Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
This Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara brings the restaurant's creamy, smoky pasta straight to your kitchen with tender chicken, juicy shrimp, and a rich pancetta cream sauce you'll want to make every week.
The Olive Garden Pasta Dish Everyone Wants to Make at Home
If you have ever sat down at Olive Garden, ordered the Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, and immediately thought "I need to learn how to make this," you are absolutely not alone. This is one of those restaurant dishes that feels almost impossibly indulgent: thick, hollow bucatini pasta coated in a silky cream sauce, loaded with smoky pancetta, tender sliced chicken, and perfectly cooked shrimp, finished with a shower of freshly grated Parmesan. It is rich, it is satisfying, and it is the kind of pasta that makes a Tuesday night feel like a special occasion.
This copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara recipe captures everything that makes the original so craveable, and honestly? It might be even better fresh out of your own skillet.
What Makes This Carbonara Different from a Classic
Traditional Italian carbonara is a beautifully simple dish: pasta, eggs, Pecorino Romano, guanciale, and black pepper. No cream. No garlic. No proteins beyond the cured pork. Olive Garden's version is firmly in the Italian-American category, and that is completely intentional. The addition of heavy cream makes the sauce extra lush and stable, which means it is much more forgiving for home cooks. The chicken and shrimp turn it into a hearty, protein-packed entree rather than a light primo course.
This is not a dish to feel guilty about adapting. The Olive Garden Chicken Carbonara recipe has always been its own thing, and leaning into that is what makes it so delicious.
Chef's Tip: The single most important technique in this whole recipe is tempering the egg yolks. Whisk a few spoonfuls of the hot cream sauce into your egg mixture before adding it to the pan. Skip this step and you risk scrambled eggs in your pasta. Take thirty extra seconds to do it right and you get pure silk.
Ingredients Worth Getting Right
A few ingredient choices will genuinely elevate this dish. Using freshly grated Parmesan rather than the pre-shredded kind matters here because the anti-caking agents in pre-shredded cheese can make your sauce grainy instead of smooth. Real pancetta, while not always at every grocery store, brings a delicate, porky depth that bacon approximates but does not quite match. And for the pasta, bucatini is the move if you can find it. That hollow center catches the sauce in a way that flat noodles simply cannot.
Having the right kitchen tools helps too, especially a large, wide skillet that gives you enough surface area to sear the chicken properly and toss the pasta without making a mess.
How to Build the Sauce Without Stress
The carbonara cream sauce in this chicken and shrimp carbonara pasta recipe comes together in stages, and understanding each one takes the guesswork out of it.
First, you render the pancetta until crispy and use those flavorful drippings as the base of your sauce. This is flavor you cannot fake. Then butter and garlic go in, followed by the cream and milk. Letting this simmer for a few minutes gives it a head start on thickening before the egg yolks even enter the picture.
When you add the tempered egg and Parmesan mixture, keep the heat on low and stir constantly. The sauce will go from loose to perfectly coating the back of a spoon within a minute or two. If it gets too thick before you add the pasta, a splash of that starchy pasta water you saved will loosen it right up.
A few things to keep in mind while cooking:
- Pound your chicken to an even thickness before cooking so it sears evenly without dry edges
- Cook the shrimp last, directly in the sauce, so they stay tender and pick up all that flavor
- Reserve your pasta water before you drain it. Seriously. Do not forget this step.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce off the heat or on the lowest setting to keep the sauce from breaking
Tips for Serving This Dish Like a Restaurant
The Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara copycat recipe is best served immediately while the sauce is at peak creaminess. Warm your bowls in the oven at low heat for a few minutes before plating if you want that extra restaurant touch.
For garnish, do not skip the fresh parsley. It is not just decorative. The brightness cuts through the richness of the sauce and makes every bite feel a little more balanced. A final crack of black pepper and an extra pinch of Parmesan over the top are non-negotiable.
If you are making this for a dinner party, the Olive Garden Chicken Carbonara pairs beautifully with a simple green salad and warm breadsticks (obviously) or a crusty Italian loaf for soaking up every last bit of sauce.
Ready to make it? Here is the full step-by-step recipe:
Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
This Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara brings the restaurant's creamy, smoky pasta straight to your kitchen with tender chicken, juicy shrimp, and a rich pancetta cream sauce you'll want to make every week.
Ingredients
- 12 oz bucatini or spaghetti pasta, bucatini preferred for authentic texture
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz each, pounded to even thickness
- 3/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, 16/20 count recommended
- 4 oz pancetta, diced small, bacon can substitute
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, adjust to taste
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, set aside before draining
Instruction
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the bucatini or spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, season both sides of the chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear the chicken breasts for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer to a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips.
In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy and the fat has rendered. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the drippings in the pan.
Add the butter to the skillet with the pancetta drippings. Once melted, add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for about 60 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the heavy cream and whole milk, stirring to combine. Let the sauce simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes until it begins to thicken slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and grated Parmesan cheese. Very slowly ladle a few spoonfuls of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk bowl, whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent scrambling.
Pour the tempered egg and Parmesan mixture back into the skillet, stirring continuously over low heat. The sauce will thicken to a silky, creamy consistency within 1 to 2 minutes. If it becomes too thick, stir in a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Push the sauce to the edges of the pan and increase heat to medium. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and curled. Do not overcook.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat every strand in the sauce. Fold in the sliced chicken and most of the crispy pancetta, reserving some for topping.
Divide into bowls and top with the remaining pancetta, extra Parmesan, a crack of fresh black pepper, and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Equipment
- Large pasta pot
- Large skillet or saute pan (12-inch recommended)
- Tongs
- Whisk
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Small mixing bowl
- Slotted spoon
- Meat thermometer
Notes
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. When you are ready to reheat, skip the microwave and go straight to a skillet over low heat. Add a small splash of heavy cream or chicken broth and stir gently as it warms back up. The sauce will come back together beautifully.
One honest note: this dish does not freeze well. The cream sauce tends to separate and the shrimp become unpleasantly rubbery after freezing. This is a make-it-fresh, eat-it-this-week kind of recipe, which honestly is not a hardship given how good it is.
Whether you are cooking this for a weeknight dinner or making it the star of a dinner party, this copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara is the kind of recipe that earns real compliments. Rich, smoky, creamy, and deeply satisfying, it is everything a great pasta dish should be.
