Chicken Marsala
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Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish of golden pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich Marsala wine sauce.
Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish of golden pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich Marsala wine sauce. It’s the most popular chicken recipe on this website, and though it’s a classic restaurant dish, it’s really easy to make at home. With just one pan, you can have it on the dinner table in 45 minutes. The recipe makes a lovely sauce that is delicious over pasta, polenta, rice, or Parmesan smashed potatoes.
If your family loves Italian food like mine does, once you master chicken Marsala, try your hand at other Italian restaurant favorites, such as chicken cacciatore, pasta fagioli, eggplant parmesan, penne alla vodka, and lasagna.
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Marsala
Marsala is a brandy-fortified wine from Sicily that is 100% worth adding to your pantry, if only to make this dish time and again. It will keep in a cool, dry spot for months.
I buy boneless skinless chicken breasts and pound them thin myself, as opposed to using the ultra-thin sliced cutlets sold at the supermarket, since pounding tenderizes the meat. This adds an extra step but you can save time by using pre-sliced mushrooms. (Or you can skip all this hassle by using chicken tenderloins, which are naturally tender.)
How To Make Chicken Marsala
If your chicken breasts are large, like the ones in the photo above, it’s best to first cut them in half horizontally. (If you pound them without first halving them, they’ll be ginormous and oddly shaped.)
Once you’ve got four flat filets, pound them each to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag.
Add the chicken to the bag; seal the bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a stainless steel pan for the best browning. Nonstick will work too, but you won’t get that nice golden color on the chicken.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first.
Cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Add the broth, wine, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
Gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time).
Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
Video Tutorial
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Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-in (6-mm) thick (see note), or chicken tenderloins
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 (8-oz) package pre-sliced bella or button mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, from 1 medium shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- ⅔ cup dry Marsala wine
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
- Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a stainless steel pan for the best browning. Nonstick will work too, but you won’t get that nice golden color on the chicken.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, Marsala, heavy cream, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time). Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Delicious! Served with rice and followed recipe mostly. I only had chicken stock so used that instead. I made a mistake and doubled the stock. But, I like it saucy so it came out fine. I had several pieces of chicken; so, I finished in the oven. Even my 4-year old loves it!
This recipe was fantastic and really hit the spot. The one thing I would change, based on personal preference is multiplying everything but the chicken. Once this cooks down I want more sauce and mushrooms. Not a bad problem to have if you ask me :). Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
I made this and it was DELICIOUS.
I did add a little Italian spices to the salt and pepper, and I made a double recipe of the sauce (we like our pasta well coated)
Everyone loved it and better the next day.
simply grandioso!!!, i served with italian farfalle primavera, used 2% milk and sliced white mushrooms
We loved it! Your instructions were easy to follow. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour and Sperone Cremovo Marsala Wine so I am not sure if it was different in taste from your ingredients but my family loved it.
I didn’t have cream so I used Oatmilk. It was surprisingly creamy. Bought a huge bottle of Marsala so I’ll be making this often!
I’m planning on tripling the recipe for a dinner party. I saw one person commented that when the recipe was doubled it didn’t come out the same. Has anyone else had success or difficulty with doubling or tripling?
Hi Alison, I think that you can successfully double it but would suggest doing it in two separate pans.
The best Chicken Marsala recipe I’ve come across. Thanks for sharing!
I love mushrooms but my husband doesn’t. Can I substitute another vegetable? Asparagus or spinach?
Hi Catherine, asparagus would work. Another option that comes to mind is eggplant. Hope that helps!
I made this for dinner tonight – it was easy and delicious!!!
DELICIOUS 😋! WILL MAKE AGAIN!
The only thing I would change about this recipe — more sauce!!! Maybe do a cup each of the broth, marsala, and heavy cream, and adjust the garlic, shallots, and thyme accordingly. Otherwise excellent.
Very good. Skipped pounding the breasts, so took a little longer to cook. Cream was a delicious addition, only used 1/3 cup. Will definitely make again, allowing more prep time.
Your chicken Marsala recipe is almost identical to the one I’ve been using for decades. The differences are few. I don’t add heavy cream, or any cream. I use 16 oz of mushrooms; there are never enough mushrooms. I also substitute beef for chicken broth. I like the richness of beef and Marsala. And I use 3/4 to 1 cup of Marsala. If the sauce needs thickening I add a touch of flour.
As a side, I dice potato into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces, add them to a zip-lock bag, add some oil and an assortment of Italian herbs and spices and shake to coat the potato. I then oven bake in a single layer until tender and slightly browned.
Next time I will add some cream.