This one-pan creamy chicken Marsala pasta combines fettuccine pasta with chunks of boneless chicken breast and golden mushrooms, all in a creamy Marsala wine sauce.
At a glance …
This creamy chicken Marsala fettuccine is a one-pan chicken Marsala pasta with tender strips of chicken, golden mushrooms, and fettuccine, all tossed in a rich Marsala wine cream sauce.
It comes together in about 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner that still feels a little bit special. Just add a a Simply Spring Salad or this Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad and you’ve got a complete, restaurant-style pasta night at home.
This quick and easy weeknight-friendly dinner brings some new flavours to pasta night, and is a nice change from the typical tomato-based pasta dishes. With fettuccine pasta, chunks of boneless chicken breast and golden mushrooms, all in a lightly creamy Marsala wine sauce, this is a hearty pasta dinner.
This one-pan chicken pasta is a perfect for a 30-minute weeknight dinner or date-night pasta!
- One-pan easy
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Restaurant-style flavour
- Flexible and forgiving, works with different pastas and both chicken breasts or thighs
If you love cooking with Marsala wine, try my Pork Marsala with Mushrooms next! It starts with a single pork tenderloin, then adds mushrooms and an easy, creamy Marsala wine sauce. This Marsala Braised Pork is another great option. This one starts with a pork shoulder and adds potatoes and carrots. Finally, go for the classic Chicken Marsala or this delicious Risotto with Marsala Mushrooms.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Boneless chicken – I tend to favour boneless chicken breasts for this pasta, but boneless chicken thighs will also work here. You’ll need about 5 boneless chicken thighs.
Marsala wine – Look for Dry Marsala wine in the Fortified Wines section at the liquor store. Be sure to pick up “Dry” vs. Sweet Marsala wine, which is typically reserved for dessert recipes. The brand available here is Sperone.
Fettuccine – While I love this dish with fettuccine, a similar long pasta, such as linguini or tagliatelle, is fine, too. That said, there is no reason you couldn’t make this with any short pasta, as well. Penne or rigatoni would be good options.
Mushrooms – Either cremini or button mushrooms will work here. I like to start with whole mushrooms that I slice myself, as it produces more variation in textures.
Heavy whipping cream – Heavy whipping cream is recommended for the best sauce consistency and because the higher fat content prevents the cream from splitting when combined with the acidic wine. While you can use a lighter cream, such as half-and-half, it might split and it will produce a thinner sauce.
How to make chicken Marsala fettuccine
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Brown the chicken breast pieces well.
Step 2: Remove the chicken to a plate
Step 3: Start the fettuccine cooking.
Step 4: Cook the shallots and mushrooms.
Step 5: Sprinkle with flour.
Step 6: Add the Marsala wine.
Step 7: Add the chicken broth.
Step 8: Return the chicken to the pan.
Step 9: Add the cream.
Step 10: Add the cooked pasta and cook together a few minutes.
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- As the sauce cooks quickly over high heat, it is really helpful to have all the ingredients prepared and at the ready before you start the recipe!
- Speaking of high heat, cooking the chicken and sauce over medium-high heat is the secret to great browning, and browning equals flavour!
FAQ
This pasta relies on the unique flavour of the Marsala to flavour the sauce. If you skip it, you really are leaving a lot of flavour behind. That said, you can replace the Marsala with additional chicken broth.
Again, Marsala has a very unique flavour that isn’t easily replicated. While you could replace it with red or white wine, the flavour profile of the dish would be different.
Absolutely, use what you have or enjoy. A similar long pasta, such as linguini, would be nice or for a short pasta, penne or rigatoni are great options.
Absolutely. Simply omit the cream.
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Get the Recipe: Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
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.
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Allow the chicken to cook undisturbed until well-browned underneath, about 2. 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.
- 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 minutes.
- Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour and stir the flour together with the mushrooms until no dry flour is visible. Add the Marsala wine. Allow the Marsala to boil for about 1 minute, or until almost completely evaporated. 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. Stir in the cream and basil, thyme and oregano.
- 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 165F internal temperature). Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, to taste and as needed.
- 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.
- Add the parsley to the pasta and stir it in. Serve immediately, garnished with shaved Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and additional parsley.
- This pasta is lovely served with a simple green salad and crusty bread.
- Refrigerate leftover 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!
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. Instead, reach for a cast-iron skillet, a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet, an enamelled 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 oven). The high heat will produce great browning on the chicken, will cook the mushrooms quickly to a lovely golden colour, and will reduce the sauce quickly to a rich, dark colour. Don’t hesitate to nudge up the heat under just a bit if you feel it isn’t cooking quickly enough.Watch how to make it
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
