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Fettuccine Chicken Marsala is a hearty, rich pasta with seared chicken breast, earthy mushrooms, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic and spinach finished in a rosemary-infused, creamy sauce with nutty, Sicilian Marsala wine. It’s a taste and texture explosion like no other! Read on for more.
We all need a little chicken Marsala in our lives from time to time.
A staple of every Italian American red sauce restaurant across America, it’s a mouthwatering combo of golden, seared chicken breasts and earthy mushrooms cooked in a rich pan sauce of slightly sweet, fortified Sicilian Marsala wine and good ol’ full-fat butter. It’s creamy and savory and comforting and decadent all at once.
I’ve been making this pasta version of the classic for years and it has been a huge hit every time (and always requested again)! As a long-time eater and cooker of Marsala everything, I knew the flavors would translate perfectly to pasta form, and I was thrilled to have that confirmed upon my first forkful.
Chicken Marsala fettuccine is a bit of an unusual take on the recipe as it’s very veggie-forward with lots of different flavors and textures going on. But they’re all pulled together in the most harmonious way via the rich and nutty, creamy Marsala wine sauce. The wine’s distinct flavor complements the other flavors so well!
By the way, for another innovative take on the flavors of chicken Marsala, check out these dreamy and unique chicken Marsala stuffed mushrooms. The best!
In addition to chicken, pasta, Marsala wine and the dish’s signature mushrooms, this recipe gets a boost in both taste and texture from artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, onions, garlic, rosemary and a bit of cream.
With ingredients like this, fettuccine chicken Marsala is most definitely an entrée pasta that is a meal in itself. Perfect for any weeknight, weekend or special dinner party.
You may be surprised at how quickly you will fall in love with this one, guys. But I won’t! It’s, quite simply, spectacular. Make it once and you will make it over and over–promise.
Consider this a new classic. Mangia bene!
More Chicken Recipes: Fried Chicken Cutlets, Chicken Pomodoro, Chicken Francese with Mushrooms, Baked Italian Chicken Cutlets and Chicken Parm.
How to Make Fettuccine Chicken Marsala
- Prep all ingredients. Cut the chicken into bit-sized pieces. Chop the rosemary and garlic. Slice the onions, mushrooms, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
- Combine the flour and spices together in a shallow bowl and mix until well combined. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter together over medium-high heat.
- Dredge the prepped chicken pieces into the seasoned flour and toss until they are well coated.
Pro-Tip
Throw a rosemary spring into the oil/butter for additional flavor.
You can also put the flour and chicken in a zip-lock bag if you want and toss together until chicken is well-coated.
- Shake off excess flour, then sear the chicken in the hot oil/butter. Place the chicken in a single layer and don’t overcrowd the pan. Work in batches if necessary.
- Brown multiple sides of the chicken pieces, then transfer them to a dish and set aside.
Pro-Tip
The chicken pieces do not need to be perfectly browned or 100% cooked at this point, although they should be small so may be fully cooked. They’ll be added back to the sauce later in the cooking process and heated again fyi.
- Decrease heat and add onions, garlic and chopped rosemary to pan. Cook until onions and garlic have softened a bit.
- Then, add mushrooms and cook until most of their liquid has released and evaporated, stirring occasionally. Use some of this liquid to deglaze the pan and scrape up any brown bits left from browning the chicken.
- Next, pour in the Marsala wine and scrape up any remaining brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden utensil. Simmer wine for a few minutes until it has reduced by about ¼ or so. Taste and make sure the alcohol taste has cooked off.
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, cook pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, salt, black pepper and reserved chicken to pan and stir well. Simmer for a few minutes while the sauce thickens and the chicken cooks through.
- When pasta is ready, transfer it to sauce along with about ½ cup of starchy pasta water and spinach. Stir well and let pasta finish cooking in the sauce.
- Once pasta is al dente, turn off heat and stir in more butter and drizzle with extra–virgin olive oil. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side and enjoy!
If you enjoy cooking with Marsala wine, try my Baked Spiral Ham with Marsala Glaze and Cranberry Apple Sauce with Marsala recipes. Both great at the holidays and with each other, in fact!
More Hearty Pasta Recipes
- Pasta Norcina with Mushrooms and Sausage
- Straw and Hay Pasta with Prosciutto, Mushrooms and Peas
- Pasta Boscaiola with Mushrooms and Sausage
- Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna with Bechamel
- Ricotta Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
- Vodka Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- Beef Brisket Ragu with Pasta
- Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella
- Pizzaiolo Pasta with Crispy Pepperoni
- Classic Baked Ziti
Love artichokes? Check out Artichoke Sausage Pasta with Lemon and Basil, Sausage Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms, Baked Artichoke Heats with Lemon Breadcrumbs, Baked Artichoke Dip and Crispy Fried Artichoke Hearts.
Substitutions
- Wine: Even though the signature taste of marsala wine is an important flavor in this dish, you can make this exact recipe with a dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. And, I have made this recipe many times with dry white wine and I love it, fyi. I don’t recommend red wine for this recipe as it will overpower the dish.
- Chicken Thighs (boneless/skinless) can definitely be used in place of chicken breast in this recipe.
- Fresh Herbs: The rosemary in this recipe is technically optional, because I still want you to make it even if you don’t have any on hand! But, the distinct flavor of rosemary definitely adds to the fabulousness of this chicken marsala pasta. Having said this, just leave it out if you don’t have any on hand, or substitute it with a flat-leaf parsley or thyme.
- Prefer peppery arugula? It’s a great substitution for the spinach.
If you’re interested in a comforting soup version of chicken Marsala, you can find a recipe for Chicken Marsala Soup in my cookbook, SOUPified: Soups Inspired by Your Favorite Dishes. In fact, it’s one of my favorite recipes in the book!
Recipe Variations
- Easily make this dish vegetarian by leaving out the chicken. If you do this, you might want to increase the amount of the other ingredients a bit.
- Add some chopped, black, oil-cured olives to the sauce for extra flavor.
- Make chicken marsala noodles extra spicy by adding 1 to 2 tsp Calabrian chili paste to the pan along with the onions and garlic.
- Make a simpler version of this recipe by omitting the artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary and spinach. It will still have amazing flavor!
- For a little picante at the end, don’t forget to drizzle some homemade spicy pepper oil over the finished dish!
Love Mushrooms? Check out Deli-Style Marinated Mushrooms, Sheet Pan Sausage and Mushrooms with Fennel, Creamy Crab and Mushroom Soup, Chicken and Mushrooms in Wine Butter Sauce and one of my favorites – my Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe with Italian Sausage and Mushrooms-yum!
TOP TIPS for Fettuccine Chicken Marsala
- Pasta Water: The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- Pasta: I used fettuccine pasta here but this recipe will work with most thicker long and short pastas. Some other favorites are tagliatelle, bucatini, rigatoni, ziti and penne. Since this is a heavy sauce, I don’t recommend a light pasta like capellini or something too small like orecchiette.
- Butter and Olive Oil: Don’t forget to add some butter and high quality, extra-virgin olive oil to the finished dish for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
Fettuccine Chicken Marsala
Equipment
- Dutch oven or Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1¼-1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast , (about 2 large breasts)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, (optional)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter, + more for finishing
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig, (optional)
- 1 heaping cup thinly sliced yellow onions
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, (optional)
- 1 pound sliced mushrooms, (See Notes.)
- 1½ cups dry Marsala wine, (12 fluid ounces)
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta, + salt for pasta water
- 1 (14-ounces) can artichoke hearts or quarters, drained (quarter first if whole; about 1 heaping cup quartered artichoke hearts)
- ¾-1 cup chopped/sliced sun-dried tomatoes, drained of any oil (See Notes.)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 handfuls baby spinach, (about 5 ounces)
- Extra virgin olive oil, for finishing
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Put a large pot of water on to boil.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Prep the chicken. Remove any large pieces of fat and/or tendons and cut the breasts into bite-sized pieces. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel.1¼-1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Combine the flour and spices together in a shallow bowl and mix until well combined.½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Heat the olive oil and melt the butter together in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.OPTIONAL: Throw a rosemary spring into the oil/butter for additional flavor.2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- Meanwhile, dredge the prepped chicken pieces into the seasoned flour and toss until they are well coated.NOTE: You can also put the flour and chicken in a zip-lock bag if you want and toss together until chicken is well-coated.
- Shake off excess flour, then sear the chicken in the hot oil/butter. Place the chicken in a single layer and don’t overcrowd the pan. Work in batches if necessary. Add more butter/oil if needed.
- Brown multiple sides of the chicken pieces, then transfer them to a dish and set aside.NOTE: The chicken pieces do not need to be perfectly browned or 100% cooked at this point, although they should be small so may be fully cooked. They will be added back to the sauce later in the cooking process and heated again fyi.
- Once all the chicken is browned and removed from the pan, decrease the heat to medium-low and add the onions, garlic and chopped rosemary to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onions and garlic have softened a bit. (You can cover the pan to speed up this process.)1 heaping cup thinly sliced yellow onions, 2 Tbsp chopped garlic, 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Then, add the mushrooms and cook until most of their liquid has released and evaporated, stirring occasionally. Use some of this liquid to deglaze the pan and scrape up any brown bits left from browning the chicken.TIP: Cover the pan for a few minutes right after the mushrooms have been added to get them cooking more quickly.1 pound sliced mushrooms
- Next, pour in the Marsala wine and scrape up any remaining brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden utensil.1½ cups dry Marsala wine
- Adjust the heat to bring the wine to a light simmer and simmer a few minutes until it has reduced by about ¼ or so. Taste and make sure the alcohol taste has cooked off.
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.1 pound fettuccine pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, add the artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, salt, black pepper and reserved chicken (include any accumulated juices) to the pan and stir well. Let this mixture simmer for a few minutes while the sauce thickens and the chicken cooks through. Add some pasta water at this point if the sauce is getting too thick. NOTE: If the sauce is finished before the pasta is ready, then just lower the heat and keep it on warm until a couple minutes before the pasta is ready. Then, turn it back up to medium/medium-low.1 (14-ounces) can artichoke hearts or quarters, ¾-1 cup chopped/sliced sun-dried tomatoes, ¾ cup heavy cream, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the sauce along with about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water (to start) and the spinach. Stir well to fully combine all ingredients and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add the additional pasta water if more moisture is needed.2 handfuls baby spinach
- Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and stir in 1-2 more Tbsp butter and drizzle with a bit of high-quality extra–virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to a serving platter, serve with grated cheese on the side and enjoy. Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- White mushrooms or a blend of your favorite mushrooms can be used in this recipe. I used a mixture of cremini and shiitake mushrooms. If using shiitake, be sure to remove and discard the stem.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can definitely be used in this recipe instead of chicken breast.
- If you’ve purchased whole artichoke hearts, be sure to cut them into quarters before using.
- If using sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drain them first. (You can use some of this oil in place of the olive oil. if desired.) If using very dry, sun-dried tomatoes, they might need to be rehydrated in warm water first for 15-20 minutes. Drain them before adding to pan.
- I used fettuccine pasta here but this recipe will work with most thicker long and short pastas. Some other favorites are tagliatelle, bucatini, rigatoni, ziti and penne. Since this is a heavy sauce, I don’t recommend a light pasta like capellini or something too small like orecchiette.
- The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- The butter is “mounted” on the finished pasta at the end for additional richness and silkiness, along with the extra-virgin olive oil. (FYI, this is how most restaurants finish every dish.)
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
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A winner every time I make it! Worth the effort for sure.