Episode 4 - Fettuccine with Chicken Marsala & Mascarpone Sauce

Tis is the season of lurveeeeee with Valentine's Day is coming up on Tuesday. Let the panicking begin - the scramble to order flowers, gifts, chocolates, and to make reservations at the fanciest restaurant in town before anyone else snatches your seat....and not to mention stressing out over that crazy bill afterwards when it is month-end.... Not too enjoyable is it?

Here's my suggestion, rather than stressing out over multiple things, why not just set up your table at home with a couple of lighted candles and some flower petals if you may (totally optional if it gives you more stress) with some nice, flowy music in the background...? Because what I'm going to show you next is a dish is a very delicious and easy dish to make with your loved ones! Though there may not be a recipe for the perfect relationship (or romance), experiencing cooking and eating together can help strengthen and enhance relationships.

Fettuccine with Chicken Marsala & Mascarpone Sauce

Looks awesome right? Alright here we go. It might look intimidating but trust me, it's not hard to make at all, just takes some of your time. :)

Ingredients:
~3 pieces           Boneless Chicken Thighs (or breasts if you like - cut into thick strips)
~ 1/2                  Yellow Onion (Chopped)
~4 cloves           Garlic (Minced)
~1 lb                  Cremini Mushrooms (Sliced - can be replaced with brown mushrooms)
1 cup                 Marsala Wine
8 oz                   Mascarpone Cheese
2 tablespoons    Dijon Mustard
4 sprigs             Flat Leaf Italian Parsley (Roughly chopped)
12 oz                Dried Fettuccine
Olive oil and Butter to your liking

Seasoning:
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Season chicken with salt & pepper. Heat up a pan over high heat. Add olive oil, and cook the chicken until medium rare - about 3.5 minutes on each side. 
2. Move the chicken to a plate and let it cool for around 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into thick slices after it cools down. 
3. While the chicken cools, add some olive oil to the same pan (and some butter if you want a better flavor) over medium high heat.
4. Add the chopped onions and sauté until fragrant and tender. (should take around 2 minutes)
5. Add the mushrooms and minced garlic to the onions, sauté until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate. 
6. Deglaze with 1 cup of Marsala wine and reduce the heat to medium to low heat, and let simmer until the wine is reduced by half. 
7. While the wine is reducing, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. 
8. Add fettuccine and cook until al dente (according to the instructions on the box, should be around 8 minutes normally).
9. While the pasta is cooking, stir in the Mascarpone Cheese and Dijon Mustard into the reduced wine mixture.
10. Return the chicken strips and any accumulated juices into the sauce. Simmer over medium low heat until the chicken is cooked through and until the sauce thickens slightly, for about 2 minutes. 
11. Turn off the heat, stir in chopped parsley, season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Once the fettuccine is done, drain and takeout. 
13. Swirl the fettuccine onto plates (or however you like), spoon the chicken mixture on top of the pasta, and garnish with chopped parsley & black pepper to serve.

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. Hope you will all have a wonderful and sweet Valentine's Day! Happy Cooking!!! :D