Diced chicken breast and bacon?

[muzzlet]

Ok, have some diced chicken breast (about 3/4 pound) and some nice bacon that's homemade at my local favorite grocer's, and was on sale. Oh, and a box of rotini. Was thinking of some sort of carbonara, but hubby is lactose intolerant, so would like to find something sans dairy. (He can tolerate some aged Parmesan, but not cream.)
Any suggestions?

[Constance]

Toss the pasta, chicken and bacon with an Italian vinaigrette instead of the cream, and/or a can of diced tomatoes with juice.
You can also use some of the pasta cooking liquid for moisture.

[kitchenelf]

Another option - make your dish like you were making carbonara. After it's done and everything is tossed together add a bit of the pasta liquid to give it a bit of "sauce".

Can he eat eggs? I would temper the eggs with some of the pasta water and toss in and toss. That's the way I make my fettucini. If you are worried about the eggs pasteurize them first. You can google how to do it - simply heat up to a certain point for so many minutes. The egg yolk will give you the creaminess you lack from the milk

[muzzlet]

OOOH, some great ideas, thanks!!!

[jet]

Tomatoes seem like the way to go.

A can of diced tomatoes (undrained) with a little bit of vinegar. Reduce the liquid slightly and season lightly. Top with a little Parmesan...sounds like a winner!

[appleyard14]

I eat pasta noodles tossed with pesto quite a bit. You could definetly add some cubed chicken, I dont know how the bacon would fit to well though

[muzzlet]

Thanks Constance!! I had never thought of using a vinaigrette as a pasta sauce before, and it was really good!! I sauteed the chicken, along with a shallot, in the dressing. Then tossed it all together with the pasta and bacon, a little more dressing, and some Parmesan. Hubby loved it!! Next time I will add some roasted red peppers as well.

[marquess1234]

Why not use lactose free milk? It has a very good taste.

[jerseyjay14]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muzzlet Ok, have some diced chicken breast (about 3/4 pound) and some nice bacon that's homemade at my local favorite grocer's, and was on sale. Oh, and a box of rotini. Was thinking of some sort of carbonara, but hubby is lactose intolerant, so would like to find something sans dairy. (He can tolerate some aged Parmesan, but not cream.) Any suggestions?

chicken and bacon? man thats like the motherload. If your husband doesnt eat dairy id suggest making a sauce from a reduced chicken stock.... id probably go with something like this:

- steamed green veggie(whatever you got,spinach, brocoli, leeks, asparagus, etc)

- cut the bacon into bits, and cook it in a dry pan with some onions if you have them until they are crispy and all the fat is rendered. SAVE this FAT, you'll need it for the sauce.

- cook your pasta

- cook the chicken in a pan or skillet with some olive oil, just enough to get it nice and browned and cooked through. whisk in about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, and a few bacon bits. lower the heat and then whisk in a teaspoon of cornstarch.

serve the chicken and bacon bits over the pasta, then top with the sauce

- reduce 1 cup of chicken stock down about half.

[Claire]

Hmmm. I don't even use cream in my carbonara. I put a little parm in the beaten eggs, and serve a little on the side. As some have suggested, making a sort of pasta primavera is good as well. I, too, have used bottled italian dressing as part of the sauce, but otherwise I use olive oil, garlic, and peppers. My year-round staple is frozen brocolli florets, but depending on what is in season I'll use whatever is good in the veggie department, lightly steam it (your microwave oven can be your best friend, but sometimes I just toss them in with the pasta while it's boiling), then add to the pasta at the last minute.