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Chicken Marsala Fettuccine is a beautiful, indulgent show stopping dish that looks fancy but is really simple to make. Fragrant and rich, your family will love this recipe!
Easy Chicken Marsala Fettuccine – Better Than Olive Garden
Around here, we lovingly refer to this recipe as “Elise’s Chicken Marsala”, because it’s one my sister Elise’s signature dishes. If you’ve tried the Chicken Marsala Fettuccine from Olive Garden this recipe has so much more flavor, and really easy to prepare. I always try to score an invite to Elise’s house for this meal. Tender chicken drenched in a decadent and creamy Marsala sauce served over fettuccine noodles and served with a side salad and crusty bread? Yes, please! Next time you really need to wow your guests, reach for this recipe; it’ll be a hit for sure!
Ingredients in Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
Try not to get overwhelmed by the amount of ingredients on this list; they’re all easy to find and come together to make such a gorgeous meal! Here’s what you need:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut into strips, or your can use chicken cutlets or chicken tenders.
- Dredging mixture: flour, salt, pepper, and dried oregano
- Butter, oil, and garlic – for frying
- Mushrooms – use fresh sliced mushrooms or canned. The recipe below calls for 8 ounces of mushrooms but I will usually double it because I am a mushroom lover.
- Marsala cooking wine – Marsala wine or dry marsala wine is great to cook with. This fortified wine has a sweet, rich flavor.
- Chicken broth (or stock)
- Heavy whipping cream – you can also use half and half or whole milk
- Cornstarch slurry – made from cornstarch and water. This is used to thicken the sauce.
- Fettuccine noodles – prepared according to package directions.
- Thyme and fresh parsley – for garnish
More About Marsala Wine
Marsala is an Italian wine, produced in romantic Sicily, and has a distinct smoky, deep flavor. When making Chicken Marsala, look for a dry Marsala cooking wine. A lot of the alcohol burns off during the cooking process, leaving you with a rich flavor that makes this dish indulgent and delicious.
Variations to this Recipe
- If you really don’t want to use the Marsala cooking wine, you can substitute with chicken stock, dry white wine.
- Heavy whipping cream enhances this sauce, making it even creamier and richer, but you can use regular milk if that’s what you have on hand.
- I love using fettuccine noodles for this dish, but you could use spaghetti, angel hair pasta, just about any pasta will work.
- Chicken marsala also tastes delicious over rice or roasted potatoes.
Marsala is a fortified wine (it is fortified with brandy) that tastes very sweet. It is most usually used for cooking. It makes rich, nutty, caramelized sauces.
You can use a large bowl or a resealable plastic bag. Combine the flour mixture (flour, salt, pepper, and oregano) then add the chicken and shake until well coated.
Serve with a starch of your choice: rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. Then add a green salad, grilled asparagus or your favorite veggie as a side.
READ MORE: 25+ Traditional and EASY Sunday Dinner Ideas
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Craving a good, rich, creamy pasta. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We have a bunch of delicious, savory pasta recipes just for you!
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Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into thin strips (you can also use chicken tenders or chicken thighs)
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup Marsala cooking wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or more if needed
- 16 ounces fettuccini noodles prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- Cut chicken into even strips. If the chicken is uneven, you can place the strips in a plastic bag and pound flat with a mallet. In a large resealable plastic bag combine flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Add chicken and shake until well coated.
- Heat butter, garlic and oil in an electric fry pan or large skillet. Add chicken.
- Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, turning once half-way through. The chicken should just barely be cooked through with an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Remove chicken from pan and add mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Slowly add marsala wine and cook for another 3-4 minutes without stirring. Gently stir in chicken broth and cream to mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
- In a small bowl, combine water and corn starch until smooth. Slowly add corn starch mixture to marsala sauce a little at a time until thickened. You may not need all of the corn starch mixture. Try to aim for the consistency of a thin gravy.
- Place chicken back into pan and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Serve over cooked noodles.
Notes
- If you really don’t want to use the Marsala cooking wine, you can substitute with chicken stock or dry white wine
I like how elegant it seems even though it’s so easy!
What a delicious and simple weeknight meal! Can’t wait to make this again!
I love the Olive Garden Chicken Marsala (and yours especially)! This is easy to make at home!
What a flavorful and easy recipe! A restaurant worthy dish, indeed!
This is a perfect weeknight meal, so easy and very yummy!
Delicious – my family and I really enjoyed your recipe!