I was inspired to make this Chicken Marsala Capellini because of the famous ‘Rigatoni D’ pasta dish I love so much from Maggiano’s Little Italy in Chicago. Two different names… what’s the connection? They are both made using the same rich creamy Marsala wine sauce! It’s absolutely delicious and one of my favorites.
Although Maggiano’s may call this dish, Rigatoni ‘D’ (named after its creator, David DiGregorio), it’s essentially the same dish as the Chicken Marsala Capellini. I’ve just swapped out the rigatoni with capellini in order to skip the final step of baking in a casserole. This saves a whole lotta time!
A fast enough meal to make on a weeknight but fancy enough for the weekend. It’s the perfect meal for any day of the week.
Chicken Marsala Capellini
A restaurant quality dish that you can make at home. The combination of Marsala, mushrooms and chicken stock creates a rich and very flavorful sauce that can easily be made at home yet give you restuarant quality results.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 LB (500g) chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus extra for seasoning)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (plus extra for seasoning)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces (250g) cremini mushrooms
- 1 large shallot, finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1-1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 1-1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock (or homemade)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- THE REST:
- 1/2 pound (225g) capellini or angel hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- shavings of Parmesan (for garnish, optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC).
- Step 2 Clean the chicken and pound to flatten. Season lightly with some salt and pepper. Set aside. In a shallow dish mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture until completely covered. Shake off excess.
- Step 3 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Cook each side until golden brown (about 4 minutes per side). Transfer to an oven-safe dish, tent with aluminum foil, and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce and pasta.
- Step 4 Bring a pot of water (with about 2 tablespoons of salt) to a boil. While you’re waiting for it to boil you can already start the next step (which is the sauce).
- Step 5 Going back to the same pan with the remaining pan grease leftover from the chicken, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the mushrooms and cook until just softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add shallots and cook about a minute. Then add the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Step 6 Pour in the Marsala and chicken broth. Simmer until reduced by half (about 15 minutes).
- Step 7 Pour in the heavy cream and stir. Taste and season with salt. The amount of salt added varies upon the amount of salt already in your chicken stock, so add a bit of salt at a time and taste after each add.
- Step 8 Add your cooked chicken into the sauce. The flour from the chicken helps thicken the sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes. Then turn heat to very low to keep sauce warm.
- Step 9 Back to the pot of water, when it is at a boil add in your pasta. See package instructions but it should only take about 3 minutes to cook al dente. Completely drain.
- Step 10 To serve, add a single portion of pasta onto a plate or bowl, top with chicken and mushroom sauce. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and Parmesan shavings if desired. Alternatively you can serve this dish on one large platter/bowl to be served ‘family-style’.
- Step 11 The chicken and mushroom sauce can also be served over a different pasta of choice, rice, potatoes or cauliflower rice.