With a rich creamy sauce and lots of herbs and garlic, this mascarpone chicken recipe feels so indulgent and full of flavor! It's an easy weeknight dinner idea that comes together fast in your skillet.
Have a peek at my chicken mascarpone pasta for another hearty evening meal with the delicious chicken and fresh cheese combo!
A cheesy chicken dinner always feels like a good idea, and my ricotta stuffed chicken and air fried stuffed chicken breast with mozzarella are always so popular here! This mascarpone chicken recipe uses this fresh Italian cheese as the base for a delicious sauce and is such a good alternative to heavy cream.
Much like my baked rosemary thyme chicken, this recipe makes the most of these fragrant herbs. As mascarpone is quite mild in taste, the rosemary and thyme, along with fresh garlic, give it so much flavor. Feel free to add more if you like!
If you love a sweet fresh cheese dip, do have a peek at my mascarpone fruit dip!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Indulgent but so easy! Serve as a quick weeknight dinner or for entertaining.
Fresh creamy mascarpone sauce for chicken. If heavy cream isn't your thing, using fresh cheese and herbs is such a good base for an indulgent sauce. It's delicious in my pesto mascarpone pasta too!
Quick skillet pan recipe. No need to switch the oven on, this chicken mascarpone all comes together in your skillet.
🧀 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Chicken - we use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. I suggest to slice them horizontally, lengthways so you have four thinner pieces.
- Mascarpone - the fresh Italian cheese that can be found with dairy products in stores.
- Flour - personally I use spelt flour, but regular is fine too. Or you can skip the step of dredging the chicken.
- Garlic - as mascarpone cheese is mild in flavor, use as much garlic as you enjoy for that fragrant taste.
- Rosemary and thyme - I really recommend to use fresh herbs for their light fragrance.
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap the herbs. On a recipe test I used fresh basil leaves and it worked well. I will say the rosemary and thyme combo has more flavor though.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this chicken mascarpone recipe is very simple, requires just a skillet in terms of kitchen equipment and uses easy to find ingredients.
All the instructions are set out in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Dredge and cook the chicken
Slice the chicken breasts lengthways, then pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and black pepper (if using), then dredge through the flour so it is lightly coated (image 1).
Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and sear and cook the chicken breasts for 4-6 minutes each side on a medium heat, or until browned and almost cooked through. Remove from the pan.
Step 2: Cook garlic and herbs
Reduce the heat to low, and add the minced garlic (or finely diced) and rosemary to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes, then pour in the chicken broth. Increase the heat so it is lightly bubbling and cook for a few minutes to reduce (image 2). Use a spatula to lift any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Step 3: Add mascarpone cheese
Spoon in the mascarpone cheese and fresh thyme leaves. Stir so the cheese melts into the chicken broth (image 3).
Step 4: Add the chicken
Use tongs to add the chicken into the mascarpone sauce. Cook for a few minutes to allow the sauce to reduce (image 4). Check for an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest part of the chicken. Season with salt and black pepper to preference.
💭 Recipe notes and tips
- I do recommend to slice the chicken breasts lengthways into two pieces. It's much quicker and easier to sear and cook them than larger chicken breasts.
- Keep the heat low while first cooking the garlic to prevent it from burning.
- If you love a lot of sauce, simply increase the quantities of the mascarpone cheese, chicken broth and herbs.
- Be sure to check for an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest part of the chicken using a meat thermometer for safe cooking.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Mascarpone is a fresh Italian cheese with a mix of sweet and sour flavors. It can be used in both sweet and savory cooking.
Dredging the chicken in flour is optional, but will help with browning. My low histamine readers may prefer to use spelt flour rather than regular flour as spelt scores 0 on the SIGHI list (it has a ? as a liberator and notes you may wish to review).
I don't suggest to freeze the chicken as mascarpone doesn't thaw too well and can separate and go grainy in texture.
🥕 What to serve with chicken mascarpone
Cheesy chicken recipes call for sides that pair well with a creamy sauce. Some ideas to try:
- Mashed potatoes are always popular in my home, and my cauliflower potato mash is a fun recipe to make!
- For a lower carb side dish, my mashed cauliflower with cream cheese is creamy and indulgent.
- Pair with rice, quinoa or couscous for an easy side.
🍽 More chicken recipes
Find so many tasty chicken recipes here including my popular paprika chicken recipe, air fryer paprika chicken and my turmeric chicken thighs, as well as these recent recipes:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Mascarpone Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced lengthways
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
- ½ cup flour see notes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced or finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves finely diced
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half, lengthways. Season with salt and black pepper (if using), then dredge through the flour.
- Drizzle the olive oil in your skillet and sear and cook the chicken breasts for 5-6 minutes each side on a medium heat until browned and almost cooked through. The cook time will vary slightly depending upon the size of the chicken breasts. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Turn the heat to low, and drizzle in a touch more olive oil, if needed. Add the garlic and rosemary to the skillet, cook for a minute or so, and then pour in the chicken broth. Raise the heat so the chicken broth is lightly bubbling and cook for 3-4 minutes to reduce.
- Add the fresh thyme and mascarpone, and stir so the cheese melts into the chicken broth. Use tongs to place the chicken breasts back in the skillet and cook for a few more minutes so the mascarpone sauce reduces. Check your chicken for an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest point using a meat thermometer. Season with salt and black pepper to preference, and serve up!
Notes
- If you like a lot of sauce, simply increase the quantities of mascarpone, herbs and chicken broth used.
- Personally I tend to use spelt flour. Spelt scores 0 on the SIGHI list with a ? as a liberator. The step of dredging the chicken in flour can be skipped, if you prefer.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken breasts are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165F.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- spelt (flour) scores 0 with a ? as a liberator. Dredging the chicken is optional.
- chicken broth will depend upon ingredients used and cooking technique.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- garlic, which scores 1.
Mary says
Absolutely delicious and super easy to prepare! The flavors were spot on, and it didn’t take much time at all. Perfect for a quick and tasty meal—will definitely be making this again!"
Claire says
Lovely to hear that you enjoyed the recipe Mary! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.