Chicken And Shrimp Carbonara

Creamy, smoky and satisfying – this Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara is a restaurant-worthy dinner that you can make at home on a weeknight.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Big O’ Smokehouse. All opinions are 100% my own.

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This Shrimp And Chicken Carbonara Is A Restaurant-Worthy Dish At Home

Have you ever tried pasta carbonara? At it’s simplest, it’s bacon and eggs pasta. Which sounds weird, but is so incredibly luxurious and delicious, that once you’ve tried it, you’ll be daydreaming about it for the rest of your life.

But the thing about carbonara is that it’s best eaten immediately after it comes out of the pan, and we do mean immediately. So while carbonara is probably available at your local Italian restaurant and even the big chain restaurants, it’s not the best place to actually eat carbonara. Even the best server can’t get it to your table fast enough!

But at home, where (if you’re like us) your table is probably a few short steps from your kitchen, carbonara is ideal. Eggs and Parmesan cheese are combined with hot pasta water that makes a silky sauce to perfectly coat every piece of al dente pasta.

Crispy, smoky bacon is joined by chicken (to make it a bit heartier) and shrimp (special shrimp – more on this later) to make this chicken and shrimp carbonara recipe a restaurant-quality crowd pleaser that is totally do-able at home.

Chicken And Shrimp Carbonara Ingredients

A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.

• pasta – we’re using rigatoni here because it’s what we had on hand, but really, almost any variety of pasta will work for shrimp carbonara. Spaghetti, fettuccine and linguine are other popular choices.
• bacon – we’ve tested this with a few different types of bacon and found that thick cut bacon makes the nicest lardons in the finished dish. But if you have regular bacon on hand, that’s totally fine too. Or pancetta or guanciale, if you’re feeling fancy!
• shrimp – here’s where our dish has a twist! We’re using Big O’ Smokehouse smoked shrimp. These fully cooked shrimp are ready to add flavor and protein to any recipe, straight from their package. We liked how the smoky flavor echoed the smokiness of the bacon to add extra oomph and make this recipe a flavor bomb.
• chicken – boneless, skinless chicken breast will be cut into bite-sized pieces. This is also a great way to use up cooked leftover chicken (just skip the step where you cook the chicken).
• Parmesan cheese – freshly grated is key for a creamy sauce for this shrimp and chicken carbonara, so buy a block and grate it yourself if you can.
• eggs – the backbone of the sauce. You’ll need both whole eggs and some additional egg yolks. Maybe use the two extra egg whites to make a small batch of Angel Food Cupcakes for dessert.
• salt and black pepper – use freshly ground pepper for the best flavor.

How to Make Chicken And Shrimp Pasta

1. PASTA. Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of al dente, then reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining.

2. WHISK. Whisk the Parmesan, egg yolks, eggs and pepper until smooth.

3. COOK. In a large Dutch oven (or large skillet with high sides), cook the bacon until crisp, then transfer to a bowl. Then, season the chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through, then transfer chicken to a plate.

4. COMBINE. Add some of the pasta water to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, shrimp and chicken and cook until the liquid is reduced by half and the pasta is al dente, tossing constantly.

5. SAUCE. Temper the egg mixture with a bit of the pasta water, then slowly stream the egg mixture into the noodles, tossing constantly as you add it. Adjust the sauce consistency with additional pasta water if needed, then fold in the bacon.

6. SERVE. Serve right away (the faster the better!), topped with additional cheese and pepper, and a bit of chopped parsley, for garnish, if desired.

Shrimp And Chicken Pasta Variations

• SPICY – Add red pepper flakes to taste for a little heat.
• SWAP THE PROTEIN – Use dark meat chicken instead of chicken breast, or fresh shrimp instead of smoked (you’ll want to be sure the fresh shrimp are fully cooked before adding them to the pasta).
• ADD GREENS – It’s not traditional for carbonara, but if you want to stir in a handful of spinach or arugula, we won’t tell.

What To Serve With Chicken And Shrimp Pasta

If you’d like a helping of fiber-rich veggies on your plate with your shrimp carbonara, we suggest either Balsamic Green Beans or Balsamic Asparagus. The tangy vinegar-glazed vegetables are a nice paring with the rich pasta.

If you’d like a fresh green salad with your pasta, we recommend some simple mixed greens tossed with Citrus Salad Dressing.

Or, if you’re the type that can’t have pasta night without a side of Garlic Bread, pop a batch of that into the oven to serve alongside your shrimp and chicken pasta.

Chicken And Shrimp Carbonara Recipe Storage

While we love recipes where leftovers can be reheated for lunch the next day, this shrimp and chicken pasta dish is one that is best eaten immediately.

Seafood never reheats that well, and carbonara sauce tends to break when reheating.

But, if you have a bit of leftovers and you MUST reheat them, the easiest way to reheat is to microwave at 50% power (this will help prevent the sauce from quite as much).