Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large chicken breast – about 6oz/175g
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
14 oz (400g) dried spaghetti
3 large eggs
½ cup (50g) Pecorino Romano cheese (or swap for Parmesan or Grana Padano) – finely grated
½ cup (50g) Parmesan cheese – finely grated
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3.5 oz (100g) pancetta, chopped into small pieces
2 cloves garlic – minced
Instructions:
-Place the chicken breast flat on a board and slice in half through the middle, so you have 2 equal-sized thin fillets. Dust with the salt and half the pepper.
-Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat.
-Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through.
-Remove from the pan and place on a chopping board to rest, then slice into strips.
-Meanwhile place the spaghetti in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
-Whilst the pasta is cooking mix together the eggs in a bowl with the Pecorino cheese and half the Parmesan cheese. Put to one side.
-Place the butter in the pan that you cooked the chicken in. Heat over a medium heat until the butter melts.
-Add the pancetta and fry for 3-4 minutes, until starting to crisp up, then add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds.
By now, the pasta should be ready (if it’s not, turn off the heat of the pan with the pancetta in, and reheat it for a few seconds when ready). Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water (reserving the water in the pan) and transfer to the pan with the pancetta. Don’t worry about excess water from the pasta dripping into the pan – that water will help give you a lovely saucy finish.
-Add the chicken to the pasta and toss the spaghetti in the pan over the heat for a minute, then turn off the heat.
-Add 4 tbsp of the reserved pasta water to the pan, then whilst constantly lifting and lowering the pasta with the tongs, pour the egg mixture in the pan with the pasta.
-Continue lifting and lowering until the egg mixture coats the pasta. Add a little more pasta water if needed, until you have a lovely creamy sauce.
-Divide the pasta between four bowls and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan cheese and black pepper before serving.