This easy Chicken Marsala Pasta recipe combines tender chicken and pasta in a rich, creamy mushroom sauce. A quick yet impressive meal full of comfort factor. Perfect for weeknights, fancy enough for entertaining!

A skillet filled with tagliatelle pasta, mushrooms, and chicken, garnished with chopped parsley. Nearby are a bowl of grated parmesan with a wooden spoon and a small pitcher of cream, all on a tiled surface.

If you love creamy pasta dishes and classic comfort food, this Chicken Marsala Pasta is about to become your new favorite recipe.

It’s a rich, restaurant-style meal made right at home, with juicy pan-seared chicken, golden mushrooms and a creamy Marsala sauce that clings lovingly to every strand of pasta. Whether you’re cooking for your family or trying to impress dinner guests, this dish totally delivers.

Did You Know?

Chicken Marsala is a beloved Italian-American dish created by Italian immigrants adapting their home country dishes to ingredients available in the US. Traditionally served with mashed potatoes or polenta, this pasta version brings all those classic flavors together in one cozy, carb-loving bowl.
Marsala wine is a fortified Sicilian wine used in a variety of recipes. The wine gives this dish its signature flavor – nutty, deeply savory yet with a hint of sweetness.

A hand holding tongs lifts creamy fettuccine pasta with mushrooms and parsley from a blue skillet, set on a tiled countertop.

What You’ll Need

Chicken Breasts – Lean, quick-cooking, and perfect for pan-searing until golden. You can also use skinless boneless chicken thighs if you prefer. The chicken is simply seasoned and dusted with flour before pan frying.
Shallots and Garlic – Our sauce’s flavor base, at once fragrant, sweet, and savory. You’ll want them finely chopped so they melt into the sauce.
Mushrooms – A must for that earthy flavor. Cremini or baby bella mushrooms, white button mushrooms all work. You can even sneak in some wild mushrooms for extra flavor.
Marsala Wine – Choose a dry or semi-dry Marsala for best results. This wine keeps well for up to four months after it has been opened, provided it is closed and stored in a cool, dark cupboard. Use it to add flavor into sauces or simply to deglaze the pan.
Cream – Makes the sauce luscious and velvety. Want to lighten it up? Use half-and-half, but full cream gives the best richness.
Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a must!
Parsley – Fresh parsley adds a pop of color and brightness to this rich dish.
Pasta – any type of pasta can be used, but flat long noodles like fettuccine or malfade are best as sauce clings on to them! Reserve some of the pasta water to use in the sauce if you like.

A variety of ingredients including raw chicken cubes, uncooked pasta, mushrooms, a shallot, garlic, butter, cream, a glass of wine, soy sauce, a small sauce cup, and fresh herbs arranged on a kitchen counter.

How to Make Chicken Marsala Pasta

Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dust with a little flour and toss to combine.
Heat oil and butter in a large skillet and pan fry the chicken until nicely browned on all sides and mostly cooked through – 6-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it onto a bowl.

Left: Raw chicken pieces coated with flour on a white plate, being handled with tongs. Right: The coated chicken pieces are being cooked and lightly browned in a pan with oil.

Now would be a good time to put the pasta on to boil. Cook according to pack instructions and drain before using. Hopefully with this timing, the pasta will be ready just before the sauce is.
Add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan if needed, scraping any browned bits loose. Add butter and oil to the pan and sauté the shallots, stirring, over medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Season with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder.
Stir in the garlic and mushrooms with a pinch salt and thyme. Let them cook down for a few minutes, stirring over low heat.
Add the Marsala and simmer until it is reduced and the wine aroma dissipates. Stir in the chicken stock and cornstarch slurry. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, with an occasional stir, until sauce thickens.
Stir in the cream and chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Add the drained pasta and toss well to cover in the creamy Marsala sauce. Check the seasoning, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with some garlic dough balls and a glass of chilled white wine… mmm, my kind of meal!

A hand stirs a creamy mushroom sauce in a pan. Below, cooked chicken, mushrooms, and sauce are mixed together, and fresh tagliatelle pasta is added before serving.

Substitutions and Variations

Heavy cream (double cream) is what makes this sauce rich and silky. You can add as much or as little as you like though. Substitute with soy cream if preferred.
Marsala wine is this recipe’s MVP and I highly recommend you get a bottle for cooking. Dry sherry or Madeira are the closest subs.

Leftovers and Storage

This pasta dish stores well, perfect for leftovers or make-ahead dinners. It is not very happy in the freezer though!

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan over low heat with a splash of water (reserved pasta water ideally) to loosen the sauce.
Meal prep tip: Prepare the mushroom Marsala sauceahead ahead of time, then assemble with cooked pasta and chicken when you’re ready to serve.