I’ve worked at Johnny Carino’s for nearly 10 years and I’m still not sick of the food. Everything I’ve eaten there I’ve loved. One of the most popular dishes at the restaurant is the Bowtie Festival. And I was absolutely thrilled when a friend of mine introduced me to a recipe that tasted just like it! I could have cried. From that we came up with this copycat version that makes me feel like I’m enjoying it at the restaurant. It tastes so much like the original! You’ll definitely want to pin this one!
Copycat Johnny Carino's Bowtie Festival
Copycat Johnny Carino's Bowtie Festival features a decadent cream sauce, grilled chicken, and smoked bacon. It's no wonder it's a restaurant favorite!
Servings: 4
Equipment
- 5 quart pasta pot
- 14-inch skillet
- pasta strainer
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 (10-12 oz) bowtie pasta
- 4-6 strips bacon
- 3 c boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/4 c red onion, chopped
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 c chicken broth
- 1 c heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. Tony Creole’s seasoning
- 2-3 Tbsp flour
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. While pasta is cooking, place bacon in a saute pan and cook. Remove from pan and pat dry on a paper towel; set aside.
- Add the chicken to the same saute pan to cook. Add garlic and onions; mix together. When the chicken is cooked, add the tomatoes and bacon and combine.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, drain and rinse with cool water. Put the pasta back in the pot and pour the chicken mixture in with it; stir.
- Add chicken broth and heavy cream to the mixture. Stir together and add Tony Creole’s seasoning, plus a little extra garlic.
- Stir together well and heat. Add flour to thicken the sauce. Start with 2 Tbsp and if it isn't thick enough add one more tablespoon. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
recipe adapted from Allergy Awesomeness
Looking for more copycat pasta dishes? Here’s another Johnny Carino’s favorite!
Copycat Johnny Carino’s Spicy Shrimp and Chicken
Alli is the food blogger and photographer behind Cupcake Diaries. Nestled in Northern Utah with her four young boys, hubby, and a full pantry, she loves baking all kinds of treats as well as quick and easy meals for her family. What started out as sharing a few recipes with family members here and there soon turned into a full-functioning recipe blog with readers from all around the world! Alli is a full-time mom who enjoys music, holidays, and spending time with her family.
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Ray Ball Fam says
This was so good, and easy to make. My husband loved the bacon flavor!
Mary Ellen says
This looks and sounds delicious. What can I substitute for Tony’s creole’s seasoning?
Alli says
Tony’s creole seasoning is a cajun seasoning. You can make your own with common spices. Here’s a recipe! 2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
Julie says
Will this recipe keep fairly well in a crockpot?
Alli says
Hi Julie! Great question. I think as long as you don’t have it on high heat and it’s not in there for a long time you should be ok. Just to avoid the noodles getting too mushy. You could also keep everything but the noodles in the crock pot until you need it and then toss the cooked noodles in right before.
Cece says
I would love to make this recipe but I do try to watch my calorie intake. Is there any idea how many calories this is?
Alli says
Hi Cece! If you were to give yourself a restaurant sized dish of this pasta it would be around 900 calories. For that reason, when I make this recipe I usually measure out about a cup and eat it with a side salad.
Dot says
I have never made a comment about a recipe before but this was SO good , I had to say something. I made this last night and we loved it! The recipe tasted just like the restaurant entree. This will be repeated probably too often. Bowtie Festival was the dish we ordered most when we dined at Carino’s. HAHA now we can have it anytime.
Alli says
Thank you so much for your comment! It made my day. I’m so happy that you not only loved the recipe, but that you think it tastes like the original. Happy day!!! Thank you again!
TJ says
I tried making this last night and the sauce turned up too liquidy, any suggestions?
Alli says
Hi TJ, thank you for the question! After adding that first 2 Tbsp of flour you can add more to thicken the sauce as you like. Just give it enough time to heat and thicken before adding more flour so you don’t end up adding too much. Does that help?
TJ says
I added 4tbs flour and it still did not thicken. Maybe I did not heat on high enough or for long enough? How long do you usually heat for?
Alli says
The thickening process can take a little while if you want it relatively thick. If you’ve ever made my copycat Olive Garden alfredo sauce, it takes about 10 minutes for it to get that thick. If you’re wanting it as thick as an alfredo sauce it will probably take about 10 minutes to heat and thicken up. Does that make sense?
Erin says
All I can say is, WOW!! This was simple and delicious. I don’t know how a recipe could taste any closer to the original than this one does. Thank you for sharing!!
Alli says
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Erin! Thanks so much for your comment! It made my day.
Theresa says
How many does this recipe serve? I need to make enough for 8.
Alli says
This feeds four people if this is being served as your main dish. I would double it for 8!
Daniel Spedale says
Johnny Carinos in katy has been closed for a while and we miss it terribly. This was one of my wife’s
Favorite dishes from there so I decided to try it. She absolutely loved it !!!
Alli says
I’m so glad your wife loved that recipe! That makes me so happy! Especially since your Carino’s closed.
Gerardo says
where is the asiago?
Alli says
Hi Gerardo! I don’t use cheese in my version of the recipe and it still tastes similar. Thanks!
Jeanette says
My husband and I made this a couple months ago and we’re making it again tonight! This was my favorite dish at Johnny Carino’s but we no longer live in a state that has a Johnny Carino’s, so thanks so much for sharing!!! (:
Alli says
Yay! Thanks so much for your comment, Jeanette! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
Paula says
I had this many times when we had a Carino’s in Albany, GA. Can’t wait to make it at home! My favorite dish they made, though, was their Spicy Bacon Pasta, made w/ spaghetti noodles. Do you remember this dish? Any idea where I could find a recipe? Thank you!
Alli says
Hi Paula! Ok I talked to my sisters (all three of us worked at Carino’s!) and the only dish we can think of is the Chicken Scallopini. It has chicken medallions, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, spaghetti, and an asiago cream sauce. But it isn’t spicy so I wasn’t sure if this was the one! Does that sound like the dish?
Martha Cressy says
There is no mention of cheese. Could you expand? The item states asiago cream sauce in the menu
Alli says
Hi Martha! I didn’t use cheese for this version of the recipe. However, I get comments all the time about how much it tastes like the original so I know it’s still good without the cheese!
Kayla Pinkston says
I LOVED ordering the bowtie festival pasta and was very sad when my local Johnny Carinos shut down. This is by far the closest recipe to the original I have come across. It is super simple and quick enough to make on a week night. Highly recommend trying this recipe. Very delicious!