Chicken Marsala Pasta

My father-in-law really likes chicken Marsala and one of my favorite dishes is chicken and spaghetti; so for his birthday I decided to try and create a delicious combination of both. I am pretty sure it worked out well! It is a dish that definetly needs some green veggies on the side to balance it out. The biggest flaw of the dish is it equals lots of dishes! 

Serves 6-8 (depending on your chicken size)

For the garlic chicken:

6-8lb Oven Stuffer Chicken 

3-5 Cloves of Garlic 

Dried Thyme

1/4 Cup Olive Oil 

Take a cooling rack and place it over a baking dish so your chicken can sit on the rack and drip all of its yummy fat can drip in the dish. Remove the gizzards from the chicken and place on the cooling rack. In a small bowl crush the garlic or use a microplane (even better) and add some dried thyme, about a teaspoon, and whisk in the olive oil. Pour the olive oil mixture all over the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for about two to two and half hours or until the popper pops up!

Let chicken rest before carving. While chicken rests, take the dish with the drippings and heat on the stove top to thicken. Add a tbsp of cornstarch if you need to. Skim some of the fat off the top. Carve the chicken and place in the gravy. Now add the pasta! Speaking of pasta...

For the Marsala pasta:

1lb Spaghetti or Thin Spaghetti 

3 Tbsps Butter

16oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced

Dried Thyme 

1 Cup Marsala Wine

Starchy Pasta Water 

Parsley (optional) 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until done to taste. Reserve about 3/4 Cup of starchy pasta water for mushrooms.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a 2qt sauce pan and add mushrooms. Let them brown for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the Marsala wine and let it bubble and simmer for a good 5 minutes. Add the starchy pasta water and stir. Add your cooked pasta to the mushroom sauce ad mix well. Add some parsley if you like. 

Now mix the pasta mixture into the chicken gravy in pan. Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you like and enjoy!