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
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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
Chicken Carbonara
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
Jaynelle Kenney
What happens if you add the cream after it cooks? Will it still be good?? Im worried that the cream will curdle
Devour Dinner
Jaynelle, The cream has a high enough fat content that it won't curdle and it gives the pasta a great flavor when being pressure cooked. You could certainly wait and add it at the end, however you will want to add a little extra thin liquid in it's place so the pasta has enough liquid to absorb and be fully cooked. Adding the cream at the end will change the consistency of the sauce but can be done.
Monique Dake
I’m using nonfat Greek yogurt in place of heavy cream. Should I add after I pressure cook?
Devour Dinner
The heavy cream is used as liquid for cooking the pasta. So you would need to add a little more water or chicken broth. Then add the greek yogurt after the cooking process to thicken or cream things up. As it cools it should thicken.