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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Wow! You must make awesome recipes because you have a ton of comments. I was going to scroll through because someone has probably asked already, but is your Marsala the dry wine type that isn’t too sweet or the after dinner with dessert wine that is sweeter. I would purchase your brand, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in Texas…big state who would have thought?
Hi, You’ll need dry Marsala. Hope you enjoy the chicken if you make it! 🙂
Wow Jenn, you have outdone yourself! I’ve cooked a lot of your recipes and have your cookbook but this recipe is just in a league of its own. I have never tasted chicken marsala as good as this. My husband wants to know when I’m going to make it again. I used chicken tenders instead of breasts and only used 1 lb. I also didn’t have any Marsala wine and I’m glad I did some research about it. Don’t try to sub it with another wine. I think the Marsala wine took this recipe up another notch. It came out perfect! Thank you for your masterpiece recipe!
This is delicious! Definitely a keeper and one I’ll serve again! Angel Hair pasta and creamed spinach accompaniment made the perfect meal!!
Could you make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Hi Julie, I wouldn’t recommend chicken thighs; I think they would make the sauce too rich/greasy. Sorry!
I’ve made this several times, always following your recipe since the first time I tried it we all loved it, why change anything! It’s easy yet elegant, and very delicious! I typically serve it with some variation of smashed potatoes. Definitely a hit!
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, but I trimmed all the excess fat off of them prior to cooking and it came out great!
Best Chicken Marsala evah! I have always loved Chicken Marsala and have tried a zillion different recipes. This one is simple yet amazing! I decided to serve with spaghetti squash instead of pasta, which I loved but my hubby … not so much. Oh well, the chicken was so delicious he was still happy. Thank you, Jenn!
Great recipe – instead of using a bag I dusted gluten free flour with a fine strainer to bread the cutlets from the cutting board to the pan, this worked great. I worked in batches as the recipe was doubled, kept the cutlets in a 200 degree oven under foil, before returning it all to the pan. A crowd favorite!
I love this recipe I just made it for my future husband and he loved it and committed that he could have it every night.
Dear Jenn,
I had so much success with your baked ziti recipe for a large group that I now plan to try this recipe for a family get together this weekend. I will need to cook for 14 people. What is the best way to manage this recipe on a larger scale? Would I be able to brown all the breasts and then finish cooking the chicken in the oven while I make the sauce on the stovetop? Or is it necessary to cook the breasts in the sauce for the best flavor?
Hi Ali, I think what you’re proposing will work. I’d just add the chicken back into the pan with the sauce for a minute or two before serving. Hope everyone enjoys!
I made this recipe and just doubled the sauce and mushrooms. it was amazing with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. plates were clean, no leftovers.
I am new to the website and this was the first main course dish I cooked. This dish turned out terrific as is. My son, who loves Chicken Marsala, said it’s better than the restaurant. The only thing I would change/add is to double the sauce and add more mushrooms (personal preference).