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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!
Featured with this recipe
Around here, we lovingly refer to this recipe as Elise’s Chicken Marsala, because it’s one our 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. We 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:
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut into strips, or your can use chicken cutlets or chicken tenders.
- All purpose flour – about three quarters of a cup for dredging
- Salt – ¾ teaspoon
- Black pepper
- Dried oregano – about a teaspoon or so.
- Butter – four tablespoons
- Canola oil – four tablespoons of this as well. You can also substitute olive oil.
- One teaspoon minced garlic
- 24 ounces sliced mushrooms – use fresh sliced mushrooms or canned.
- 2 cups Marsala cooking wine – Marsala wine or dry marsala wine is great to cook with. This fortified wine has a sweet, rich flavor. All the alcohol cooks out during the cooking process.
- Chicken broth – one cup
- Whole milk or heavy whipping cream – heavy cream tastes delicious in savory dishes! It’s not just for desserts.
- Water – one cup
- 1/4 cup cornstarch – or more if needed. You’ll whisk in the cornstarch with water which will thicken the sauce.
- 16 ounces fettuccini noodles – prepared according to package directions.
- Fresh parsley or dried parsley – optional, but makes a beautiful garnish.
- Thyme – a dash of dried thyme could make a good garnish as well.
More About Marsala Wine
Chicken Marsala is old Italian favorite, dating back hundreds of years. 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. The alcohol burns off during the cooking process, leaving you with a rich flavor that makes this dish so indulgent and delicious.
Variations to this Recipe
- This recipe makes a huge batch, about eight good size servings. It’s the perfect dish to entertain with. Most of the time, however, we half the recipe.
- If you really don’t want to use the Marsala cooking wine, you can substitute with chicken stock, dry white wine or this simple recipe: about a quarter cup white grape juice, a tablespoon of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of sherry vinegar.
- Heavy whipping cream will enhance this sauce, making it even creamier and richer, but you can use regular milk if that’s what you have on hand.
- We 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 yummy 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
More Delicious Dinner Recipes
Dinner doesn’t have to be a drag. Try a few of these simple, yet satisfying recipes:
- General Tso’s Chicken
- One Pot Creamy Garlic Noodles
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Crock Pot Steak and Gravy
- Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breasts, cut into strips (or 3 pound bag chicken tenders, thawed)
- 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
- 24 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups Marsala cooking wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or more if needed
- 16 ounces fettuccini noodles prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- 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 (about 300 degrees) until done, turning after about 6 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pan and add mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms for 3 minutes. Add marsala, chicken broth and milk (or cream) to mushrooms.
- In a small bowl, combine water and corn starch until smooth. Slowly add corn starch mixture to marsala sauce until thickened. I like it a little thicker, about the consistency of gravy.
- Place chicken back into pan and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Serve over cooked noodles.
Notes
- This recipe makes a huge batch, about eight good size servings. It’s the perfect dish to entertain with. Most of the time, however, we half the recipe.
- If you really don’t want to use the Marsala cooking wine, you can substitute with chicken stock, dry white wine or this simple recipe: about a quarter cup white grape juice, a tablespoon of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of sherry vinegar.
- Heavy whipping cream will enhance this sauce, making it even creamier and richer, but you can use regular milk if that’s what you have on hand.
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!