Chicken Carbonara (of sorts) ? A Classic Around Here?

This dish is a classic around these parts… a Pasta Carbonara of sorts. It’s a relatively simple dish, but hearty and warm, and with many of my favorite ingredients… Pasta, Mushrooms, Bacon, Parmesan, and sometimes Chicken. It’s easy to cook during the week; it always provides yummy leftovers; and it’s lightly hearty for those cooler evenings of autumn… And those cooler evenings have arrived with a bang…

16-oz. Whole Wheat Pasta of choice  (I often use penne)
8 slices Bacon, rough cut
3/4-1 lb. Chicken Breasts, if desired  (I usually cut mine into bite-sized pieces before cooking)
1 medium Red Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
12-16 oz. Mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cups or so Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (though I usually use half and half because it’s always here)

1.  Cook pasta as directed.

2.  While pasta is cooking, cook bacon.  Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.  Cook chicken in bacon grease.  When done, remove with slotted spoon and set aside.

3.  Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in bacon grease til tender. Add cooked chicken and warm through. Add bacon, cheese and cream, and cook til thickened and heated through (about 5 minutes). Serve over pasta.

The ingredients are cooking together here, minus the cheese and cream, and it should be thickening a bit. At times I’ve had a bit too much liquid still, so I just scoop some out before adding the cheese and cream. Voila!

Tagged: Bacon, Chicken, Chicken Carbonara, mushrooms, Parmesan