I am getting nostalgic over this Split Chicken Breast with Fall Marsala Pasta. Marsala mushroom pasta used to be a favorite of mine at restaurants as a kid. Going dairy free eventually meant that I wouldn’t have it again until I decided to recreate the food memory (dairy free) with one of my regular weeknight meals – roast split chicken breasts.

The recipe starts by searing the chicken breasts skin side down in butter until crispy. While the chicken finishes cooking in the oven, I add minced shallots to the pan to cook down and caramelize. The combination of rich mushrooms, sweet marsala wine, creamy cashew milk with the delicious roast split chicken makes for a seriously comforting meal.
I kept this recipe dairy free and gluten free but you can easily make with other options. You have the choice of using regular butter, milk and parmesan or feta cheese in this recipe but I kept it creamy and rich in fall flavor without the dairy with a few flavor enhancers like white miso paste and pumpkin pureé. The dairy free options I did use in this recipe are unsweetened cashew milk, cultured cashew butter and I added the optional topping of treeline cashew cheese. It is delicious without the added cheese at the end but does kick up the comfort factor.
To balance out the sweetness of the marsala wine, I added a few splashes of red wine vinegar and a few pinches of dried oregano and basil. The roast chicken is a perfect savory addition to the sweet and tangy sauce.



Crispy roast split chicken breast with sauce appears often in my meal rotation but sometimes the quick and easy pre made sauces get boring so I like to switch it up with something that reminds me of ordering from a restaurant. This Split Chicken Breast with Fall Marsala Pasta has a great balance of flavors and can easily be made gluten free and dairy free. Some of the noteworthy nutrients from this dish are: Vitamin B1, B3, B5, B6, Calcium, Selenium, Vitamin D, Zinc.
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Split Chicken Breast with Fall Marsala Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 split chicken breasts
- 3 Tbsp butter (I use a dairy free option- not margarine)
- 2 shallots minced
- 1 c shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 c rehydrated dried mushrooms I used chanterelle and oyster (optional)
- 1 1/4 c marsala wine
- 2 c chicken broth
- 1 c cashew milk
- 1 c pumpkin purée
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp white miso paste
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 pinches dried oregano and basil
- salt and pepper
- pasta of choice
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat.
- Thoroughly salt and pepper split chicken breasts.
- Add chicken to pan skin side down. Cook until golden brown (about 3-6 minutes) and flip.
- After searing all sides of the chicken, add to a baking sheet or pan and bake for an addiitonal 20-40 minutes, depending on how large the chicken cuts are.
Pasta sauce
- Turn stove to low heat.
- Add minced shallots with salt to the pan you seared the chicken in.
- Stir occaisonally and cook for several minutes until they begin to caramelize.
- Add sliced fresh mushrooms and sautée until soft.
- Deglaze the pan with the marsala wine & add the rehydrated (dried) mushrooms if using.
- Add remaining ingredients: olive oil, butter, pumpkin purée, chicken broth, cashew milk, red wine vinegar, spices.
- Mix miso paste in a little of the liquid and add to the sauce pan.
- Add 1/3 c pasta water.
- Boil until the liquid reduces and begins to thicken. Once it starts to look more like sauce, turn the heat down to low to finish with your pasta.
- Once your sauce is nearly thickened enough, add pasta that is cooked al dente and finish cooking it in the sauce.
- Grate or add dollops of your favorite cheese and a drizzle of olive oil to serve with roast split chicken breast on the side.




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