admit, Pinterest hasn't been totally reliable for recipe finds, but my pinning filter is sharpening and I've been able to pick out some really decent recipes. This is a good example. Not the best, but it's a damn good starter. Clue number one was that the author credited America's Test Kitchen. I trust Cook's Illustrated and I would love to see the original Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta but I let my subscription expire last year. Boo. Also, the simple set of ingredients mixed well in my head and I knew it would taste yummy. On to my modifications! I used an 8 oz package of baby bella mushrooms, four large cloves of garlic, and the entire one cup of Parmesan. The recipe mentions adding the Parmesan to the pasta mixture at the end, instead of in the sauce where I usually add it. So instead of just shredding the Parmesan, I used my food processor to shred then chop into semi-fine bits (more like the shakable Parmesan). It melted well but I still think it should melt in the sauce to tame some of the Marsala flavor. Also, the recipe mentions adding only a half a cup of Parmesan. Not sure where the other half cup went other than for serving.
Ingredients:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cut into bite sized pieces
- 10-12 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup Marsala cooking wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound dry penne pasta + water for cooking
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese + more for serving
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- minced, chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet until foaming. Cook chicken until lightly browned. Transfer to plate when done.
- Boil water and cook pasta according to the directions.
- Melt additional 1 tablespoon of butter in skillet, add garlic, mushrooms and onion and cook for about 6 minutes. Add cooked chicken back into the skillet. Add the Marsala, chicken broth and cream and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce is is slightly thickened.
- Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the mushrooms and chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 1 minute, adding the reserved cooking water as needed.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional Parmesan cheese and a garnish of chopped parsley.
