Weekend Chicken Carbonara

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 lb. Ziti pasta
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 strips of bacon
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tsp. Minced garlic
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. Finely grated lemon peel

Directions

Step 1: Grate the Parmesan Cheese

Step 2: In a separate bowl, add the whipping cream, then add the Parmesan Cheese. Dont mix just yet.

Step 3: Wash and chop the parsley

Step 4: Wash and chop the basil

Step 5: Add the chopped parsley, chopped basil, and 4 egg yolks to the cream and grated cheese. The fourth one took a dive beneath the surface and the third yolk is barely hanging on! I would too if I was swimming in a pool of yummyness. Mix this thoroughly until everything is evenly combined. Then place the bowl in the fridge while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.

Step 6: After youve rolled up your bacon to look like flowers, unroll them, stack them on top of each other and slice them into bite size pieces. You can trim off the fat from the bacon and use double the number of bacon strips if youd like. Set these aside.

Step 7: Begin cooking the ziti pasta. Follow instructions on the box and add salt and a bit of olive oil to the water. When the pasta is done, drain but keep the pasta warm. Their heat will help cook the cream and egg yolks later on. I love using ziti for this because in some magical way, the carbonara sauce finds its way inside the ziti. I cant even describe what biting into that is like. Life-changing, I think.

Step 8: In the meantime, while youre waiting for the water to boil, heat a non-stick frying pan with olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, fry the chicken breasts until they are cooked. Set them aside to cool a bit before you start shredding them by hand. Or you can use two forks and shred them this way while theyre still hot.

Step 9: After the chicken is done, heat a deep pot with olive oil on medium heat. When hot, add the garlic, followed by the bacon. Continue until the bacon is crispy and golden brown. Then take a piece out to taste its done-ness. Then proceed with two or three more pieces. Dont feel bad about it.

Step 10: Add the shredded chicken to the bacon. Mix, mix, mix. Then turn the heat down to medium-low. At this point, the pasta should be almost done cooking if not already drained and kept warm. Delicious things await.

Step 11: Take out the carbonara sauce mixture from the fridge and gently pour it on top of the chicken and bacon. On top of this, add the warm pasta. Mix and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Mix some more. Taste some more. Sneak a bite while shes not looking. Then sneak more bites. Then pass the point of not caring if she catches you. Because its just that. Good. Oof. Turn off the heat, transfer into a separate bowl and serve.