Creamy Chicken Marsala Fettuccine

Step 1: Sear the Chicken. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the chicken pieces and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until a deep golden-brown crust forms. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until browned and no longer pink inside. Transfer the seared chicken to a plate and set aside, reserving any juices.

Step 2: Prepare the Pasta Water. While the chicken cooks, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add your fettuccine and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about a cup of pasta water before draining.

Step 3: Sauté Aromatics and Mushrooms. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the finely diced shallots and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring and scraping up any browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. This adds incredible depth of flavor. Introduce the sliced mushrooms and cook until their liquid has evaporated and they are beautifully golden-brown, about 3-5 minutes.

Step 4: Create the Roux. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour over the cooked mushrooms and shallots. Stir continuously for about 1 minute until no dry flour remains and it forms a light roux. This will help thicken your sauce.

Step 5: Deglaze with Marsala. Pour in the 1/2 cup of dry Marsala wine. Let it simmer vigorously for about 1 minute, or until almost completely reduced and the strong alcohol aroma has cooked off. This process deglazes the pan, lifting all those flavorful browned bits from the bottom.

Step 6: Simmer with Broth. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a strong simmer and allow it to reduce by about half, which should take roughly 3 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken and intensify in flavor.

Step 7: Reintroduce Chicken and Cream. Return the seared chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir in 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and your dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano). Allow everything to gently simmer for 2-3 minutes, ensuring the chicken finishes cooking to 165°F and the sauce is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper as needed.

Step 8: Combine with Pasta. Using tongs, transfer the cooked fettuccine directly into the skillet with the sauce. Toss the pasta gently but thoroughly, ensuring every strand is coated in the creamy Marsala goodness. Cook together for about 2 minutes, allowing the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. If the sauce becomes too thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water or additional chicken broth.

Step 9: Final Touches and Serve. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately, garnished generously with shaved Parmesan cheese, a crack of fresh black pepper, and more fresh parsley. This dish is truly best enjoyed hot and fresh!

Step 10: Enjoy! Your spectacular one-pan Creamy Chicken Marsala Fettuccine is ready to be devoured. A simple green salad and crusty bread make perfect accompaniments.

Expert Tips for a Flawless Chicken Marsala Pasta!

• Mise en Place is Your Best Friend: This recipe moves quickly, especially since it’s cooked over medium-high heat. Ensure all your ingredients are prepped, measured, and ready to go before you even turn on the stove. This “mise en place” approach guarantees a stress-free and smooth cooking process.
• Embrace the Heat: The secret to achieving deep, rich flavors in this dish lies in cooking at medium-high to high heat. This intensity helps develop a beautiful golden-brown crust on the chicken, quickly caramelizes the mushrooms, and rapidly reduces the Marsala and broth, concentrating their flavors into a robust sauce. Don’t be shy about adjusting the heat if things aren’t browning or reducing as quickly as you’d like.
• Choose the Right Pan: For optimal browning and flavor development, steer clear of non-stick skillets, which often struggle with high heat. Instead, opt for a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet, a cast-iron pan, or an enameled cast-iron skillet (like a Dutch oven). These materials retain and distribute heat exceptionally well, leading to those desirable browned bits (fond) that are crucial for a flavorful sauce.
• Don’t Rush the Reduction: Allowing the Marsala wine and chicken broth to reduce by half is critical. This step concentrates the flavors and ensures your sauce isn’t watery. Patience here will be rewarded with a rich, full-bodied sauce.
• Taste and Adjust: Always taste your sauce before combining with the pasta and again before serving. Marsala wines and broths can vary in saltiness, so adjust salt, pepper, and even the dried herbs to suit your preference. A little extra fresh parsley at the end brightens everything up!
• Pasta-to-Sauce Ratio: When adding the cooked pasta to the sauce, do so gradually. It’s often better to under-add pasta than to over-add and end up with a dry dish. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away! Aim for a generous coating, where the pasta is fully enroveloped in the creamy sauce.

While you can technically omit the Marsala wine, we highly advise against it if you want to experience the authentic flavor profile of this dish. The unique, complex notes of Marsala are integral to the sauce’s depth and richness. Without it, you’d be sacrificing a significant amount of the characteristic flavor. If you must skip it, you can substitute with an equal amount of additional chicken broth, but be prepared for a different, less nuanced result.

Marsala wine possesses a very specific flavor – a blend of nutty, caramelized, and slightly oxidized notes – that white or red table wines cannot easily replicate. While you could technically use another wine, the final dish would have a distinctly different flavor profile. A dry white wine might offer some acidity but won’t bring the same depth, and a red wine would likely overpower the delicate creamy elements and change the color dramatically. For the true Marsala experience, sticking to dry Marsala is key.

Absolutely! This recipe is quite flexible when it comes to pasta choices. Similar long, flat pastas like linguine or tagliatelle are excellent substitutes as they hold the creamy sauce well. If you prefer a short pasta, options such as penne, rigatoni, or even orecchiette work beautifully, creating little cups to capture the rich sauce. Use whatever you enjoy or have on hand!

Yes, you can certainly prepare a cream-free version. Simply omit the heavy whipping cream from the recipe. The sauce will be thinner and less rich, but it will still carry the wonderful flavors of Marsala, chicken, and mushrooms. You might consider adding a splash of milk or a bit more chicken broth to achieve your desired consistency, or even a touch of Parmesan cheese for body.

While fresh mushrooms are preferred for their texture and ability to brown beautifully, frozen sliced mushrooms can be used in a pinch. If using frozen, add them directly to the pan (no need to thaw) after the shallots and cook until all their released liquid has evaporated and they start to brown. Be aware that their texture might be slightly softer than fresh mushrooms.

Store any leftover Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently warm it in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat. The sauce may thicken significantly upon cooling, so you’ll likely need to add a splash of chicken broth or even a bit of water to loosen it up and restore its creamy consistency. Stir occasionally until heated through.

Fettuccine with chicken and mushrooms, all bathed in a delicious creamy Marsala wine sauce. Just add a salad for a great weeknight pasta dinner.

Ingredients

• 10-12 oz fettuccine pasta, or pasta of your choice
• 8 oz boneless chicken breasts, sliced crossways (about 2 medium breasts)
• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons butter, DIVIDED into a 1 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp piece
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced (can substitute red or yellow onion)
• 8 oz whole cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine, not sweet Marsala (look for “Dry” on the label)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf or curly parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish (or 1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley)
• Parmesan cheese shavings, to serve

Instructions

1. Prep Your Ingredients: Before you begin, ensure all ingredients are measured, chopped, and ready (mise en place), as this recipe cooks quickly.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. When boiling, salt generously, then add the fettuccine. Cook to al dente according to the package instructions.
3. Heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil together with 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (or a bit higher, somewhere between medium-high and high). You want a really hot pan, but not so hot that it will scorch. When the butter is melted and foaming, add the chicken pieces to the pan.
4. Allow the chicken to cook undisturbed until well-browned underneath, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the chicken is well browned and no longer pink, about another 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
5. With the skillet still over medium-high+ heat, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in the pan. Add the shallots to the pan and cook about 30 seconds, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until all of the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour and stir the flour together with the mushrooms until no dry flour is visible, cooking for about 1 minute.
7. Add the Marsala wine. Allow the Marsala to boil vigorously for about 1 minute, or until almost completely evaporated.
8. Once the Marsala has mostly evaporated, add the chicken broth and stir in. Allow the sauce to simmer vigorously until the mixture is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
9. Stir in the cream, basil, thyme, and oregano.
10. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Cook the chicken with the sauce for 2-3 minutes to finish cooking the chicken (to 165°F internal temperature). Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, to taste and as needed. You can add additional dried herbs at this point, too, if you like.
11. When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Toss the pasta with the sauce, then cook together for about 2 minutes or until the pasta is coated well with the sauce. If the sauce over-reduces, you can loosen it up with a bit of pasta cooking water or additional chicken broth.
12. Add the parsley to the pasta and stir it in. Serve immediately, garnished with shaved Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper, and additional parsley.
13. This pasta is lovely served with a simple green salad and crusty bread.
14. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet on the stovetop, adding a bit more broth to the skillet to loosen the pasta, as needed.

Notes

Tips for Success!

• Have all the ingredients prepared and ready! As this recipe cooks over high heat, it moves quickly. You won’t have time to find and measure out ingredients. Having all the ingredients prepared and at the ready will make for a stress-free cooking experience.
• Start with the right pan! I don’t recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe, as non-stick skillets aren’t recommended for higher heat cooking and won’t create the necessary fond. Instead, reach for a cast-iron skillet, a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet, an enameled cast-iron skillet, or even a Dutch oven. Using the right pan will ensure lovely browned bits and a rich, dark sauce.
• High heat equals high flavour! This entire dish should be cooked over medium-high heat (or even a bit higher, depending on your stove). The high heat will produce great browning on the chicken, will cook the mushrooms quickly to a lovely golden color, and will reduce the sauce quickly to a rich, dark color. Don’t hesitate to nudge up the heat just a bit if you feel it isn’t cooking quickly enough.
• Add pasta gradually: When combining the pasta with the sauce, add it in stages, tossing as you go. This allows you to control the pasta-to-sauce ratio, ensuring your pasta isn’t dry. It’s better to have a little cooked pasta leftover than a sauce-deficient dish.