Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara

Chef #919372's Note:

Olive Garden's new entree, Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara, was inspired by the chef's recent trip to Rome. A staple in Italian cuisine, Carbonara traces its roots to a hearty meal popularized by charcoal workers in Italian villages. Olive Garden's Carbonara combines chicken and shrimp with bucatini pasta in a pancetta and parmesan cream sauce. Baked and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs, the entrée takes an exciting twist on a classic dish. To learn more about the new menu item, visit www.olivegardennewfavorites.com.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 3 lbs chicken strips or 1 large shrimp
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons bacon bits
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup bacon, mixture
• cooked pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14 ounce) boxes pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons romano cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 3/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup panko
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups roasted red peppers, cut into small strips
• 1/4 cup bacon bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Whisk extra virgin olive oil together with hot water, seasoning and chopped garlic. Add the chicken strips (or shrimp). Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and bacon bits. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add flour, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, milk bacon base pepper and salt. Use a wire whisk to whip all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer.
5. Combine Romano, Parmesan, mozzarella, panko, chopped garlic, melted butter and chopped parsley in a mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Set aside.
6. Preheat large skillet. Add chicken (or shrimp) to pan. Add red peppers and bacon bits. Cook for 3 more minutes or until cooked on both sides and internal temperatures reach 165ºF for chicken and 155ºF for shrimp.
7. Add sauce. Stir until well blended.
8. Place hot, precooked pasta on a lager serving platter. Top with chicken (or shrimp) and sauce. Evenly distribute topping over top of chicken (or shrimp). Place in broiler until top is golden brown.
9. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Reviews

[Potluck]

We love Olive gardens chicken and shrimp carbonara..But,their chicken is breaded and this one isnt and they use canadian bacon and linquini pasta..So, I played with this recipe and we were thrilled with the results..I made half this recipe for 4 servings with 8 slices canadian bacon cut into 1/4 pieces placed in a cast skillet with garlic and cooked at 350 in oven for about 15 minutes till just starting to turn brown..Add this to your sauce..Also added 2 egg yolks,whisk well into sauce,you can use alittle cornstarch if needed for thickening,but not too thick it is a creamy sauce....Save whites for dipping the cutlets into breading..Slice 4 chicken breasts across to make 2 cutlets 1/4"thick..Place 1/4 cup Italian flavored panko in a large ziploc bag use a rolling pen to roll it out to make it more of a meal,add 2 Tbls flour and 1/2 Tbls dried parsley. Remove cutlets from refrigerator shake off excess liquid and dip in flour then in whisked egg whites and dip again in ziploc ingredients. Fry in skillet with just enough olive oil to cook to crispy brown..Add red peppers to warm up if needed before serving..Place linguine on plates top with 2 cutlets and equal amount of roasted red peppers,pour generous amount of sauce over,cover with topping and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes till it starts to turn slightly browned..Plates will be hot!...Remind evryone...I served this last night and everyone loved it..Sorry Olive Garden you wont be seeing us as often....Thank U Chef for this recipe,it helped..

[maryjanejam]

Not a good recipe to try if you are a new cook. Luckily, I am not and I could make sense of this recipe. It turned out ok, but there were many ambiguous steps. What should I do with all this cheese I just grated? How thick should the sauce get? Do I add the oil that was used to soak the chicken? There are far easier recipes with much better results out there.

[bretth65]

Simply outstanding. cooked this for my wife and she says its the best thing I ever cooked. It's a heart Attack on a plate but hey.. It takes you to heaven. Followed the recipe literally and it turned out just fine