Chicken with Marsala, Mascarpone, & Mustard Sauce over Fettuccine - Another Terrific Giada Dish

Chicken with a sauce of Mascarpone Cheese, Marsala Wine, and Dijon mustard over fettuccine pasta is one more example of a terrific dish from Giada de Laurentiis. After tasting this dish, I understand why it is a five-star recipe with over 800 reviews on foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-with-mustard-mascarpone-marsala-sauce-recipe/index.html). Thanks Giada!!

It is very easy to make and takes about 50 minutes total. It yields 5-6 servings. Since I was only preparing it for two of us, I reduced the amount of chicken to about 10 ounces. However, I did not change the sauce recipe. The sauce was so good that the two of us finished it. I think if I was making it for 5-6 people, I'd make more sauce.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 pound cremini  mushrooms, sliced (Baby bella mushrooms are essentially the same thing)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup dry Marsala wine
- 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs for garnish
- 12 ounces dried fettucine (I used fresh fettucine)

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

- While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat.
- Then add the onion and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic, and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes.
- Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the mascarpone and mustard.
- Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes for dried pasta or 3-4 minutes for fresh pasta. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over the fettuccine, and garnish with parsley sprigs.