Pimped Up Pasta Carbonara with Chicken and Truffle Butter

Pasta Carbonara is one of those classic dishes that is loved by people all over the world and especially loved by me. However, it is quite naughty in terms of calories so I only tend to have it on special occasions so when I make it I tend to go all out.

To make the meal more substantial, and because everyone loves it, I added chicken to it and to make it more extravagant I added truffle butter which I'm lucky enough to get for a good price at my local farmer's market. What's more, I love making my own pasta and it's super easy to make thick ribbons which hold the creamy, cheesy sauce perfectly.

Pimped Up Pasta Carbonara with Chicken and Truffle Butter
Serves 8

2 tbsp truffle butter (or olive oil)
75g smoked pancetta cubes or bacon, chopped
6 chicken breasts, cut into strips
600g homemade pasta (or dried spaghetti)
4 free range eggs, beaten
4 free range egg yolks, beaten
75ml extra virgin olive oil
140ml double cream
140g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the truffle butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and fry until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the chicken to the same pan and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until completely cooked through.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 3-5 minutes (or follow instructions on the packet if using dried spaghetti). Drain and reserve a little of the cooking water.

Place the beaten eggs into a large bowl. Add the spaghetti to the eggs and a little of the reserved cooking water and mix well.

Add the oil, cream, parmesan, cooked chicken and cooked pancetta cubes and stir to combine.

To serve, divide the pasta and sauce between 8 bowls. Top with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.