: Set aside the pasta and drain the water, but reserve some of it in a small container.
• Step 3: In a separate bowl, add in your egg yolks, cheese, and a little bit of pepper. Whisk together until it forms a paste.
• Step 4: In a pan over medium heat with the remaining bacon fat, add in your pasta, and swirl around and mix for a few seconds.
• Step 5: Add in your eggs and cheese blend with a splash of pasta water. Slowly incorporate, and add in crushed bacon bits.
• Step 6: Plate the Carbonara with the chicken, and add some more cheese on top. I hope you enjoy!

Cravings & Comfort Recipe

Lazy Man's Blackened Chicken Carbonara

A quick and simple blackened chicken "carbonara"

Prep Time10 min

Cook Time25 – 30 min

Total Time40 – 45 min

Servings2 chicken pieces, 1 carbonara

Calories850 – 1,145

CuisineItalian-American

Print Recipe Grocery List

Ingredients

US Customary — Metric

Chicken Brine

• 2 Chicken breasts, cut into 4's
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp roughly chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Carbonara Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon (preferably thick cut)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano (just use parmesan cheese if you don't have it. Again, we're lazy here)
• 1 serving of spaghetti noodles
• Blackened Chicken Seasonings (I kept it simple with Old Bay and added salt to taste)

Instructions

Chicken Brine

1. In a small bowl with 3 cups of water, combine all the ingredients in the brine except for the chicken. Whisk together to make sure it's all combined.
2. Add in your chicken and mix it around. Seal the top off with some plastic film and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Remove excess brine from the chicken and lightly pat it with a paper towel.

Chicken and Bacon

1. Apply your "blackened" seasonings to your chicken and make sure each end of the chicken is coated. Set aside on a small plate.
2. In a pan over medium heat, cook your bacon until crispy. Once done, put it on a plate with a paper towel.
3. Scrape out of the pan, and filter out as much of the blackened bacon residue as you can using a mesh filter or paper towel into a bowl.
4. Adding in half of the bacon fat, back to the pan over medium heat, cook until the chicken is done. Set aside the chicken pieces in a small plate when finished.

Carbonara

1. In a pot over medium heat, add in some water with a couple pinches of salt. Wait for it to bubble a little bit, and then cook until al dente.
2. Set aside the pasta and drain the water, but reserve some of it in a small container.
3. In a separate bowl, add in your egg yolks, cheese, and a little bit of pepper. Whisk together until it forms a paste.
4. In a pan over medium heat with the remaining bacon fat, add in your pasta, and swirl around and mix for a few seconds.
5. Add in your eggs and cheese blend with a splash of pasta water. Slowly incorporate, and add in crushed bacon bits.
6. Plate the Carbonara with the chicken, and add some more cheese on top. I hope you enjoy!

Notes

• The marinade is completely optional, and it adds a lot of depth to this dish. I'd recommend it, or even using your own brine instead, but it's not a necessity.
• Incase you're wondering, I brined my chicken for around 2-3 hours. Before adding your chicken, make sure to taste and see how good the brine is. If you want to add an extra bay leaf, go for it. If you don't really want dried basil, feel free. Free style as much as you want, but just remember to at least have lemon juice/apple cider vinegar and salt in the mixture.
• If you're wondering if you can use the green cap Kraft bottle of grated cheese, I would REALLY try and use anything else. That being said, money is tight and at this point do whatever you can bro bro I don't blame you.
• We'll be cooking the chicken using the reserved bacon fat, so be mindful when salting the chicken when it comes to adding the "blackening" seasonings.

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Amount US unitCupTablespoonTeaspoonFluid ounceOunce (weight)Pound IngredientWaterFlourGranulated sugarPacked brown sugarPowdered sugarButterOilMilkButtermilkHeavy creamHalf & halfLight creamOther / volume only

Metric result240 mL

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Cravings & Comfort

Nutrition estimate

Calories850 – 1,145per serving

Serving1 serving

Protein104 – 129g

Carbs70 – 80g

Fat35 – 40g

Assumes you're using 1 serving of protein pasta noodles

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