Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy madeira wine sauce with Parmesan cheese. One of the most popular pastas on the menu!
I also have a copycat for Cheesecake Factory’s Chicken Madeira if you love cooking with madeira wine!
Don’t despair, while I am sharing the true copy I actually also lightened up the dish for us, so if you scroll down a bit I have a few easy swaps you can save calories with.
What can I use instead of Madeira wine?
This recipe calls for Madeira wine which can be difficult to find/expensive. Some substitutes are a dry port wine, Marsala, or a dry sherry wine. As a last resort I’d use stock with additional base mixed in.
What can I use instead of Shiitake Mushrooms?
Shiitake mushrooms are also more difficult to find and more expensive. They do have a unique flavor so if you swap them out please understand the flavors will vary. If you do, I recommend crimini mushrooms and I also recommend you brown them well to get the most flavor from them as possible. If you have mushroom base, I’d add a small spoonful of that in with your chicken stock too.
How to lighten this Pasta Da Vinci recipe:
- Don’t cut the butter, this will keep most of the flavor.
- Use light or fat free sour cream.
- Use fat free half and half and use half the amount.
- only use Parmesan as a garnish, not mixed in.
- Cut batons of zucchini to add bulk to the pasta without more calories. If you add two full zucchinis, cut pasta by half.
- You can roast them or add them to the pan with a small amount of butter and cook them gently through.
Looking for more Cheesecake Factory recipes?
- Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Luau Salad (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Spicy Cashew Chicken (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Corn Cakes (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta (Copycat)
Tools used in the making of this Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci:
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Madeira Wine: Some substitutes are a dry port wine, Marsala, or a dry sherry wine. As a last resort I’d use stock with additional base mixed in.
Better Than Bouillon: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.
Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pound chicken breast meat cut into 1" chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 pound shiitake mushrooms sliced (you can use crimini if you want)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup Madeira wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the pasta one minute shy of the directions on the box and drain.
- In a cast iron skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter.
Add the chicken, salt and pepper in the pan on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring once in the middle.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside with the pasta.
- Add in 1 tablespoon of butter.
Add in mushrooms and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes.
- Add in 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan with the mushrooms and add your onions.
Cook on medium-low for 5-7 minutes or until caramelized.
- Add in the garlic and cook one additional minute.
Add the wine and 1 cup chicken broth and let reduce by 3/4 of the liquid (10-12 minutes depending on how hot the skillet and flame are).
- Add the sour cream, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and final tablespoon of butter.
- Whisk until it is well combined.
- Add in the chicken and pasta and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately.
- Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Love Love Love! This is my favourite dish from Cheesecake Factory. Thank you for the amazing recipe! Taste was on point , but sauce turned out creamy instead of the glossy glaze. Do I reduce the wine&broth to 1/4 amount?
I reduced to 3/4 of the liquid but you can adjust it to your liking. I’m glad you love the dish so much, Vincci.
Why all the question marks after the ingredients?
Thank you for letting me know. There must have been some glitch adding them.
I always order the Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp at CF so I’ve never had this. I wanted to cook a pasta dish so when I saw this, I had to try. All the other copycat recipes have been a success in my book and this one was very delicious! It’s now my go to pasta dish. Thanks!
I’m glad you love it so much, Jon.
Pasta Da Vinci is my favorite pasta meal at the Cheesecake Factory and Sabrina…you nailed it!! Thank you soooo much! I love this recipe and have made it often. You use the perfect proportions. There is the right amount of sauce for the pasta. This recipe can be cut in half for a perfect dinner for two. You are a genius!
Yay!! Thank you so much!
I Made this recipe Without the chicken, but I don’t think it makes that drastic of a difference. It tastes like a watered down bland cream version of the real thing. Would try a different recipe.
I had the same issue, tastes like a mix of DaVinci and Alfredo because the cream was so heavy and the sauce was white. I mean, it tastes good as I like both dishes but it was not the right ingredients to make a copy cat.