Chicken Marsala Macaroni and Cheese {Recipe & Contest}

Today I have a very special recipe to share with you! I was invited to participate in the Colombo Wines 12 Days of Marsala Recipe Challenge. I was tasked with developing a recipe utilizing either their sweet or dry marsala wine. Colombo provided me with the wine and ingredients and I got creative from there!

The idea that kept coming back to me over and over was converting traditional chicken marsala into a creamy, baked macaroni and cheese dish. I know chicken marsala is a favorite dish of many and who doesn’t love mac and cheese? I love finding ways to put unique spins on classic comfort dishes so I had high hopes for my hybrid dish.

Chicken Marsala Macaroni and Cheese

It was, in fact, an excellent concept! It took several tests to get it just right but the final result was a creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese with bites of marsala chicken and mushrooms studded throughout. I was concerned that the marsala flavor would get lost in the cheese and pasta but it didn’t at all. It added another layer of depth and flavor to the mac and cheese and really complemented the gruyere and fontina cheeses that I used in the recipe.

I also tried to streamline the preparation of the dish as much as possible so I started by making the chicken marsala in a large saucepan and then whisked milk, flour and cheese into the sauce to convert it to macaroni and cheese. My final touch was to top it all off with panko breadcrumbs to add a little texture contrast.

Please head over to the Colombo 12 Days of Marsala Challenge website to view my recipe and to vote my mac and cheese as your favorite recipe of the challenge. Colombo is giving away a Colombo gift pack AND a $50 gift card every day to one lucky voter. I would LOVE for you to support my recipe! I spent hours in the kitchen dreaming this delicious dish up and I hope you will try it and vote!

Contest is over but here is the recipe!

Chicken Marsala Macaroni and Cheese
(Recipe developed by Jen DeCurtins, Peanut Butter Runner)

Chicken Marsala Macaroni and Cheese {Recipe & Contest}

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• Author: Jen Eddins
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 8 Main Course Dishes 1x

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Ingredients

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• FOR THE MACARONI AND CHEESE
• 1 pound uncooked pipe rigate (or any pasta shape of choice)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  1 cup Colombo dry marsala wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 3 cups grated fontina
• 1 cup grated gruyere
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• FOR THE TOPPING
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3 or 4 quart baking dish or 13 x 9 pan and set aside.
2. FOR THE MACARONI AND CHEESE
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook according to package direcitons but undercook pasta about 3 minutes to it still has quite a bite. This ensures pasta will not get mushy when baking.
4. Heat olive oil and butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat until melted and shimmering. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and chicken and saute for about 6-8 minutes or until mushrooms and onions have cooked down. Whisk in flour and cook for another minute. Add wine and let the pan deglaze and add chicken broth. Once mixture is combined, slowly start to add milk, stirring as you go. Add all milk and then bring to a simmer and keep stirring until slightly thickened. Add in grated cheese, cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste and fresh parsley.
5. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with pank mixture below and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
6. FOR THE TOPPING
7. Melt butter and then stir in panko and cheeses.

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