Fancy sounding, but super simple to put together, chicken Marsala fettuccine is a belly-busting pile of fat fettuccine noodles, golden mushrooms, and succulent strips of chicken breasts in a rich and slurpy wine and cream sauce. This Mafia-worthy recipe will have the family begging for more.
Oh, and Tony Soprano called. He’ll be round for dinner.
Mushrooms and Marsala wine are one of my favourite savoury flavour pairings. With or without cream, this sauce is just as at home with family-friendly meatballs as it is a date-night filet mignon.
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Chicken Marsala pasta
If you’re not familiar with this Italian ingredient, Marsala is a sweet and syrupy fortified wine from Sicily and is the kingpin of this recipe. It’s burnt toffee and nuts aroma is what gives this, and any Marsala recipe, its rich undertones. I love cooking with wine anyway and finding different flavour profiles to enrich sauces with makes me very happy!
Marsala sauce is traditionally made with mushrooms. I know I am an undeniable mushroom-lover, but I swear they were already there! And for good reason, pairing Marsala’s strong earthy flavour with woody mushrooms and sweet-fleshed chicken is a heavenly combination.
I’ve made the dish even more complex with my own embellishments: a big splash of cream and a grating of salty Parmesan. I’m owning it!
While I’ve used chestnut mushrooms in this recipe, it’s what I had in the fridge and I think it adds to the caramel colour of the dish, you could use any mushroom you choose. Personally, I avoid button and white mushrooms though. What do they really bring to the table?
Chicken Marsala (no cream) with mashed potatoes is what’s usually served in my house so this creamy chicken pasta variation is a welcome change from the norm. Don’t feel bound to fettuccine if you don’t have any. Any long pasta like spaghetti or linguine will do the same job. And if all you have is fusilli or penne, who’s gonna know?
Recipe tips and notes
- I’ve used mini fillets in this chicken marsala fettuccine recipe. They are, conveniently, the perfect size. If using full-size chicken breasts, cut them into bite-sized chunks. Smaller pieces will cook more evenly resulting in a super tender bite each time.
- Usually, the chicken breasts would be dredged in flour to thicken the sauce. But I’m cutting a corner, so I skipped the dredging and added the flour directly to the pan.
- Adding too many mushrooms to the pan will steam them rather than fry. For bronzed and flavoursome slices, give them a bit of space.
- Chestnut mushrooms are a beautiful colour and I love their chunky texture. If you have a favoured fungus (mushroom), feel free to substitute or even add another. A variety will add complexity to this dish.
- An easily sourced alternative to Marsala is sherry- semi-sweet will work best. Madeira wine is probably the closest in flavour, but may be just as challenging to get your hands on!
- The original chicken Marsala recipe did not include cream. However, a generous glug of single (light) cream adds a luxurious touch.
- There’s no Parmesan cheese in my sauce. There’s plenty of flavour from the mushrooms and wine, so I just grated a dusting over the top of the dish before serving which adds a little extra saltiness.
Serving suggestions
Already paired with ribbony fettuccine, this chicken pasta just needs some green on the side and who would refuse some garlic bread?
My go-to garlic bread right now is this air fryer recipe as it is crammed with butter and herbs and ready in just 5 minutes! Or for something more modest in the flavour stakes, a simple sourdough focaccia.
As for greens, this irresistibly soft and buttery miso roasted cabbage recipe is sublime. Or for more crunch, and a bit of an acidic slice through the creamy Marsala sauce: tenderstem broccoli with lemon garlic vinaigrette.
Storage and leftovers
Keeping leftover pasta is not really something I do. I find it too sticky and claggy the second time round. But I also battle with throwing good food away! This chicken marsala fettuccine will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat on the hob- you might need a splash of water or chicken stock to loosen it up and make sure the chicken pieces are piping hot in the centre before serving.
Draw the line at freezing it though! A thawed and reheated creamy sauce is unpleasantly disappointing.
More recipes to try
Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 450g / 1 lbs chicken breast mini filet
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil divided
- ½ ` white onion chopped
- 300g / 3 cups chestnut mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 125ml / ½ cup This is an affiliate link.Marsala wine
- 250ml / 1 cup This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 250ml / 1 cup single / light cream
- 250g / 8 oz fettuccine / tagliatelle
- Flat leaf parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- Sprinkle bite-sized chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper on both sides and fry in 1 tbsp of olive oil until golden over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes. Do not over cook as the chicken breasts will be quite small and will cook fast. Remove to a separate plate and set aside.
- Set a pot of water to boil. Once boiled add a pinch of salt and pasta. Cook according to package instructions.
- In the same pan, where you cooked chicken, heat another tablespoon of olive oil, then add sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, then push them to a side and add the chopped onions. Cook them over low heat for 2-3 minutes, then add 2 tbsp of flour, stir and cook for a minute longer, then add the marsala wine and turn the heat up to medium, add chicken stock and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and return the chicken to the pan. Pour in the cream and let it heat through in the sauce, simmer for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken to a desired consistency.
- Drain the pasta once cooked and add directly to the sauce with the chicken, toss to coat. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
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