,

Chicken Carbonara Recipe (Over Spaghetti Squash)

Katie Wells Avatar

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This post contains affiliate links.

Read my affiliate policy.

Chicken_Carbonara
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Chicken Carbonara Recipe (Over Spaghetti Squash)

I’ve been on an Italian chicken kick lately and have been making lots of Italian inspired chicken dishes. First, it was the chicken piccata, then I made a healthy variation of chicken cacciatore, chicken Florentine, chicken Marsala, and now chicken carbonara.

While these pasta recipes have many of the same flavors, I like putting a healthy twist on them. I’ll often use veggies instead of pasta for a tasty version lower in carbs.

Classic Chicken Carbonara

Creamy chicken carbonara is often made with an alfredo sauce or creamy sauce and served over fettuccine, bucatini, or linguine pasta. More Americanized versions will even use penne pasta. Traditionally this pasta dish is made with an egg mixture sauce instead of alfredo. Italians whisk together pasta water, egg yolks, and hard cheese (like pecorino Romano) to make the creamy sauce.

An Updated Chicken Pasta

I substituted spaghetti squash for the pasta to make a grain-free version. I also made a healthier (and optional) carbonara sauce and added some wilted spinach and asparagus for flavor and extra nutrition. Instead of pancetta, which can be hard to find, this recipe uses crispy bacon.

This is an all in one dish with protein, healthy fats, and plenty of veggies. And since it’s cooked in one pan, there aren’t many dishes to clean. I use a skillet, but you could also use a large pot if your skillet isn’t big enough.

My kids liked this one and ate it without complaint!

Chicken_Carbonara

Chicken Carbonara Over Spaghetti Squash

Delicious and healthy chicken carbonara served over nutrient-packed spaghetti squash. 
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Calories 356kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

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. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender 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’s ¼ to ½ inch thick.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, place the asparagus in about ¼ inch of water. Cook over high heat until the asparagus is bright green and starting to soften. Once the water has evaporated add 1 Tablespoon butter and sprinkle with some sea salt.
  • Remove the asparagus from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, cook bacon until crispy.
  • Remove the bacon and cook the skinless chicken breast in the bacon grease, sprinkling each side with some of the sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
  • Remove the cooked chicken and set it aside.
  • Saute the onion in the remaining bacon grease until soft.
  • Add the spinach and extra butter or olive oil 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 drain off the water. Scrape out the insides with a fork. It should be a little al dente, not mushy.
  • 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.
  • Garnish with Parmesan if using.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Carbonara Over Spaghetti Squash
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 356 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 78mg26%
Sodium 1016mg44%
Potassium 865mg25%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 4898IU98%
Vitamin C 21mg25%
Calcium 203mg20%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

If you don’t have Parmesan cheese then Romano will also work. 

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

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

Sources

Become a VIP member!

Get access to my VIP newsletter with health tips, special deals, my free ebook on Seven Small Easy Habits and so much more!

Easy Habits ebook on ipad

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

7 responses to “Chicken Carbonara Recipe (Over Spaghetti Squash)”

  1. Christy L Avatar
    Christy L

    5 stars
    Ok so I made this. The second of your dishes that I’ve made. My family LOVED IT!!! But every fiber of my being was screaming too much bacon grease too much butter. I was terribly worried that it was unhealthy. All my meats were organic and I used organic veg and grassfed butter. Are my tastebuds and old ways of thinking fooling me? Could this really be healthy?

  2. Ez Avatar

    Oh boyyyy!!!! Is this good! I made this, prepared the asparagus with butter, but ate them all while preparing the chicken! I only used crushed garlic and salt for the seasoning and it came out super tasty with the bacon and a side o boiled green beans. Yum!

  3. Robin Avatar

    Any suggestions for helping us older(45+) paleo gals with perimenopause and menopause symptoms?
    Thanks for any help!
    Robin

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      The magnesium will help a lot, and red raspberry leaf, wild yam, and red clover will help ease the symptoms. Some people also get a lot of benefit from natural progesterone cream used on the skin for the second half of each month.

5 from 1 vote

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating