This chicken marsala recipe is a Gnarly Roots original. A classic Italian dish, perfect for dinner parties where friends gather around the kitchen as it simmers on the stove. Savory and slightly sweet, you will not forget this special pasta dish. This is one of the first meals that Beth began making for our original dinner club, back in the Hermosa Beach days. (Shout out to the OG woman dinner crew. Miss and love you all.) Although this admission makes us feel quite ancient, we (as in Beth) have been making this chicken marsala for large gatherings for more than 20 years. This one is special. Don’t rush it, enjoy the process.
The Goods: Chicken Marsala Ingredients
Interestingly, the shopping list for this dish is quite short. You will need 4 large or 8 small chicken breasts, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 2 shallots, 2 bottles of Marsala wine, 1 package of shiitake mushrooms, sliced, 1/2 package baby bella (0r other choice mushrooms), sliced, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 T corn starch, 2 T water, 1 lb. bowtie pasta, and finally 4 T olive oil.
The Process
Preparing the Chicken
First of all, if you have 4 large chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise. Once you have the 8 chicken breasts, fat trimmed and ready, pound out chicken breasts until flattened or ~ ½ inch thick.
Next, put flour in a shallow bowl. Then, add salt and pepper to the flour and mix. Drag / coat the chicken breasts in the flour on both sides.
Now, add olive oil to a large pan and turn stove to medium heat. Sear chicken on both sides, but don’t cook all the way through. Pull chicken out of the pan and set aside. I had 8 smaller cuts of chicken, so I browned 4 at a time to allow enough space for the browning.
The Marsala Sauce
At this point, you can chop the shallots. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and sauté shallots, scraping up the chicken remnants while letting sauté about 5 minutes.
Once the shallots are translucent, add in all Marsala wine and turn stove to medium high heat. When the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes.
At this point, start to boil water and cook pasta according to instructions.
Back to the marsala sauce, add the whipping cream to the pan and stir. Bring to a low boil.
Mix the cornstarch with water per instructions and begin to add this to the sauce slowly to thicken the sauce, simmer for 10 minutes.
Now, add the mushrooms into the sauce and continue cooking. Then, add all chicken back to the pan and allow chicken to continue cooking thoroughly, about 10 – 15 minutes.
The Final Stage
To prepare for serving, put a layer of bowtie pasta onto each plate, top with a piece of chicken, and a spoonful of sauce and mushrooms. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and/ or parsley, as desired.
And enjoy with family or friends!
Notes and Serving Suggestions for this Chicken Marsala
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is recommended for the garnish, but on rare occasions, we have forgotten this step and it is still delicious!
- If you are looking for a green to accompany this dish, consider a Simple Italian Salad or Roasted Brussel Sprouts.
- We like this dish with pasta, however, mashed potatoes are also an amazing complement to this dish, if you are a fan.
B’s Chicken Marsala
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This is a delicious and savory classic, which can be served with pasta or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 large or 8 small chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 shallots
- 2 bottles Marsala Wine
- 1 – 8 oz package shitake mushrooms, sliced
- ½ – 4 oz package baby bella or other choice mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbs corn starch
- 2 Tbs water
- 1 lb bowtie pasta
- 4 Tbs olive oil
Instructions
- If you have 4 large chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise. Once you have the 8 chicken breasts, fat trimmed and ready, pound out chicken breasts until flattened or ~ ½ inch thick.
- Put flour in a shallow bowl. Add salt and pepper to the flour and mix. Drag / coat the chicken breasts in the flour on both sides.
- Add olive oil to a large pan and turn stove to medium heat. Sear chicken on both sides, but don’t cook all the way through. Pull chicken out of the pan and set aside.
- Chop the shallots. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and sauté shallots, scraping up the chicken remnants and letting sauté about 5 minutes.
- Once the shallots are translucent, add in all Marsala wine and turn stove to medium high heat. When the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- At this point, start to boil water and cook pasta according to instructions.
- Back to the marsala sauce, add the whipping cream to the pan and stir. Bring to a low boil.
- Mix the cornstarch with water per instructions and begin to add this to the sauce slowly to thicken the sauce, simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms into the sauce and continue cooking.
- Add chicken back to the pan and allow chicken to continue cooking thoroughly, about 10 minutes.
- Put a layer of bowtie pasta onto each plate, top with a piece of chicken, and a spoonful of sauce and mushrooms. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and, or parsley as desired.
- Enjoy with family or friends!
Notes
Suitable for Small or Larger Gatherings with Family and Friends! I have always made this meal for a lot of people so I use larger quantities. Cut the recipe down as needed.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
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