Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

As many of you know who have been reading for a while one of my favorite things to do is have friends and family over for dinner.  There is something about gathering at the table, sharing a meal, a few glasses of wine (or champagne if we are feeling festive) and a million boughts of laughter.

Standing in my kitchen cooking with friends surrounding me is truly my happy place.  There is no place in the world I would rather be.  Entertaining is definitely my favorite thing to do!

Recently I wanted to have some people over but didn't want to spend a fortune.  In the same respect I wanted to make something that would knock their socks off!  I consulted Pinterest and as is typical, it did not disappoint!

I have always been a fan of chicken marsala and I have a soft spot in my heart for dishes that have anything to do with pasta so when I came across this recipe, read the ingredients and realized I would only need to grab a few things at the store, I was sold!

    

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1 package thin sliced, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

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 pasta + water for cooking (I used penne, rigatoni is also good)

1 cup Parmesan cheese + more for serving

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt and pepper to taste

minced, chopped fresh parsley for garnish

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 the Marsala, chicken broth and cream and bring to a boil.
Simmer until sauce is is slightly thickened.  Add cooked chicken back into the skillet.

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.  At this point I added all the pasta water and about another 1/4-1/2 cup of cream....I know, gluttony, but it was delicious!

Remove chicken and slice into strips.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional 

Parmesan cheese and a garnish of chopped parsley.