Bring the restaurant home with this Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Marsala Fettuccine recipe! Long pasta is tossed in a hearty and earthy savory sauce with spinach and chicken.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
I love this Italian dish for its simple ingredients and delicious flavors of the savory sauce. It is a great unique yet classic dish for Italian food lovers that are looking for something with no tomatoes.
Inspired by the restaurant classic, this copycat recipe uses our Marsala Wine Sauce Recipe tossed with spinach and pasta, then served with lightly breaded chicken tenderloins.
The modern Olive Garden chicken marsala recipe is a simple and easy pasta dinner recipe. If you are a marsala lover, also check out our Copycat Olive Garden Stuffed Chicken Marsala!
Ingredients
Full quantities and details can be found in the recipe card below. Let’s talk about the simple ingredients you need for this pasta copycat recipe:
Fettuccine Pasta – a classic thick and long noodle
Chicken Tenderloins – the restaurant uses tenderloins but you have a lot of options here! You could also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. If you use larger pieces, pound chicken breasts to a thinner shape for faster cooking.
Spinach – Fresh spinach is great, but you can also use frozen spinach that has been drained.
Fresh Mushrooms – earthy mushrooms are the star of this dish! Crimini or white button are perfect.
Marsala Wine – The key ingredient! It is best to use a real marsala wine from a liquor store and not a cooking wine from a grocery store. Marsala cooking wine do not taste nearly as good. Dry marsala wine is best as sweet marsala wine will have a sweeter flavor. Marsala is an Italian fortified wine.
Vegetable Stock – mushroom stock (or using mushroom base with water) is ideal if you have it. But vegetable stock (or even chicken stock if it does not need to be vegetarian) works great. Chicken broth or beef broth will also work.
Cornstarch – to slightly thicken the sauce. You can also use flour if preferred.
All Purpose Flour – for lightly dredging the chicken. Keep this gluten free by using grilled chicken or sauteed chicken instead.
Dried Rosemary – you can also use fresh rosemary, just increase to 1.5 Tablespoons
Garlic Cloves – minced garlic
Butter – An easy way to add a little creamy texture to the sauce. You could also use olive oil instead if preferred.
Olive Oil – or more butter if preferred
Salt
Black Pepper
How to Make the Recipe
Heat a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cook the pasta per package directions until al dente. Add the spinach for the last 30-60 seconds to cook. Save some pasta water, drain, and set aside.
To make the sauce, heat oil and cook the sliced mushrooms and then add the aromatics.
Add the liquid and then the flour and cook.
Whisk in the butter and your sauce is ready to go!
Combine flour with a little salt.
Lightly dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
Cook the chicken in a couple Tablespoons of olive oil a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through.
If your mushroom wine sauce is too thick, you can add some chicken stock or reserved pasta water.
Mix it all together.
Serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Modifications and Substitutions
Spinach – if using frozen spinach, reduce to just one cup and cook very briefly heating in the boiling pasta water.
If you want an extra creamy sauce you can add some heavy cream or even sour cream.
For a thicker sauce consistency without cream or dairy, add more cornstarch or flour to thicken the sauce.
You can also use tender chicken breasts instead of tenderloins, and even make them thinner by layering in sheets of plastic wrap and making them thinner with a meat mallet.
FAQs
What is Olive Garden Chicken Marsala made of?
What is Chicken Marsala sauce made of?
Did Olive Garden change their Chicken Marsala?
What is a substitute for Marsala wine in Chicken Marsala?
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Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Marsala Fettuccine
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
- 6 ounces mushrooms cremini or white button, sliced (2 cups)
- ½ Tablespoon minced garlic (approximately 3 cloves)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or 2 Tablespoons flour)
- ½ Tablespoon dried rosemary chopped
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock or broth
- 1 ½ cups marsala wine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Chicken and Pasta
- 1 pound fettuccine dried weight
- 2 cups fresh spinach (1 cup frozen)
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins more or less as desired
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil more as needed
- ½ cup flour
- salt
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat a medium pot over medium heat. When hot, add the oil.1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- Add the mushrooms and cook until lightly browned, approximately 3 minutes.6 ounces mushrooms
- Add the garlic, rosemary, and cornstarch. Stir to combine. Cook until fragrant and flour is cooked, 1 minute.½ Tablespoon minced garlic, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, ½ Tablespoon dried rosemary
- Add the wine, stock, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.1 ½ cups vegetable stock, 1 ½ cups marsala wine, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the butter and stir in to combine into the sauce. Remove from heat.2 Tablespoons butter
Chicken
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of oil.2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- While heating, put the flour in a shallow dish with a pinch of salt. Coat each chicken piece on all sides in the flour, shaking to remove excess flour.½ cup flour, 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins
- When the pan and oil are hot, cook the chicken until just golden brown on each side, approximately 5-7 minutes per side. Repeat with all chicken, adding more oil as needed. Set the chicken aside.
Pasta and Assembly
- Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Salt the water to your preference and add the pasta. Cook until just shy of al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce later).1 pound fettuccine, salt
- When just 30-60 seconds from being done, add the spinach to the water. Cook until pasta is al dente and spinach is wilted. Save 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.2 cups fresh spinach
- To assemble, combine the pasta and marsala sauce together in a large pot or bowl. Stir to combine. Add reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve with the chicken on top as the restaurant does, on the side, or slices and mixed in. Serve with fresh parsley and/or Parmesan as desired.
