Chicken Carbonara Recipe (Over Spaghetti Squash)

I’ve been on an Italian chicken variation kick lately. I absolutely love chicken piccata and finally figured out a great recipe for it which inspired a lot of chicken cooking around here lately. I’ve made healthy variations of chicken cacciatore, chicken Florentine, chicken Marsala, and chicken carbonara.

In restaurants, this is often made with an extremely thick cream sauce and served over pasta. I substituted spaghetti squash, made a healthier (and optional) sauce, and added some wilted spinach and asparagus for flavor and extra nutrition. My kids liked this one and my hubby (who despises the texture of wilted spinach) even ate it without complaint.

Chicken Carbonara Over Spaghetti Squash

Delicious and healthy chicken carbonara served over nutrient-packed spaghetti squash. 

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Calories 350kcal

Author Katie Wells

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Servings

8 servings

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 small bunch asparagus
• 4 TBSP butter (divided)
• 4 chicken breasts
• 8 slices bacon
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 onion
• 12 oz spinach
• ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
• ½ cup Parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
• Place them face down on a baking sheet or in a large baking dish with ¼ inch of water.
• Place in the oven and cook 30 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
• While the squash is cooking, butterfly the chicken by cutting it in half lengthwise.
• Pound it with a meat hammer or the bottom of a cast iron pan until it is ¼ to ½ inch thick.
• In a large skillet, place the asparagus in about ¼ inch of water and cook over high heat until the asparagus is bright green and starting to soften. The water should evaporate completely and when it has, add 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with some sea salt.
• Remove the asparagus from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, cook the bacon until it is crispy.
• Remove the bacon and cook the chicken in the bacon grease, sprinkling each side with some of the sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
• When chicken has cooked through, remove it and set it aside.
• Dice the onion and cook it in the remaining bacon grease until it is starting to soften.
• Add the spinach and extra butter if needed and cook until the spinach is barely wilted.
• Add the cream if using and about ¼ teaspoon of the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
• At this point, the spaghetti squash should be soft so remove it from the oven and scrape out the insides with a fork.
• To serve, put some spaghetti squash on a plate, top with some wilted spinach, then a piece of chicken, some crumbled bacon, and the asparagus. Top with Parmesan if using.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Carbonara Over Spaghetti Squash

Amount Per Serving (1 piece)

Calories 350 Calories from Fat 182

% Daily Value*

Fat 20.2g31%

Saturated Fat 9.7g61%

Cholesterol 88mg29%

Sodium 802mg35%

Carbohydrates 15.6g5%

Fiber 4.3g18%

Sugar 5.5g6%

Protein 28.8g58%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Would you try this version of chicken carbonara? What’s your favorite chicken dish? Share below!