Dinner should be exciting! This Olive Garden Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara takes exciting to the next level! It’s a wonderful take on a chicken and shrimp pasta meal using chicken tenders to update this classic dish.
What Makes This Recipe Unique
This classic recipe is an Olive Garden favorite. It’s made up of sautéed seasoned chicken, shrimp and bucatini pasta tossed in a creamy carbonara sauce with bacon and roasted red peppers. But this version uses chicken tenders for the chicken to offer a new twist on this classic dish. The breaded chicken tenders combine with all the other flavors so beautifully. And your kids will love it too!
What is the Difference between Carbonara Sauce and Alfredo Sauce
Both carbonara sauce and alfredo sauce are wonderful choices for any chicken and shrimp pasta dish but there is a difference. Alfredo sauce is a white sauce made from butter, parsley, heavy cream, and minced garlic. This Carbonara sauce, on the other hand, is made with parmesan cheese, heavy cream, eggs, garlic, pepper, red bell pepper, and bacon. Both delicious and both so easy to make. If you like Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce, you will enjoy this recipe. I have often made a quick dinner of Alfredo sauce and pasta, but this recipe turns this up just a notch.
Ready to start Cooking
The origin of this dish is originally a simple dish made of pasta, eggs, cheese, bacon or ham, and lots of black pepper. This recipe is slightly different it has a creamy Parmesan sauce.
Here’s what you need:
- Chicken Tenders
- Flour
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Salt & Pepper
- Eggs
- Shrimp
- Bucatini or Spaghetti Pasta
- Butter
- Bacon
- Garlic
- Red Bell Pepper
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan Cheese
Start with breading the chicken
Start by breading the chicken tenders with the flour, panko bread crumbs, egg, and salt & pepper. Allow to dry on a rack. Place the breaded chicken in oil and cook for 5-7 minutes on both sides. Set aside and boil the shrimp until it’s perfectly pink.
While cooking the pasta, start on the carbonara sauce. Cook the bacon and butter in a skillet. Add the garlic and red bell pepper until the bacon is cooked through. Next, add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese until you get the creamy consistency you are looking for. Add the pasta into the sauce and stir in the beaten egg. Serve with the chicken and shrimp.
Notes
- The bucatini pasta adds a unique texture to this recipe but if you don’t have bucatini, you can use regular spaghetti for this dish
- The last step of this recipe requires you to place one beaten egg into the cooked pasta and sauce. The residual heat of the pasta will cook the egg. If this makes you concerned, you can buy eggs that are already pasteurized, a brand of these are Safest Choice that is sold in many grocery stores. You will want to stir the egg in quickly as you don’t want the eggs to curdle
- Garnish this dish with more cheese on top and a little black pepper
This dish is more hearty and slightly more updated. I think the additions are good and you will enjoy them in this copycat for the Olive Garden Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara.
This Olive Garden Stuffed Chicken Marsala
You’ll love these Olive Garden Soup Recipes
And this Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana for the Crock Pot
Ready to start cooking? Let us know what you think about this recipe in the comments below. Remember to follow CopyKat Recipes on Facebook & Instagram! And sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss any of our copycat recipes!
Olive Garden Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water
- 6 ounces shrimp
- 12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup bacon
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1/2 red bell pepper cut into rings
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Prepare chicken tenders by combining flour, Panko bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix breading until it is well blended. On another bowl combine 1 egg and 2 teaspoons water, stir until well mixed. Dip chicken in dry breading mix, then egg-wash, and then back into the breading mix, and allow to dry on a rack. Allow the breaded chicken tenders to rest for about five minutes before cooking.
- Place 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken fingers and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until chicken is browned, and cooked through. Set the chicken to the side. Cook shrimp in a small pot in boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes. Shrimp is done when it becomes pink.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Prepare carbonara sauce by placing butter and lean bacon in a skillet. Cook over medium heat when the butter melts, add garlic and red bell pepper. Saute pepper, bacon, until the bacon is cooked through. Add heavy cream to the skillet with Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has been melted. When the cheese has melted add cooked pasta and remove from heat. Stir in 1 beaten egg, and stir quickly. The residual heat of the pasta and sauce will cook the egg.
- To serve place pasta and sauce on the plate. Add a few pieces of chicken tenders and shrimp to each serving. Garnish with additional cheese and pepper if desired.
Recipe Tips for the Cook
- The bucatini pasta adds a unique texture to this recipe but if you don't have bucatini, you can use regular spaghetti for this dish
- The last step of this recipe requires you to place one beaten egg into the cooked pasta and sauce. The residual heat of the pasta will cook the egg. If this makes you concerned, you can buy eggs that are already pasteurized, a brand of these are Safest Choice that is sold in many grocery stores. You will want to stir the egg in quickly as you don't want the eggs to curdle
- Garnish this dish with more cheese on top and a little black pepper
Stefani says
Made this this afternoon! Great flavors! Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, truly delicious! <3
Zoila says
This recipe it’s absolute delicious. Me and my husband enjoyed it. I’ll be making it again.
Chanel says
I made this last night and it was great!
Zach says
Great recipe! I doubled most of the ingredients and went heavy on the cream and cheese when I prepared the sauce. Overall, this recipe was a great success. I appreciate your time sharing this recipe!