Chicken Marsala Risotto is a mash up of two favorite Italian dishes combining Marsala wine, creamy risotto, chicken, and mushrooms.
Chicken Marsala Risotto Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this meal are staples. Let's look at it in two parts:
The Basics
- chicken breast
- chicken stock
- arborio rice
- yellow onion
- garlic
- cornstarch
- butter
- olive oil
Add to the Grocery List
- Dry Marsala wine
- marscapone cheese
- asparagus
- mushrooms
This dish is loaded with flavor because of the marsala wine. Marsala is a fortified wine made in Sicily and can be found DRY or SWEET. We want to use dry marsala as this is a savory meal.
The other stand out ingredient is the marscapone cheese. It's very similar to cream cheese, but with a much more subtle flavor. The marscapone melts perfectly into the risotto creating a creamy and velvety coating that pulls the whole pot together.
Chicken Marsala Risotto Recipe
Chicken Marsala Risotto
Equipment
- Large pot or dutch oven
- sheet pan
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup dry Marsala wine
- 3 cups chicken stock homemade or Better Than Bouillon
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 ½ cups cut asparagus about one bunch
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms about one 8 ounce container
- ½ cup marscapone cheese
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs butter
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Dice chicken breast in bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Coat with cornstarch.
- Dice onion, slice mushrooms, and cut asparagus.
- In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock so it's at a low simmer.
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven to medium-high and add oil.
- In two batches, brown the chicken breast. It does not need to cook all the way through. It will finish in the oven.
- Remove browned chicken from pot and set aside.
- Lower heat to medium and add butter, onions, and garlic to the pan stirring continuously.
- While the onions soften, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or nonstick spray. Spread out the mushrooms, asparagus, and chicken onto the sheet pan. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil and season lightly with salt and peppers. Put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until veggies have cooked through.
- Add arborio rice to the pot and stir to coat with butter and onions. Let the rice toast in the butter for about two minutes.
- Add the Marsala wine and stir in well. Scrape up all the brown bits from the chicken off the bottom of the pot.
- Once the Marsala wine has cooked down, add a full ladle of warm chicken stock to the pot and continuosly stir. The rice and chicken stock mixture should stay at a low bubble throughout the cooking process. Every time the chicken stock has been completely absorbed by the rice, add another ladle. This process will take 25-30 minutes.
- Take a little taste of the rice and see if it is cooked through. Add salt or pepper if needed. Once it is cooked through, make sure there is enough liquid to just keep the risotto loose and not stuck together.
- Stir in marscapone cheese. It should have a loose and creamy consistency. Next, add in the chicken. Then fold in the asparagus and mushrooms.
- Serve.
Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @fancy_apron 🙂 or leave a comment below.
Chicken Marsala Risotto is a mash up made in heaven. I love Chicken Marsala. Anything with a flavorful wine based sauce is my kind of comfort food. Enter creamy risotto and it's "Hello, lover!"
Now, these two dishes on their own are generally time consuming, but man is it worth it! I've tried my best to simplify it so I can make it on a regular weeknight without too much trouble.
Cooking Process
This meal starts with the chicken. A light coating of corn starch, salt, and pepper on bite sized pieces of chicken sets us up for success. We saute the chicken until it's golden brown and transfer it to a sheet pan where it will finish cooking in the oven with the asparagus and mushrooms. Not hard, right?
Next, let's talk about the risotto... Risotto is made from arborio rice, toasted in butter, and cooked by adding white wine and chicken stock. It's a gentle process and stirring continuously builds a creamy/starchy consistency. There are plenty of variations out there, but many include some cream and cheese added at the end. It might be my favorite comfort food aside from mashed potatoes.
So we are going to make all of that, but with marsala wine instead. Throw in the chicken, veggies, and marscapone cheese for a complete meal. Voila, Chicken Marsala Risotto!
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Supplies
Heavy cast iron pot--> is so useful for risotto. It holds heat very well and the temperature will not fluctuate as more chicken stock is added during the cooking process.
Half sheet pan--> needed for any sheet pan meal. I like this one from Nordic Ware.
Tips
~Use homemade chicken stock if possible. The depth of flavor really ties it all together.
~The first time you make risotto, stay by the pot and watch the process. After you've made it a couple times, you'll learn how much you can be away from the pot and how often you have to stir it. It would be a real shame if the rice stuck to the bottom of the pot.
~When the risotto is finished, make sure it's loose and not stuck together. You may need to add a little chicken stock at the end to keep things loose.
~You may not use all 3 cups of chicken stock. As the stock simmers, it may reduce and that's okay. It's just better to have extra than run out before you're finished.
~This dish is already gluten free. Leave out the marscapone and butter if you need it to be dairy free also. The starch from the arborio rice and the chicken stock will still be amazing.
Send me a note if you have any questions!
Tawni says
I’m so excited to try this!!!