Creamy Chicken in Vodka Mascarpone Sauce — A Weeknight Dinner Worth Celebrating

Authentic Italian Gourmet Pasta Sauce. No Added Sugar. Ever.

Chicken and vodka sauce is one of those combinations that shouldn't work as well as it does. The lean, mild chicken absorbs the rich, creamy sauce and becomes something greater than either ingredient on its own. Add pasta and you have a complete meal that tastes like it took hours but comes together in thirty minutes.

Albanese's Finest Vodka Mascarpone — made with real mascarpone, premium tomatoes, and no added sugar — is the authentic Italian gourmet pasta sauce that makes this dish extraordinary. The natural sweetness of the chicken plays against the bright tomato and rich mascarpone in a way that's deeply satisfying without being heavy.

• 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 jar Albanese's Finest Vodka Mascarpone sauce (24 oz)
• 1 lb rigatoni or penne
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup dry white wine (optional)
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• Fresh basil
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Kosher salt & cracked black pepper
• Reserved pasta water

Step 1 — Season the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry. Season generously with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Step 2 — Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil and butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer — don't crowd. Sear 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove and set aside. The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked through yet.

Step 3 — Sauté aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallot and garlic to the same pan. Cook 2 minutes until softened and fragrant, scraping up any browned bits from the chicken.

Step 4 — Deglaze (optional). Add white wine and let it bubble and reduce by half.

Step 5 — Add the sauce. Pour in the Vodka Mascarpone sauce. Stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Step 6 — Cook the pasta. Boil pasta in heavily salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.

Step 7 — Combine and serve. Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss, adding pasta water as needed. Plate and top with fresh basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Thighs vs. breasts. Chicken thighs are more forgiving — they stay juicy even if slightly overcooked. Breasts are leaner and can dry out quickly. If using breasts, don't overcook them in the sear step.

The fond is flavor. Those browned bits stuck to the pan after searing the chicken? That's concentrated flavor. Scrape them up when you add the shallot and garlic — they'll dissolve into the sauce and add incredible depth.

Let the sauce simmer. The 10–12 minutes of simmering with the chicken is what makes this dish. The chicken finishes cooking in the sauce, absorbing its flavor, while the sauce reduces and concentrates.

Variations

Chicken Vodka with Spinach: Add 2 cups of baby spinach to the sauce in the last 2 minutes of simmering.

Chicken Vodka with Mushrooms: Sauté 8 oz of sliced cremini mushrooms before adding the garlic. The mushrooms add an earthy depth that pairs beautifully with the mascarpone.

Chicken Vodka with Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Add ¼ cup of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped, to the sauce.

About the Sauce

Albanese's Finest Vodka Mascarpone is made with real mascarpone — the Italian cream cheese that gives this sauce its signature richness. No added sugar means the tomato flavor comes through clean and bright. It's the authentic Italian gourmet pasta sauce that makes chicken vodka pasta taste like the real thing.

No added sugar. Small-batch. Founder-made.

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