This Creamy Chicken Marsala Soup is everything you love about the classic pasta…slow simmered into a cozy, creamy, comforting soup. Feel free to make yours with any kind of pasta shape or noodles that you have on hand.
Cold and rainy days call for warm and cozy soups. Always. ♡
And last week, on a particularly cold and dark and drizzly day here in Spain, this creamy chicken soup ended up being particularly good for the my soup. Not to mention a particularly delicious way to warm up.
It was inspired by everything I love in classic chicken marsala — tender chicken, lots (and lots) of hearty mushrooms, a creamy, garlicky, wine-infused broth, a few good handfuls of fresh spinach stirred in (gotta have at least a few greens), plus whatever shape of pasta you may have on hand (stirred right into the soup!). Then, when served up with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, along with — I insist — a generous sprinkle of freshly-grated Parmesan, it’s pretty much inevitable that this one will be a total winner.
It’s everything I love about a good creamy, cozy, comfort soup. So if you need a winter warm-up, grab some chicken and mushrooms at the store, and let’s make a batch together.
As I mentioned, the ingredients for this soup are pretty much directly inspired by classic Chicken Marsala. You’ll need:
- lots of mushrooms (I love classic baby bellas, but white button mushrooms would also work well)
- cooked, shredded chicken (feel free to pick up a rotisserie as a shortcut)
- carrots + onion + garlic + thyme for seasoning
- chicken stock + cream (or half and half) for the broth
- pasta (any shape)
- lots of baby spinach (to add at least a few greens to this creamy soup)
And the namesake of the dish…Marsala wine.
If you’re new to Marsala, it’s a fortified Italian wine that you can purchase either “dry” or “sweet”. Classic chicken marsala is usually made with sweet wine, but either will do. That said, if you can’t find Marsala, you can substitute in a dry or sweet white wine with an extra tablespoon or two of brandy. Or — if you prefer not to cook with alcohol — you can sub in a little extra chicken stock plus 3-4 tablespoons sherry vinegar instead.
As you’ll see in the recipe below, I opt to not completely “boil off” the wine, so that its flavor can still be present in the soup broth. But feel free to reduce the wine as much as you would like at that point in the recipe.
Then, once your soup is ready to go, ladle it up nice and hot into your serving bowls.
Serve them up with a few slices or a wedge of fresh lemon (and give them a good squeeze, it really helps brighten up the soup), and sprinkle with a generous pinch of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
And then…I sincerely hope you enjoy every last bite.
Stay warm out there, everyone!
Creamy Chicken Marsala Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2/3 cup Marsala wine*
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 ounces uncooked dry pasta, any shape (I used shells)
- 1 cup cream
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
- Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- for serving: Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for 5-6 minutes until softened and browned. Transfer mushrooms with a slotted spoon to a separate plate, and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the stockpot, along with the carrot and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Stir in the flour until completely combined, then cook for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add about half of the Marsala wine, and give the mixture a good stir, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any of those delicious brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining wine, chicken stock, shredded chicken, thyme, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.
- Then reduce heat to medium and stir in the dry pasta. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the cooked mushrooms, cream and baby spinach until they are completely combined, and the spinach begins to wilt. Then taste the soup, and season with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, as needed. Remove the thyme sprigs.
- Serve warm, garnished with lots of Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I used this recipe as a base for a soup, but my hubby has a dairy intolerance. I did not use the cream, and I didn’t have pasta, so that was out too.
Even without the dairy & pasta it was delish. I bet it would be better with cream & pasta though.
I was looking for a different soup recipe to serve my book club and decided on this. I made it the night before and was a little worried about the cream separating but it didn’t! The soup was a big hit and more people ate this soup than the beef stew (I made two soups)! I added a little more Marsala when I heated it up and if I were to make the soup a day ahead again I would wait to add the pasta til reheating (I thought about that when it was too late) but it was fine. Everyone asked for the recipe, to which I happily provided the link. Gimme Some Oven is one of my go-to sites, Ali is so talented, she creates great recipes and tells a nice story. Needless to say, this recipe is now in the lineup. :-)
Sounds yummy going to make for my family.
This was amazing! I usually make a recipe the first time as written and then tweak it the next time if needed… no need! Perfect as is…. hearty, but not heavy… full of flavor! It made almost three quarts, so I took some to my elderly dad and some to a friend in need of love and care. Thank you so much!
Chicken Marsala is one of my favorite dishes and this SOUP captures it’s essence Perfectly! I did add a splash of Marsala towards the very end just to reinforce that flavor and it was So Delicious!
We loved it. Chicken Marsala is my favorite meal. I make it every year for my birthday. This soup did not carry any actual Marsala flavor, and I even poured in extra, but it was delicious.
This recipe is the best! This soup is addicting. I’ve made it 4 times in the past 5 months. Love it! I use small shells and I do more spinach that what it calls for. You can NOT omit the fresh Parmesan and lemon for garnish. So delicious 😋
Love love love this recipe!!! I’ve made it 3 times now.
I made this and it was absolutely delicious!!! Came out perfect and everyone loved it. Do not omit the lemon and Parmesan for garnish!!
This is so delicious! I stuck to the recipe ingredients and added a can of cannellini beans and cooked the pasta separately as this was way to much for our family and the leftovers would not be ruined by mushy pasta. My picky and very active 2yr old stayed completely quiet and still and sat and slurped up an entire bowl. Huge win for us. Thanks for the delicious recipe.