Description
Chicken Marsala Fettuccine with Mushrooms is a flavorful Italian-inspired dish featuring tender chicken breast cutlets cooked in a creamy marsala wine sauce with sautéed mushrooms and fresh thyme. Served over buttered parmesan egg fettuccine pasta, this recipe offers a comforting and elegant meal perfect for dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Sauce
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, heaping
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- Ground black pepper, to season
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 3–4 tablespoons DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- 5–6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms (baby bella), quartered
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves)
- 1 cup dry marsala wine
- ½ cup chicken stock/broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
Pasta
- 8.8 ounces DeLallo Egg Fettuccine or pasta of choice
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prep the water: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season it with salt to prepare for cooking the pasta.
- Prepare chicken cutlets: Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing it lengthwise and lightly pound each piece to an even thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin with parchment paper.
- Dredge the chicken: Season cutlets with garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Coat each piece evenly with ⅓ cup of flour and shake off excess. Reserve extra 2 tablespoons flour for later.
- Brown the chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken cutlets 3-4 minutes per side until deeply browned and nearly cooked through. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding. Set browned chicken aside.
- Cook mushrooms and aromatics: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook about 8 minutes until softened. Stir in onions, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper. Cook 5 minutes more until fragrant and softened.
- Make marsala sauce: Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, then the reserved flour. Cook 1-2 minutes, then deglaze skillet with marsala wine, scraping up browned bits. Simmer 2-3 minutes, add chicken stock, and simmer 3-5 minutes until thickened. Lower heat and stir in heavy cream; heat gently without boiling. Adjust thickness with chicken stock if needed and season to taste.
- Cook pasta: Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining. Do not rinse pasta.
- Toss buttered noodles: Return drained pasta to pot. Add unsalted butter and grated parmesan cheese; toss to coat evenly. Use reserved pasta water to loosen or tighten noodles as needed. Remove from heat.
- Serve: Plate the buttered fettuccine noodles topped with the chicken cutlets. Drizzle extra marsala sauce over the top as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Marsala wine is a fortified Sicilian wine with rich caramel and vanilla notes, available in dry varieties labeled ‘Fine’ or ‘Superior’ ideal for cooking. Madeira wine is a good substitute.
- To thicken the marsala sauce further, create a cornstarch slurry by mixing a few tablespoons of warm sauce with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and stir back into the sauce for a glossy, creamy texture.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat gently with a splash of water or chicken broth to loosen the sauce.
- For quicker meal prep, pound chicken and prep vegetables up to 3 days in advance and store separately in airtight containers.
