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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

One of SP's favorite dishes is Chicken Marsala. You all know how much he loves mushrooms. I saw this recipe for Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta over on my friend Katie's blog and figured it would be a big hit. Plus it's practically a one-pot meal save for boiling the pasta.


This was really good but I've always found myself disappointed with chunks of chicken in pasta dishes. I usually end up eating around them or giving them to SP. I much prefer a piece of chicken I can cut up, especially because white meat can get dry and tough quickly. I feel I can control the doneness of the chicken better when it's in a big piece.

I've modified the directions below to make the pasta and sauce together and then the chicken on top. I also took some of the ingredients from my favorite version of Chicken Marsala and combined it with this recipe to create a whole new recipe, which I can't wait to try.

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
Inspired by So Tasty, So Yummy

1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon oil
4 slices) bacon, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Place flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Coat both side of each piece of chicken with flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the floured chicken in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and return the skillet to low heat and add the bacon. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until the bacon is browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until the mushrooms and onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and cooked bacon and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to brown. Off the heat, add the Marsala and chicken broth.

Return the pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from the pan bottom, until the sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, add the heavy cream. Whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Parmesan cheese and cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 1 minute. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce.

To serve, add pasta to a bowl and top with sauce and chicken. Sprinkle more parsley over the top.

4 comments:

  1. I am with you on the chicken in pasta...sometimes I like to shred it, but that can get odd too.... Looks delicious!

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  2. I can't wait to try this. I've tried a couple of versions of chicken marsala pasta and haven't been impressed, but this one REALLY looks like a winner.

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  3. I agree re. chicken in pasta. It's tricky to get it just right, I think.

    I'm tellin' ya... you should make the chicken mushroom thyme marsala over rice dish I make all the time. You guys would love it. :) I'm nudging kind of hard on that one. ;)

    Aaaand now I put it in my menu for next week again.

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  4. I love your modifications, especially the bacon! I will have to try your Marsala one day soon.

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